In this blog post, I would like to challenge each of you to “choose” to accept personal responsibility for the things that happen in your life. Why? – Because you can’t make a difference in your life or in this world without choosing and deciding to take personal responsibility in making that happen. What follows are two Life Lessons that will help you along the path of life.
Life Lesson 1: Don’t Live The Life of A Victim – and give up your control over your life. Yes – you might be able to get some of your friends to feel sorry for you, however, you would still be choosing and deciding to lose in some areas of your life. Just be aware that it is a known fact that people feel sorry for victims because they lose. Just because someone does something evil to you, you don’t have to choose to accept a victims mentality. Why? Because people who choose to accept a victim mentality are willfully choosing to, and agreeing to put someone else in control of their life. Instead of accepting a victim’s mentality – choose to focus on reasons you should be a winner in life, and refuse to give up and find an excuse.
I find it so sad that many people in our world today constantly try to prove they are victims or losers who didn’t cause their own loss; of whatever. I prefer to constantly live up to my potential; regardless of what others may put in front of me. Why? Because playing the victim means adopting a pity party mentality; and I certainly don’t have time for that. Instead – I am thankful for where I am; and unlike those who have chosen a victim’s mentality, I have chosen to sit in the driver’s seat of my life and buckle in. I challenge you to do the same. If you refuse this challenge, then you’re leaving yourself open to the choices of someone else.
Life Lesson 2: What you drive, is not as important as what drives you! Many times people will use the excuse that they did something because somebody else happened to do it; or use the late comedian Flip Wilson’s excuse – “The Devil made me do it.” That, my dear friends, is not a good enough excuse for anything. We are not in charge or responsible for what others do, however, we are responsible for what we do. Responsible people in my view, are not swayed by the choices and decisions made by others. Fact: Responsible people are able to stand on their own two feet, and they choose proper responses, based on their self-awareness, imagination, conscience, or independent will, and make decisions regardless of the choices and decisions being made by their friends and others.
Awhile back, I was riding in a car with three buddies, headed to lunch in Rogers, Arkansas. Frank, our driver and Phillip were in the front seat, and Josh and I were in the backseat. As we approached the traffic light on Walnut Street, Josh began shouting – take a right dummy! Take a right! I must admit, Frank did look toward the right, however; he turned left onto Walnut Street. Now let me ask you, who made the decision to turn left? Answer: The driver – Frank. Now, let’s say that as we approached the light that I began shouting, go straight! Go straight! – and Frank still made a left turn. Question: This time who made the decision to make a left turn onto Walnut Street? Answer: The driver, Frank. Yes, our driver – Frank, was the individual who decided to make the left turn onto Walnut Street. Likewise, in your life, you are the driver. You can have people tell you to do this or do that, however, ultimately you decide what you want and what you will do.
Right now, through this blog, I am a passenger in your car. You can read this blog post however, it is “you” who will decide whether to accept the challenges around taking personal responsibility for the things that happen in your life. Why? Because you are sitting in the driver’s seat of your life.
If by chance, several years from now, you find yourself in a state of disappointment (I pray that will not be the case) because you didn’t “choose” to Lead yourself and take personal responsibility for making things happen in your life; you can put all the blame on the person sitting in the driver’s seat. On the other hand, if you “choose” to Lead yourself and “choose” to take personal responsibility for the things that happen in your life – you can thank and congratulate the person in the driver’s seat. As I see it – it was the same villain or hero, in the same driver’s seat who made all the decisions; by exercising their greatest power; the power of “choice”.
Wow! Life really is a series of choices and decisions.