Pegine's Motivational Times

100% Responsible

Pegine Echevarria
Pegine Echevarria

There is a lot of talk these days about responsibility. Finger pointing at others for the conditions that we are experiencing. The truth is that we, you and I, have to take 100% responsibility for the condition that we are in.

I’m talking about what is happening in your world, mind, home, job, family and finances. You are 100% responsible for what you have. You made certain choices along the way that resulted in what you are experiencing right now. The condition you are in physically, intellectually, fiscally, emotionally, spiritually is 100% your responsibility.

Jack Canfield in his book The Success Principle shares the following:

“You are responsible for everything that does or doesn’t happen to you.”

He goes on to share specific questions we need to ask ourselves to understand our part in every situation, emotion or outcome we experience. He shares:

How did I create that?
What was I thinking?
What were my beliefs?
What did I say or not say?
What did I do or not do to create the result?
How did I get the other person to act that way?
What do I need to do differently next time to get the results I want?
©2005 Jack Canfield- The Success Principles TM

Facing the truth is really hard. I know. It is so much easier to:

  • Blame the economy for our personal financial condition
  • Say that weight we put on was because the food was so good
  • Say the heart condition is a result of our incredible stress
  • Blame another person.

Stuff does happen. Accidents happen and tragedies occur, however, how you deal with them and how you react to them determines the outcome you experience in life. That is your responsibility.

You can keep on experiencing the same or similar thing over and over, until one day you realize that you can change, really change, how you think about the experience and the outcome you receive.

Once you take responsibility for your actions then you are set free to find solutions. Often those solutions appear as different ways of behaving, different perceptions of the same situation and different desires that lead you to a new life, usually a better life. Of course this takes courage. It takes courage to say what needs to be said or take an action that would put you out of your comfort zone. It is when you do that that magic happens.

I have an artist friend. She is incredibly talented. She makes the most amazing pieces of art. Her ability to see the magnificence in a simple leaf, or see the brilliant beauty of sunlight hitting a tree stump and transforming those images into a photograph is extraordinary. Her work is amazing. However she thinks it is ordinary, no big thing. She can never imagine that her pictures move people to an emotional high. Or that people remember the pictures and use those images to feel good about life. Only a few people ever get to experience their beauty because she doesn’t see her talent as a gift.

If she did see her talent as a gift and took 100 % responsibility for sharing her talent with the world what would she do differently?

  • She would share her pictures
  • She would be willing to face tough times because her pictures ‘had’ to be shared
  • She would endure cocktail parties at art functions where her work was displayed
  • She would take pictures, lots of pictures and have them copied
  • She would put her pictures up everywhere so people would see them

No one can do that for her … because she has to take 100% responsibility for her gifts.

How about you? Are you taking 100% responsibility for your gifts and talents? Are asking yourself the questions that Jack Canfield posed about your life?

Only you can take responsibility. You can point fingers, blame others or avoid taking action. The consequences are the result of those actions.

The ultimate question is – are you happy, joyous, thrilled with your life? Are you doing everything you can to be who you want to be? Take 100% responsibility and live well.

Try-it:

So how do you start taking 100% responsibility?

Start by paying attention to your thoughts. Especially the thoughts you are having about yourself.

Scenario A: Do you put yourself down and call yourself names when you make a mistake?

Scenario B: Do you applaud yourself for taking action, learn what you did wrong and figure out how to fix the mistake?

These are two different ways to deal with a mistake which result in two very different outcomes.

Scenario A: The person who thinks this way doesn’t take responsibility for his or her actions, he or she is pointing fingers and blaming, in this case blaming his or her self. When people are yelled at or called names they shut down, even when the yelling and name calling is happening in their head. They stop trying, thinking, “What is the point I’ll eventually mess up. I always do.”

Scenario B: This person accepts responsibility and says, “Yes, I messed up. I did try to do the right thing but I messed up.” He or she asks, “Where did I mess up? What caused me to act that way? What was I thinking? How can I act differently next time?” He or she understands that this situation or something similar will happen in the future and he or she will be better prepared. That is taking responsibility.

Kick-butt action:

Think of a time when you made a mistake. What did you learn? How has that helped you?

Applaud yourself. You took responsibility!

Pegine’s Quote of the Month:

“ You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” ~ Jim Rohn

Reprinted from Pegine’s Motivational Times for Leaders. Subscribe at www.pegine.com. Pegine motivates leaders in a diverse world. (c)2008