Comments on: Ask the Readers: How Can You Take More Personal Responsibility?

By: Tom777

Tom777 — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:20:23 +0000

My personal responsibility revolution came when I was around 21 years old…

I grew up in a poor family and never planned to go to college. I was a poor student in high school and barely graduated with very low grades. I never tried because I blamed society for “holding me down” and giving me a bad hand to play in life.

Then after I graduated I went to work making minimum wage at several restaurant jobs, etc. I found that those who worked hard and had a good attitude got more work done and made more money. Working at a job, taught me how to live…

I started looking into financial aid for college and found out that if I waited till I was 22, I could get government financial aid and federal grants as an adult continuing education.

I ended up attending college and most of it was paid for with grants from the government that I never have to pay back…

Today I have a 4 year degree and I run my own business.

All because I realized that if I wanted my life to be something it was up to ME to make that happen.

By: Tom777

Tom777 — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:13:16 +0000

Excellent points, so good in fact that I’m going to take responsibility and write a book based on the ideas you have expressed here and make myself rich by publishing the book and selling it nationwide!!

Thank You.

By: agoodhusband.net » Take Responsibility for Your Actions

agoodhusband.net » Take Responsibility for Your Actions — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:21:19 +0000

[...] Leo Babauta over at Zen Habits asks a good question today: How Can You Take More Responsibility Over Your Own Actions? [...]

By: Responsibility « Faith Venture

Responsibility « Faith Venture — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:12:49 +0000

[...] responsibility for our response to the challenges and opportuities that we face in life? Here is an interesting post on another Blog about personal responsibility. As I reflect over my life and the people I’ve [...]

By: Brad Tanner

Brad Tanner — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:58:03 +0000

I work with people all the time who blame their troubles on everyone and everything around them. It’s amazing to me how many people feel they are victim of the circumstances around them.

What you have to realize is that, even if it isn’t your fault. You have to pull yourself through your situation. You have to find away to succeed when those around you are causing you to fail.

Brad
Paper Assistant

By: AS

AS — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:29:11 +0000

I like this post a lot, and think it’s a huge step for most people to even just be aware of the concept. I know how important personal responsibility is, and yet have found myself recently having a lightbulb go on concerning just this topic. For instance, I’ve been bitter about diet practices in my household and was blaming my partner’s habits for my lack of self-control. He eats a lot of comfort and junk food, I want us to eat whole (vegetarian) foods. But when I finally just took the reigns on my own, his habits fell in line with mine. It reminded me that personal responsibility is often about setting an example that others want to follow.

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:45:19 +0000

I believe in the spiritual discipline which describes my negative state as my creation entirely, a brutal discipline yet one containing its own solution if I have the honesty to own my desires, fear, compulsions and attachments. How am I threatened? What am I not getting, in the manner I desire? I am not a Catholic but, the story of Lucifer, (Giver of Light) God’s most lovely angel resonates in me. Beautiful and powerful, Lucifer desires yet more power, more control. He is banished from Heaven, God’s presence, and assumes the archetypal role of devil, ultimate evil one, doomed to eternal suffering and exile. The desire to control other people is, I believe, the absolute, primary expression of humans, closely following the instincts for sustenance, physical security and shelter. As soon as we’ve eaten, the gate’s up and we find some company, we start thinking… Of course we are trained from birth to manage this inclination for self-obsession: Do for others, share, listen, understand.
I dislike examining my motive for “good”, a “mitzvah” and finding another, less attractive motive dovetailed with it. My unhappiness, as it occurs, invariaby reflects a fear of loss, a thing, control, a feeling another can “give” to me. The ability, the willingness to consult a rigorous honesty is the keystone to a largely self-designed spiritual destiny, to contentment. Still, it’d be nice if life was fair and people acted right.

By: Breki

Breki — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:50:12 +0000

I just found this blog earlier today, and have enjoyed reading through a number of your entries. This, in particular, made me just lean back in my chair and go “hm.” for several minutes while reading it.

Thank you!

Best regards,
Breki Tomasson
http://breki.se

By: melissa

melissa — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:14:57 +0000

What a lot of great responses. It took me a while to read them all. All of this can definately be applied to the work enviornment. Shelly Anderson puts out a great book called, "Dealing With Divas" that shows how to take moreresponsibility with ourselves in our work atmosphere, especially when dealing with more difficult people. I highly recommend it.

By: bpbp

bpbp — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:20:56 +0000

I would like to add that I have been working as therapist with alcohol addicted men and narcistic condition is common with them. One of our long term therapeutic goal is to help them to takeover responsibility for their lifes.

Alcohol usage is some sort of way how to avoid the narcistic pain – its a calming drug that will soothe pain away.
And from my everyday life experience I conclude that a lot people are drinking alcohol that way. Which will not do big harm if it is occasional but will do when becams a habit.

This post is not all about judging you – just take is as a little suggestion to check how it is with your drinking. And maybe also an attempt of explanation: People who drink a lot are usualy not people with lack of will. They are probably hurt and this wound is so strong they dont know what to do with it. And often they even are not aware the they are hurt – awarness of (narcistic but also any) wound is key to healing it (ie do something).