Why is it so difficult for us to accept responsibility for our actions? There is a story of two parents with two children who attended 5 schools before 10th grade all within a 20 mile radius all because they claimed the schools were horrible and the teachers showed favoritism. At what point would these parents accept responsibility for their children’s involvement in the problems they experienced? We all like to feel important and have others have a high opinion of us. Some more than others develop an over-inflated view of themselves.These tendencies act to wrap us in what many call “denial”, which creates a false perception of self and the inability to accept the truth about us. It then becomes painful to accept that mistakes are possible and when they do occur the first reaction is to point the finger at someone else.
We refuse to think objectively and accept any involvement for our actions. The inability to accept responsibility for our actions and behaviors is a result of insecurity. By accepting responsibility one feels they are admitting to being weak, powerless, or an opportunity to lose the respect of others.It may cause one to feel they will lose their sense of value and importance. On the contrary, accepting responsibility earns you respect. We can’t be perfect all the time, we all make mistakes.
When we accept responsibility we are accepting the blame for our actions and also accepting the responsibility for making improvements in our lives. Accepting responsibility is a measure of one’s self-worth, their level of security, and the true sign of strength and courage. It will empower you to grow in ways that would bring you great rewards and accomplishments in your life.
Who would you have greater respect for, a person who takes responsibility for his/her actions, owns up to it and promises to do better in the future, or someone who perpetually denies any involvement in situations when it’s obvious they may be responsible? Accepting responsibility is a sign of personal growth and maturity. It is definitely not a sign of weakness. The Consequences for Not Taking Responsibility When you fail to accept personal responsibility for your actions there are a series of events that follow over time.The consequences do not necessarily promote goal achievement and success in life. The signals you send to the subconscious can come back to sabotage your progress.
One of the negative consequences that follow is an exaggerated sense of self that makes it difficult to get along with others. You then run the risk of becoming involved in conflicting situations and becoming more critical of others. Because your perception of your importance is exaggerated, your expectation of others is unrealistic and you become impatient, intolerant, and demanding.
With this attitude, you act as a repellant to others, finding it difficult to gain their cooperation. Your relationships can suffer and before long very few people would want to be around you. When taking responsibility for your actions is difficult to accept, you experience frequent feelings of insecurity. These insecurities can trigger doubt about your own abilities, which undermines your self-confidence. In this state of mind you have a high need to be right at all times to compensate for what you feel you are lacking. You defend your every action, right or wrong.
It compounds the already existing problem of being unable to accept personal responsibility and reinforces this behavior even more. Once this habit of refusing to accept personal responsibility is maintained, your character can become slowly transformed. You may tend to become someone who is irresponsible, a quitter, reliant on others, disturbed, unhappy, hopeless, angry, irrational, and defiant. These qualities are not success enhancers. They can eat away at your ability to achieve your best.
Examine your life today. Are you able to accept responsibility for your actions?