Taking Responsibility Should Give You New Access

by David Andrew Wiebe | May 10, 2023 | Personal Development

What happened to you is not your fault. But what you do with it is your responsibility.

People have trouble taking responsibility. They don’t want to believe that they played any part in what has happened to them.

This resistance is understandable.

Who wants to believe that they had anything to do with getting sick, losing their dog, or their parent dying?

I certainly didn’t!

But I wanted to feel empowered, and my mentor was telling me that I needed to take responsibility for everything that had ever happened in my life. So, I tried it on.

Do you know what I discovered?

First, when I took responsibility for my life, I felt a sense of empowerment I never had before. Because now I could see that even if I didn’t have total control over life, I did have a say in it.

Human beings like to make everything mean something, even when there is no definitive, objective meaning behind it.

I realized that I could make things mean what I wanted them to mean. I didn’t need to insert myself as a victim into every picture. I could choose the picture and the framing!

Second, taking responsibility gave me access. I saw that I could do something about my circumstances.

Again, what happened wasn’t my fault. But I had to take responsibility for what I did with it.

Miraculously, actions took the place of helplessness and victimhood.

If I wanted to learn something, I could read a book. If I wanted to work through a difficult time in my life, I could see a counselor. If I wanted to feel better about myself, I could get a haircut, drink smoothies, and work out.

Importantly, taking responsibility should give you new access. It should give way to vantage points you’ve never visited before, and actions you’ve never taken before. That is the value of taking responsibility.