It may seem counterintuitive at first, but taking personal responsibility in all aspects of your life is an empowering tool for anyone, leader or otherwise. Not only will you stop automatically playing the blame game, but you will know that it is within your power to change your life in any way you feel you want to. That’s a pretty amazing feeling… if you haven’t experienced this for yourself, I highly recommend it!
In order to fully expand on why personal accountability is crucial for a fulfilling life, I would like you to take a moment and imagine that everything in life is bombarding you with challenges right now. And I do mean everything. Your kids are getting into trouble at school, your relationship is suffering, your bills are out of control, your debt is mounting, your car broke down, your mortgage is late, a close family member is diagnosed with cancer… you get the idea.
When you feel like everything is happening to you and there’s nothing you can do about any of it, you essentially put yourself into the role of being the victim. A victim of circumstance, a victim of life, a victim of the economy. However, when you take a moment to remember that a majority of these things are within your control to deal with, you take back your power. Why are your kids getting into trouble? Why is your relationship suffering? The reasons could vary greatly, but chances are that there is something you can do about it.
Why are your bills out of control? Have you been overspending on frivolous things? Buying lunch every day instead of bringing something from home, making large purchases you aren’t sure you can afford, and misusing your resources could be some of the reasons.
But how many people do you know who are actually willing to admit anything like that? Are you? If you do admit it, do you do so hoping that whoever has brought it up will leave you alone, or do you admit it to yourself and truly focus on what you can do to make your own circumstances better?
Most people don’t fully realize that it is within our power – your power – to re-create your own circumstances. What if, instead of throwing your hands up in the air and giving up, you decide to meditate for 20 minutes and clear your mind before trying to handle anything? What if you realize shortly after you’re done that you can change things? Anything that involves you and your actions, words, feelings, and opinions can be changed, actions being the most obvious and having the most impact on you and everyone around you.
Think of personal responsibility as personal response-ability, your ability to respond to any circumstances, good or bad, in a way that serves you in the best ways possible, for the present and the foreseeable future. When you feel accountable for the things you do with potential outcomes in mind (act but don’t react), you take your power back. Because you know that you can’t control other people and certain things that happen, but damn it, you do have power over roughly 85% of what happens in your life, and you have 100% power over how you look at it, handle it, and benefit from it.
In closing, I’d like to bring your attention back to the quote at the top of this article, specifically the following portion of it:
“[…] they know where they are going and they know that they are going to get there.”
They know that they are going to get there. Notice that he didn’t say how; he said that they are going to. Imagine having unwavering faith that you will achieve what you’ve set out to do no matter what because you know that this is within your power, even if it takes years or decades to see through. Anyone can put this internal habit into practice; most of us simply believe that we can’t because, hey, we’re not Bob Proctor.
But who will be successful, famous, wealthy, influential, and incredible in 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, or 50 years? Will it be you? Or will you continue to play the victim, never fully taking back your power over yourself, your circumstances… your life?
As always, continue leading mindfully, and if you feel like there should be more to life for you, begin leading mindfully… begin with yourself.
