Response-Ability

We live in a blaming world. We want to point the finger and put the blame on others. We blame the Democrats, the Republicans, the economy, the weather, the traffic, the company, the boss, co-workers, the past, family – the list goes on and on, doesn’t it? We want to blame the circumstances and people in our lives for what we perceive to be the misfortunes that may have come our way. In the workplace, we want to blame messes, mistakes, misunderstandings, mishaps, miscalculations, and mismanagement on anyone and everyone – anyone, that is, but ourselves.

If it’s your tendency to be a finger-pointer or a blamer, you also may have the tendency to take the role of a victim. Perhaps you believe that everyone is out to get you and that people are plotting against you, looking for opportunities to take advantage of you or stab you in the back. Maybe you feel that you never get any breaks, that you always get the short end of the stick, and that nothing good ever happens to you.

If you’re playing the role of a blamer or a victim, STOP IT. STOP IT RIGHT NOW! Instead of blaming, claim responsibility for yourself. Start taking responsibility for everything that happens to you and get ready to feel an amazing sense of power and control. In daily situations on and off the job, begin saying to yourself, “I’m responsible. I’m responsible for my attitude, my decisions, my work, my performance, my level of success, my temperament, my health, my relationships, my ethics, my finances, and whether I have a great day.”

Of course, we can’t always control what happens to us. Each one of us has things that happen in our lives over which we have no control and which we certainly wouldn’t have chosen. But the key questions are these:

How do you respond?
What’s your “response-ability”?
Are you responding in an appropriate manner?

That’s the real measure of your character. While it’s true that you may have been dealt a hand that doesn’t look like a winner, you – and only you – determine how you play that hand. When you can say “I am responsible” – and mean it – you immediately put your hands on the steering wheel of your life. You’re in the driver’s seat. And you are no longer a victim.

Today you get to choose whether you’ll be beaten down or come out on top. You get to choose whether you’ll have the attitude of a loser or one of a winner. You get to choose how you respond. Choose wisely. Be responsible. You’ll be glad you did.