Taking Responsibility · Expert Coach Certification

Taking Responsibility

I find this mantra of accepting responsibility for everything in my life interesting. I absolutely take responsibility for everything in my life- with too much ease. One thing I have been working on is NOT taking responsibility for everything in my life. The reality is: some things aren't mine to own, and it has taken literally decades to even be able to say that out loud. While there is a power in taking responsibility for one's life, and I whole heartedly do, there is a different kind of power in NOT. Taking responsibility gives you power over your circumstances and choices, whereas NOT taking responsibility for ALL of it gives you the power to refuse accountability for things that you did not cause but did suffer from. That refusal of accountability for that which you have not done affords you the energy to move past it and not dwell in it. I can imagine a world where this program would suggest that refusing accountability is also part of taking responsibility for everything in our lives, and can appreciate the sentiment. I also want to point out that some people aren't ready for that next step just yet. Not all the bad in your life is your fault. How you respond to it is. How you hold it is. But it is important to honor the very human reactions we have to bad luck. It's okay to be sad/angry/or any other feeling for a period. The fine line between accepting responsibility for everything and recognizing you are merely human and cannot control every aspect of life is a very fine one. You can accept responsibility for your response to getting cancer, but you cannot control the fact you have it, and that is okay. So I accept responsibility for all of my choices that have built this life I live, and no more.

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Taking Responsibility