Do You Take Responsibility for Your Life?

When you are dissatisfied with your business and/or any other area of your life and feel stuck and unfulfilled, the first step is to take responsibility for your business results and life. Any important change with lasting results starts from assuming responsibility and committing to doing what is needed to achieve lasting change.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, responsibility means "something that it is your job or duty to deal with". Assuming responsibility for your life and results means you must deal with each situation and adapt your behaviour and actions to get the best possible results. You must stop complaining and blaming other people and the environment and waiting for anyone else to solve the problems in your life.

You might think you cannot be fully responsible for your life when there are so many elements and factors you cannot influence and control such as the environment, the economic situation, the government's decisions, changes in the legislation, inflation, wars going on in different parts of the world, the financial situation of your family you were born into, the upbringing and education you got, other people's behaviour, the weather, etc. You are right, you do not have control over the external factors. You can only control your thoughts, attitudes, behaviours and actions, and they play a crucial role in the results you obtain.

Your responses to the external factors and circumstances will determine your results, whether it is your business or different areas of your life. You have 100% control over your responses to the environment, the circumstances and events, or the behaviour and actions of other people. Otherwise, people with similar backgrounds, having similar skills, upbringing and education, and being active in the same field of activity in your area would have the same results. However, they have very different results because they have responded differently to the circumstances or events. 

Taking 100% responsibility means you acknowledge that you create everything that happens to you. It means you understand that you are the cause of all your experiences. 
Jack Canfield

You cannot control the environment and the circumstances, but you are the one creating your results and, ultimately, your life, not the circumstances or the environment. You are continuously creating your life through factors you can control, such as your thoughts, way of thinking and mindset, points of view, words, skills, attitude, behaviour, choices, decisions and actions. These elements are always within your power to control, choose, improve, change, use or not use. Your results depend on your responses to the external factors in a given situation. 

Why is it important to assume responsibility for your results in business and life?

If you consider that someone or something else is responsible for what happens in your business or life, you give up your power, you transfer it to that person, institution or circumstance. Because you believe you cannot influence the situation or the result, you won't even start thinking about a solution within your power. You feel powerless. You feel like a victim. You blame others and complain about the circumstances, environment, government, your family and upbringing, the lack of money or opportunities, the recession, the inflation, etc. It seems everything and everyone else has something to do with your unsatisfactory situation, except you.

Even if we live in turbulent and challenging times, blaming the environment and other people won't help anyone get more clients, grow their business, improve their finances, etc. The only way out is to stop feeling like a victim of the circumstances and assume responsibility for your results.

Taking responsibility for your life and results means you give up blaming others or your environment. You give up excuses and complaints. You stop repeating to yourself or anyone else your victim stories. You take back your power, decide what you want, look at the changes you need to make and start taking action.

How do you recognise if you take or do not take responsibility?

Some of the most common signs clearly showing you do not assume responsibility for your life and consider yourself a victim are:

• You do not set goals, or your goals are very low or do not reflect your true desires.
• You often complain about the circumstances, the environment, the political and economic situations, your collaborators, clients and prospects, other people's behaviour and actions, etc.
• You blame the circumstances, the government, your parents and upbringing, the legislation, etc. It's always someone else's fault when your life or results are unsatisfactory.
• You often change your mind under the influence of others. You give up on your goal because others told you it was impossible to achieve or you are afraid of being judged by others.
• You often look for excuses for doing or not doing something, for why something would not work or why you did not achieve a better result.
• You are triggered when someone gives you negative feedback or points out something you should address, and you go into defence mode.
• You attribute your success to others or luck instead of acknowledging your own contribution and merits in obtaining the result.

When you consider yourself a victim, the most frequent questions you ask yourself are:

• Why is this happening to me?
• Why are they doing this to me?
• Who or what is to be blamed for the situation?
• As you place the power outside yourself, you will not look for possible changes you could implement to get the desired result.

When you take responsibility for your life and results, your questions change:

• How have I created this?
• What can I change to keep advancing toward my goal?
• How can I turn this circumstance to my advantage?
• Where are the opportunities in this situation?

These questions help you look for solutions and opportunities, and decide about the changes you have to make. 

What can you do to start assuming responsibility for your results, business and ultimately, your life? Here are a few tips:

• Make a firm decision to change your life and commit to turning your dreams into reality.
• Develop a vision for your life and business, set personal and business goals, establish your priorities, make a plan and start taking action.
• Acknowledge and celebrate your success and the positive outcomes and acknowledge your role in obtaining them.
• Stop complaining and blaming others.
• Analyse your results, draw conclusions for your development, make the necessary changes to your plan and keep taking action.
• Accept your mistakes, analyse them and learn from them.
• Accept and face negative emotions such as discomfort, fear, or shame. Find out what you can learn about yourself from these emotions and dissolve them. Learn to regulate and control your emotions.
• Make a personal development plan to develop your professional and entrepreneurial skills, mindset, attitude and habits.
• Look for and ask for support and cooperation when needed.
• Accept what you cannot change and ask yourself how you can change yourself to continue advancing towards your goals or turn a circumstance to your benefit.

Because your thoughts, beliefs, way of thinking and attitude are among the elements you can control and influence when you decide to assume responsibility for your results and life, you must address your mindset, including your beliefs, values, thought patterns, assumptions, points of view, attitude, etc. and ask yourself what elements sabotage your success.