Take Back Control
It is an interesting fact that the ideas you have in your mind, affect what you see, how you feel, and how you respond to situations.
For example: Imagine a person commits a crime.
How would you explain that?
- If you believed in determinism, you would say, "He committed the crime because of his upbringing. His parents didn't bring him up properly or he fell-in with the wrong crowd. It wasn't really his fault. He should be helped, not punished."
- If you believed in personal responsibility, you would say, "He made his own choice, and he chose to do the wrong thing. He is responsible and he needs to be punished".
- If you believed in luck, you might say, "He was unlucky. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and events conspired against him to make him act that way. Maybe his luck will change."
Can you see that the same event will be seen and explained in different ways, depending on the belief you have?
Over the last three years, if you have not succeeded as well as you would have liked, how do you explain that?
Is it because of your parents, or your boss, or your friends, or God, or bad luck, or the government, or is it down to yourself?
How do you account for the way things are?
Responsibility = Control
It is important to remember that the ideas of Responsibility and Control go together, hand in hand.
- If you have no control over the events, then you cannot be held responsible.
- If you are responsible, then you have some control.
So when you are trying to figure out who is responsible for any lack of progress it may be a good thing to say to yourself.....
"I am responsible. I am responsible."
If you take responsibility, then you retain control.
If you don't take responsibility, then you give up control.
So be very cautious of blaming other people when things don't go well.
Don't blame the government. Don't blame your luck. Don't blame your friends. Don't blame your boss.
Take personal responsibility and say to yourself:
"I will take responsibility and I will make it change".
Quiz: Do You Have the Winner's Edge?
Take our Do You Have the Winner's Edge? questionnaire to discover to what degree you have the winner's edge.
[personal Banner]
personal responsibility
Personal responsibility is a personal development principle. A person sees that his own choices shape life, owns good and bad results, acts to guide what happens next, and refuses to blame luck or others. If any part is missing, personal responsibility is gone and control slips away.
CG4D Definition
Context: Personal development
Genus: Principle
- The individual recognises that personal choices create outcomes
- The individual accepts full accountability for actions and results
- The individual takes proactive steps to influence future events
- The individual avoids blaming external forces such as luck or other people
Article Summary
Success begins when you stop blaming luck or others and say, “I am responsible.” That shift hands you control, boosts effort and results, and lets you take back control of your life.