The very first thing Jack Canfield teaches in his book “Success Principles – How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be” is to “Take 100% Responsibility.” At first glance, that seems vague, but in fact it is very specific and has enormous impact on our lives.
There are various ways we can take responsibility but primarily it means accepting personal responsibility or “ownership” of our behavior and the consequences of that behavior.
What Jack specifically points out is: stop blaming and complaining. It seems to be human nature to avoid accepting responsibility for our failures and it is always easier to blame someone or something other than our own actions when we experience failure in our lives.
In addition to stopping blaming and complaining, other examples of ways to take responsibility are:
• Refuse to take anything personal
• Be self-disciplined
• Admit your mistakes
• Don’t make excuses
• Know what you want
• Be honest with yourself
• Define your purpose
• Be clear on your values
• Live in the present moment
• Use the power of intention
• Be aware of your thoughts
There is a simple formula for understanding how to take responsibility in your life:
Event + Response = Outcome
Think back to the last time you blamed someone or something for an outcome in your life that was a disappointment. What was your response to the event or incident that resulted in that disappointing outcome?
It isn’t easy to recognize we had choices. That is when we begin to accept that our response – our words or actions at the time – brought the outcome we didn’t like. But when we realize there are things we could have chosen to do or say differently, things change.
It is an ongoing discipline we must learn to use in our lives and when that becomes our habit, we have learned to live our lives with 100% responsibility.
