Learning To Take Personal Responsibility
Posted by Michael Byrd | on May 5, 2007
in category: Inspirational
This morning I found a great post by Adrian Savage over at lifehack.org called Handling the bad stuff. It’s all about changing yourself over from being a victim of your circumstances to being the one who decides your own circumstances.
Adrian uses a quote that my Mother has been saying to me for years, “Whatever you resist tends to persist.� He explains it this way:
“If you direct your anger at someone, they usually fight back, turning a one-time hurt into an on-going conflict. If you blame impersonal forces, they catch your attention again and again, until it’s easy to believe they’re behind every hurt you suffer. The more you fret and fume about “them,â€? the more power you give “themâ€? over your life, adding to your helplessness.”
To get yourself out of “victim” mode and take back responsibility for your own success and happiness, you’re going to have to spend ome time looking at the people and the situations that are getting you down. Adrian put together a great list of questions you can ask yourself.
- “What have I done (or not done) that has contributed to this problem?�
- “What have I been avoiding that I know I should have faced up to long ago?�
- “What am I postponing that I know I should have done by now?�
- “What am I blaming on others that I know is down to me?�
- “What am I going along with that I know I should refuse?�
- “What am I agreeing to that I know to be false?�
- “What am I accepting that I know is selling me short?�
- “What can I do about the things I’ve just discovered?�
Taking personal responsibility for everything that happens in your life is not always easy and, most of the time, it’s not very pretty.
Maybe you’re in an unhappy marriage or your finances are in a mess. By taking personal responsibility for your situation, you’re no longer at the effect of an uncooperative spouse or nasty creditors. You’re back in the power seat. You’re now in the position to make choices and decisions that will have positive effects on your life. You’re no longer a victim.
Take personal responsibility for your life and you’ll be amazed at what happens!
Handling The Bad Stuff at lifehack.org
