“Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment and learn again to exercise his will – his personal responsibility.” -Albert Schweitzer
We’ve become a nation that rebels against virtue and character and chooses instead to blame others for one’s own laziness and failure to accomplish.
Whatever goes wrong, quickly blame someone. It could be bad grades, getting a ticket or arrested, or constantly arguing with someone over issues. Maybe things aren’t great at work. Do you always choose to blame someone?
In our culture, we seem to have an unquenchable need to blame someone for everything, and therein lies the problem. Personal responsibility is the polar opposite of pointing the finger of blame.
Who is responsible for the fact that you have a negative net worth? The credit card companies? No. While I believe their practices to be a crime, you are the one who signed up for the offer to get a free t-shirt and a license to spend money you didn’t have.
Granted, in this day and age of rampant corporate bailouts, our leadership continues to set a terrible example of fiscal responsibility for its citizens. Their utter non-chalance when it comes to their use of presumptuous money to fund their wayward behavior. While this is glaringly obvious, I propose that we need to consider things at a more granular level.
What if our individual track records over the course of the last year were made public for all to see? How would we fare? Most of us would have a few skeletons that would quickly quiet our brash criticism toward others.
The point here is simple: before we can expect others to act in a certain way, we need to be sure that we’re behaving appropriately ourselves.
Don’t like how the government is spending money they don’t have? When is the last time you made a credit card purchase with money you didn’t have? Angry with how your employer is failing to budget enough money for personal raises? How would your family budget hold up under similar scrutiny?
Whatever it is, some people will always find a way to blame someone else.
Obviously, I’m painting with broad brushstrokes here. Not everyone in our society lives beyond their means or mismanages their money. On the whole, however, these things ring true.
What is the answer?
“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that is YOU who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” Les Brown
Yes, our political leaders have shown an immense amount of irresponsibility have fallen victim to fashionable corruption. This does not, however, give us the right to follow their lead, complain about their inadequacy, or wait for them to fix our situation. What it does give us is an ever-increasing need to take responsibility for our actions.
Here’s a list of suggestions to help us regain personal responsibility and accountability.
Accept that you cannot blame others for your position in life. Pointing fingers might feel like the easy way out, but it doesn’t do anyone any good. Instead, take a good look at your own life and accept full responsibility for it, and work out your own plan to change it for the better.
Don’t expect anyone to change anything for you. Don’t wait for handouts. Instead, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and work harder than ever to fulfill your own goals.
Decide that your past will no longer dictate your future. Commit to putting your old financial habits behind you. Wipe the slate clean and give yourself a fresh start.
Consider your own actions before you attack the actions of others. Make sure you have your own house in order before you start tearing down others.