Who is looking at themselves?

We live in the 'age of blame'. People are being taught that it is acceptable to place the blame for the ills in our lives on others. This concept has taken hold to such a great degree that it is a national epidemic. And, the powerful in the media and the government are only fostering this idea.

When was the last time a powerful person stood up and took responsibility for a failure. Consider for a second the political landscape. We are in the midst of the worst economic situation in a couple of generations yet nobody in power has taken any responsibility for it. Instead, they are blaming everyone else. The finger pointing is on at full speed.

I try to train people to look at themselves. This is crucial for success. I subscribe to the ancient belief that if I am responsible I can make a change; if you are responsible I have to wait for you to change. Personal responsibility is where personal power resides.

The best definition I ever heard of this idea is 'the freedom to create our own lives'. This sums it up perfectly. Yet, in this era, we are taught that is not the way to go. We are a nation of bailouts. People bought homes they could not afford so we bail them out. Automobile companies operate under a bad business model, thus we reward them with billions. The same is true for the financial institutions. Everywhere we turn, people are being 'propped up' for bad choices. This further enhances the blame others mindset.

My desire is not to discuss the political decisions of our government. The goal is to get you to understand how few adhere to personal responsibility as a virtue. They will tell you they are responsible only to blame others. This is not how I want you to behave.

The bottom line is that you are where you are because of choices you made. It is that simple. You are the one who created your life. Even if you left it up to others to decide for you, you are the one who made that decision. Nobody forced you to take a particular job that you were just laid off from. If you had gone and become a doctor, your life would be different. The woman who is now divorcing you wed you without a gun to your head. Those children who are a burden on you are the result of your sexual activity. Except in the case of rape, you were a willing participant.

It is so easy to blame others. Especially in this era where we see it happening all the time. Why should you take responsibility for anything when nobody else is? The answer to that resides in the idea of freedom. It is only through personal responsibility that one can truly be free. failure to take this step will leave one dependent upon others. In other words, you live in captivity.

So what do you want? For those who desire freedom, the time has come to adopt personal responsibility as a virtue. It is you only path to the promised land.
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