82 the rice diet renewal
co - creative abilities to manifest your heart ’ s desires. This practice
can greatly help you let go of feelings you may have of being a vic-
tim to what happens outside of you.
This tool can make the journey into your emotions fun yet pow-
erful, while not igniting the blame or shame response that many
readers may know too well. When Rob coached me during the
proposal stage of this book, he introduced me to the Responsibility
Game, which is about claiming your power in life. Rob said, “ Every
time you make a choice that gives you power, you use that power
to move ahead toward your goal. It might be a big step or it might
be a tiny step, but it ’ s moving forward. Every step ahead earns a
point in the game. Every time you allow your feelings to stop you
from moving ahead, you ’ ve given up your power. Every time you see
your situation as hopeless or overwhelming, you miss a step or even
take a step backward. Each blocked or backward step costs you a
point in the game.
“ When you ’ ve scored enough points to achieve your goal, you win
the game. That is, when you make enough choices to claim your
power, and you use it enough times to succeed at your goal, you ’ ve
won. Celebrate! Do a victory dance! Then you can set your sights
on your next goal and play again. ”
Rob told me about Laura, who was a marketing executive and a
mom, raising four kids who included her teenage son Tommy. She
worked daily with Tommy, helping him through the typical strug-
gles that teenagers face, until one unforgettable day that changed
her life. Laura came home from work to fi nd that Tommy had killed
himself. Laura ’ s husband blamed her and fi led for divorce. When
she moved away to start a new life, her family stopped supporting
her and, at times, even refused to talk to her. This is enough to
devastate many people, but today Laura is happily remarried and is
the director of a teenage leadership program that touches hundreds
of lives. How does Laura rise above her circumstances? She plays,
and habitually wins, the Responsibility Game.
In every situation in life, you always have choices you can make.
Even in the worst of life ’ s tragedies, you still have choices. If noth-
ing else, you can always choose your attitude. Every time you look