Taking Personal Responsibility

One of the single most important words in the English language is

R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y. Your ability to respond. Why? Most of the problems we experience in life are because we fail to take responsibility. Look at your own life. Be honest with yourself. What problems can you identify that point back to you not taking responsibility either in a timely fashion or not at all? I bet it's 90% or higher. We are a country of people who seem to believe problems are always someone else's responsibility.

With all the violence in our society it is difficult to find anyone willing to admit we are all responsible, either by what we have done or what we have neglected to do. Evil prevails when good men and women do nothing. So if you are pointing a finger at any one entity, take a look at how many fingers are pointing back at you.

So you have a problem. And you have a good excuse for living with it, right? You're unappreciated, misunderstood, your parents raised you wrong, the school didn't teach you the right thing, the system is against you, you're broke, unemployed, you can't do anything right, you made a lot of mistakes … There is nothing you can do about it because you are too young, too old, you are under-educated, overweight, you won't conform, you don't have any money.

Do you realize these are all excuses? Donald Trump said " When we want to do something we find a way, but when we don't we find any excuse." Most people do not accept personal responsibility for what they want. They tend to blame others, circumstances, and conditions. Blaming makes us feel better, but it does not solve problems. What happens to us when we allow someone or something else to become responsible for us? We give up our personal power. The power to make decisions about our own lives, and to control our destiny. Are you willing to take that kind of chance with your life?

So if you are a person who has never been good at taking responsibility:

1. Look around and find the most responsible person you know and ask for help or model their behaviour.
2. Take on small projects and see them through to completion. Then slowly increase the amount of responsibility you take on. The more we do, the more we can do, and the better we get.
3. Accept 100% responsibility for what happens in your life, and know that you have the power to take control of many aspects of your life, mental and physical.
4. Stop blaming and start making decisions and be responsible for the outcome good or bad.

Self-control is the key. Take responsibility for creating, developing, and maintaining your place in this world. It's not so much what happens to you in life, but how you handle it. How you respond to it. Whether or not you are willing to step up to the plate and be responsible.

Success has been defined as having the greatest number of positive experiences over the longest period of time. Responsible people are proactive in making those experiences happen. Make it a point today to take responsibility for your own life and get away from blaming others for anything. So take personal responsibility and start enjoying your life!!