Hm. How to take responsibility? That can often be a tough one.
There is a lot to be said for being a responsible person – you are motivated like a champ, you prioritize like an ace, and you have a sense of duty that would make Immanuel Kant weep. But (arguably) most importantly, you have a strong sense of accountability.
Stop making excuses, but don’t be so hard on yourself!
Humans are not infallible creatures. We are all prone to make mistakes – even huge ones. What truly matters isn’t raking yourself over the coals, necessarily. Once you’ve made a mistake, it’s difficult or impossible to take it back, so beating yourself up will not change the past.
View yourself as a creator, not a victim of circumstance
While not everything is in your power, there are a lot of things that are! Your personal involvement and the attitude you take are integral to the success of every endeavor, losing or not. Try to remember the role you had in the situation becoming what it did – it’s very useful in correcting mistakes so they don’t happen again, even if they weren’t directly due to your involvement!
Acknowledge your role
This means being accountable.
Accountability can be a doozy. By definition, it means:
ac·count·a·ble
[uh-koun-tuh-buh
l]
–adjective
1.
subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable.
2.
capable of being explained; explicable; explainable.
source: Dictionary.com
Accountability can be a tough balance, because it’s easy to fall into one of two categories:
- “It wasn’t me!”
- “It’s all my fault!”
But if you can clearly identify your role in a situation – whether it’s for work, school, a personal interaction or your relationship with a certain person, remembering the components of a role (examples: for my event at school, I need to bring the plates. Or, as a friend, I need to be supportive and not catty.)
Don’t bite off more than you can chew
This one is self-explanatory. Don’t do too much – or your brain, that wonderful thing between your ears – will blow up with smoke and sparks flying everywhere. Not recommended. Don’t do it.
Until later,
Xoxo,
Tara
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