Take Full Accountability

Today’s topic will have an application to finance, but is definitely a broad-based life concept.

It is also something I have been thinking a lot about recently.

It is the concept of ACCOUNTABILITY.

This is not a new concept to any us, but I believe we can all benefit from its repetition.

 
What is Accountability?

Accountability is the act of taking responsibility for one’s actions, behavior, speech, thoughts, etc.

As human beings this is something that is not easily mastered.

It is the nature of most of us to try and defer the blame from ourselves to another.

When we do this, we believe it improves our outcome.

But does it?

No.

What it really does is kick the can of accountability down the road while also showing disregard for the person we are pointing the finger at.

The real issue is that this deferral of responsibility is a major hinderance to our growth.

It also causes strain on important relationships.


Why We Need to Be Accountable

When we blame others for our actions, we are giving someone else power over us.

We are admitting that we are powerless and that they have control over our outcomes.

Unfortunately, that logic only becomes true once we have surrendered our agency to another.

We are now unable to grow because it is dependent on someone else’s actions.

This belief is false and is the nemesis of personal development.

What we really need to be doing is the complete opposite.

We should take responsibility for EVERYTHING that happens to us – even if it is not our fault.

You may ask yourself, “why should I take the blame for something that wasn’t my fault?”

This is where true growth comes in.

When we accept responsibility for everything that happens in our life, we are empowering ourselves.

We are taking the control that others have over us and place it directly on ourselves.

This is very powerful.

Once we are at this point, we can now get to work on fixing the important areas of ourselves.

 
Application to Money

Money is no different.

It’s not uncommon for someone to blame their employer, their co-worker or someone else for their income.

It may be tempting to blame a hospital, credit card company or other institution for the debt we find ourselves in.

Or, it may be easy to blame a virus for sudden financial losses.

The truth is, many of those things stated above will have significant impacts on you.

Maybe it was completely to blame and there was nothing you could have done to avoid it.

The issue is that shifting that blame to someone or something eliminates the need for introspection.

Maybe the virus really was the issue, but when we take full accountability, we can admittedly find ways that we could have been better prepared in almost anything that happens to us.

When we do that, we strengthen our odds of being better prepared the next time it happens.

If we don’t, we are likely to have the same result.

Maybe you really do have a terrible employer, but taking responsibility for your income is how you create change in your finances.

Admit you are in charge and get to work on a solution.

This isn’t easy but it is the only way we can improve our odds of success.

It allows us to change who we are instead of waiting for others to do that for us.

 
Conclusion

Given our current environment, this topic is very unpopular.

But I know that this is something I need to focus on just as much as anyone.

We see the blame game being played at every level.

The problem is that it is only making matters worse.

It is impossible to have growth without accountability.

Whether it is your money or other areas in your life, practice accountability.

Next time you see a situation where you want to shift blame, put it on yourself.

Once you have placed that responsibility where it belongs – on yourself - next start by analyzing what you could have done differently to avoid or better prepare yourself for that situation.

This is very empowering and liberating.

You’ll find that as you do this you will have more patience and understanding for others, because you know how it feels to take the blame for something.

You know how it feels to take responsibility.

You know how it feels to be imperfect.

It fills you with more compassion for others.

This is a game-changer when it comes to growth – and it is exactly what we need in our country right now.

It starts with us as individuals.

We can all benefit by having more accountability in our lives, and will be pleasantly surprised by the compassion it brings for others.
 

Thanks for reading,

Darron Rowley

Founder of 1911 Apparel