One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned in my entire life was to take responsibility for my actions. My mom and dad drilled this into my head ever since I was a kid and I never understood the importance of it until I became an adult, but it’s to this very day the most important thing I’ve ever learned and it’s shaped me to become who I am as a human being.
When you’re around people who play the blame game and pretend to be the victim to get out of situations, pardon my french but that’s a bitch move. Any respectable adult will own up to their own mistakes and apologize for the damage, even if there were other factors tied into their decisions.
The best example? Have you ever watched Scandal or House of Cards on Netflix? If you haven’t, it’s basically a show where it revolves around politics and all of the underlying factors on how the government functions. As a nation, we only see the POTUS (President of the United States), but there’s the President’s Chief of Staff, his Vice President, the senators, the governors, etc. YET WHY IS IT THAT WHENEVER SHIT (again, so sorry about the profanity) HITS THE FAN, The President is blamed for everything?
And even better? He takes responsibility for it all, even though it was a joint effort with other people. He’s the one who gets in front of the cameras and addresses the nation and is either praised or criticized.
I know that I put it on a grand scale, but when you apply this to real life and your career, no one likes someone who can’t take responsibility so practice now and apply it to your personal life. I guarantee you that it’ll make you a better person. It’s what’s going to set you apart from being a follower or a leader.
Which are you?