Greetings!

Do You Really Understand Personal Responsibility?

I was recently listening to a person tell me a story about how frustrated they were. It wasn't particularly different than stories I have told or heard many times over the years. As I listened to all the reasons they were frustrated, never did I hear them speak to the issue of their contribution to the circumstances that they found themselves in.

Many times I have asked myself, "if there is 100% responsibility to go around, how much of it is mine?" This question is important - not because it helps assess blame but because it helps identify where the power is. If you cannot or do not accept any responsibility for your circumstances then you are powerless to do anything about them. To find yourself in a powerless position is the place of helplessness which is about the worst place to be in.

Here's a heads up: there is almost never a time when you do not have some responsibility for where you find yourself. Be very careful, I am not talking about blame. While the difference between blame and responsibility is subtle, there is a difference. Symptoms of resisting personal responsibility include, but are not limited to, defensiveness, blaming people or circumstances, making excuses, etc.