What’s the difference between responsibility and blame?
I had a hard time coming to grips with the idea at first. But over time I understood basically that one of these concepts was empowering - responsibility, and the other was unhelpful and useless. I realized just because something isn’t your fault doesn’t mean it isn’t your responsibility. That understanding came sometime after coming in contact with the idea. I was so against the idea that When I heard responsibility being mentioned, it made me angry. How could I be responsible for other
people’s actions? The truth is you can’t. You can only control your actions and interpret events you have no control over in such a way that they empower you. This is the only way for lasting success. When you take ownership, you place yourself in a position of security and power. It’s a mental shift that hands you the reins to your life. You are given the power to influence your results because you believe you can.
Whenever there’s an opportunity to take responsibility, taking it has provided me many more improvements to my life than avoiding it. If I didn’t take responsibility, then I would be accepting what was being offered to me. It would be like me screaming on the top of my voice that I have no control over my life and that I will take the scraps given to me.
Taking responsibility means taking action. Nothing will change without it. And only when you do take action can you fully appreciate the power of taking responsibility.
Of course, I don’t always practice what I preach. Accepting responsibility requires a certain level of humility and courage I don’t always have. It requires putting away the ego and understanding something can be done about the situation.
Our wish shouldn’t be that we live an easy life; It should be to live a fulfilling one. There is no fulfillment in excuses. Take responsibility. Who’s with me?
