Accepting Responsibility
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say” –Martin Luther
You are ultimately responsible for everything around you. You are in full control of what happens and what your reaction would be. There is no one to blame except for yourself.
My high-school philosophy teacher first approached me with this idea.
“Bullshit. How am I supposed to be responsible for everything? What if you throw a book at me and I have to go to the hospital? How is being hit with a book my responsibility?”, I said.
He responded with a grin, “You should have moved”.
Personal Responsibility is acknowledging and accepting the fact that you are the only one answerable to the outcome of your life. Taking personal responsibility means to accept the consequences as a result of your actions and inactions.
So many times when accidents happen, dreams fail, or when things don’t go as planned, we’re quick to blame someone else. If you’re late for a meeting, many blame the traffic. If an accident happens, many people blame the other person. If you’re afraid of commitment, your parent’s didn’t hug you enough.
These habits and thoughts are restricting your life and your personal growth. If you cannot admit to making a mistake, how do you expect to learn from it? Stop playing the blame game and repeat President Harry S. Truman’s motto: “The buck stops here”.
If you do not like how things are, you can change by first changing your wrong attitude of mind. Instead of pointing the finger outward, point the finger at yourself. Setbacks, mistakes, challenges are all part of life and it is up to you to set your course.
It all begins with a change of your mind.
“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind”. –Wayne Dyer
Jun 22nd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
While we’re not responsible for absolutely everything, we are responsible for more than we realize, both good and bad. The philosophy of personal responsibility you describe is an important one, because it can be so empowering. Once we get over the overwhelming sense of responsibility, it makes us realize we have the power to do amazing things.
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
@Sara - Thank you for your comment. I agree that practicing personal responsibility is incredibly empowering. You truly realize that no one else is to blame or is responsible for your success. It gives you that motivation to go that extra mile when things aren’t only left to chance and to fate.
I appreciate the comment, I hope to see more from you.
@Everyone - Make sure you check out Sara’s site, On Simplicity. She has some fantastic tips and advice on simplification that is definitely worth a read!
Jul 19th, 2008 at 12:03 am
“Personal Responsibility is acknowledging and accepting the fact that you are the only one answerable to the outcome of your life.” — Russ
The way I see it, we have two choices in life:
1. Allow other people’s perception of you manifest itself into reality, or,
2. Decide for yourself what your life will be and work every day at taking decisive action.
I choose the latter of the two options!
Jul 19th, 2008 at 8:07 am
@Ricardo Bueno - You make a great point! Its so easy to allow people’s perception of you to play such a major influence in your life. Thank you for your comment, I look forward to seeing more of them!
Aug 11th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
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