At a church I attended back in Abilene, Texas, the men there have this motto they plaster over everything. Something that is very important I have always remembered:

Reject passivity. Accept responsibility.

There is a lot of wisdom in those words, because it is the opposite of what a lot of society teaches. The world says our problems are the fault of others, and we should make them fix everything.

That’s not the truth, though. We must be passionately responsible. If we could just do that, life would be easier.

But how do we do that?

I think this is where the headline comes into play. When life is going our way, it’s easy to live the credo above. Most of the time, though, life doesn’t deal us the perfect hand. When that happens, we must reject isolation.

Loneliness is a choice. When I say that, I don’t necessarily mean physically. You can live with people all around you and yet choose to be lonely. That is when doubt, guilt, shame and self-pity take root. The only way to avoid that is embrace others’ involvement in your life.

Simply allowing yourself to be known keeps all that at bay. Doubt and guilt turn into perspective and shared experience. Shame and self-pity turn into courage and self-confidence.

We rarely are the only one that has struggled with whatever is keeping you down. Being known ensures that and allows healing to begin. Isolation ensures continued struggle in that area.

Find someone and ask to be known. Your co-worker, neighbor or friend probably knows more than they let on and want to be part of the solution. Invite them along for the ride and watch the growth that occurs.