Daily Musings: Self-Responsibility, part 2

There’s a famous saying that goes something like this: “If we don’t do it ourselves, it isn’t going to get done.” It doesn’t matter if “it” is a huge home-improvement project or a minor work assignment. Other people are not always willing and able to help us reach all of our goals. In any case, they have their own obligations:

Family
Ongoing personal challenges
Temporary trauma
School
Work

Family and health come first. If a person has problems with either of those, he might not have the capacity to help anybody else. That’s why, in certain circumstances, we can only depend on ourselves (and God).

My last article was about personal responsibility. We must be accountable for our own actions and not blame others if our life isn’t perfect. If we don’t like the direction we’re heading, nobody is forcing us to keep going that way. Only we have the power to change our course.

This subject has been on my mind quite a bit lately because of my adult son. He is completely unmotivated and is always making excuses for that lack of drive:

He’s too tired.
Somebody disrespected him.
“It’s” too hard.

In the end, he is the one that is sabotaging his life. The buck stops with him, not with his parents or other authority figures.

Quotes on Personal Accountability

“If you own this story you get to write the ending.” --Brené Brown

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“The final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.”—Anne Frank

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“There’s not a chance we’ll reach our full potential until we stop blaming each other and start practicing personal accountability.”—John Miller

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“Taking personal accountability is a beautiful thing because it gives us complete control of our destinies.”—Heather Schuck

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“You are the only person that can create the future you want.”—Lailah Gifty Akita

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“All hate is the result of people refusing to take responsibility for their own lives.”—Marty Rubin

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“This is your life. You are responsible for it. You will not live forever. Don’t wait.”—Natalie Goldberg

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“The power behind taking responsibility for your actions lies in putting an end to negative thought patterns. You no longer dwell on what went wrong or focus on who you are going to blame. You don’t waste time building roadblocks to your success. Instead, you are free and can now focus on succeeding.”—Lori Meyers

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“…you thought the thoughts, you created the feelings, you made the choice, you said the words, and that’s why you are where you are now.” (emphasis mine)—Jack Canfield

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“If you don’t like your outcomes, change your responses.”—Jack Canfield

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“But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden.”—Galatians 6:4-5

My Conclusion