Stop Blaming the World! Your Results Are in Your Hands

When you are dissatisfied with your work and/or any other area of your life and feel stuck and unfulfilled, the first step is to take responsibility for your results at work and in life. Any important change with lasting results starts from assuming responsibility and committing to doing what is required to achieve the desired results. 

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, responsibility means "something that it is your job or duty to deal with". Assuming responsibility for your life and results means you must deal with each situation and adapt your behaviour and actions to get the best possible results. You must stop complaining and blaming other people and the environment, or waiting for anyone else to solve the problems in your life.

You might think you cannot be fully responsible for your results and experiences when there are so many elements and factors you cannot influence and control such as the environment, the economic situation, the government's decisions, inflation, your job description, working conditions, salary, the upbringing and education you got, other people's behaviour, etc. You are right, you do not have control over the external factors. You can only control your thoughts, attitudes, behaviours and actions, and they play a crucial role in the results you obtain and how you experience these results. How happy you are while working towards your professional and life goals is also in your hands to a large extent.

Your responses to external factors and circumstances will determine your results, whether at work, in your career or business, or any other area of your life. You have 100% control over your responses to the environment, circumstances, events, the behaviour and actions of other people. 

Taking 100% responsibility means you acknowledge that you create everything that happens to you. It means you understand that you are the cause of all your experiences. 
Jack Canfield

You cannot control the environment and the circumstances, but you are the one creating your results and, ultimately, your life, success and happiness, not the circumstances or the environment. You are continuously creating your life through factors you can control, such as your thoughts, way of thinking, points of view, words, skills, attitude, behaviour, choices, decisions and actions. These elements are always within your power to control, choose, improve, change, use or not use. Your results depend on your responses to the external factors in a given situation. 

Why is it important to assume responsibility for your results at work and in life? 

When you consider that someone or something else is responsible for what happens in your professional life, you give up your power and transfer it to that person, institution or circumstance. Because you believe you cannot influence the situation or the result, you won't even start thinking about a solution within your power. You feel powerless. You feel like a victim. You blame others and complain about circumstances, environment, government, your family and upbringing, the lack of money or opportunities, the recession, inflation, etc. It seems everything and everyone else has something to do with your unsatisfactory situation, except you.

Even if we live in turbulent and challenging times, blaming the environment and other people won't help anyone achieve better results, get a better job or higher salary, grow their business, improve their finances, etc. The only way out is to stop feeling like a victim of the circumstances and assume responsibility for your results.

Taking responsibility for your life and results means you give up blaming others or your environment. You give up excuses and complaints. You stop repeating to yourself or anyone else your victim stories. You take back your power, decide what you want, look at the changes you need to make and start taking action.

Taking responsibility means acknowledging that you have created the results and life as they are now. You have to accept that you cannot influence external factors. You must acknowledge that you create your professional results by behaving in a certain way in a given situation, making a decision or not making it, and taking or not taking action. Your mindset, attitude and emotions play an important role in your response to external factors. You must hold yourself accountable and not be afraid to own up to your mistakes and learn from them without beating yourself up for them.

Even if it is your responsibility, you should not play the blame game with yourself. Blaming yourself and beating yourself up for negative results does not improve the situation and stops you from finding a solution, making decisions and taking action. The only component you can control 100% is your response, more exactly, how you think, behave or act in any circumstance. You can always change your response, and you'll get a different outcome. 

How do you recognise whether you take or do not take responsibility?

Some of the most common signs clearly showing you do not assume responsibility for your life and consider yourself a victim are:

• You do not set goals, or your goals are very low or do not reflect your true desires.
• You often complain about the circumstances, the environment, the political and economic situations, your collaborators, clients and prospects, other people's behaviour and actions, etc.
• You blame the circumstances, the government, your parents and upbringing, the legislation, etc. It's always someone else's fault when your life or results are unsatisfactory.
• You often change your mind under the influence of others. You give up on your goal because others told you it was impossible to achieve or you are afraid of being judged by others.
• You often look for excuses for doing or not doing something, for why something would not work or why you did not achieve a better result.
• You are triggered when someone gives you negative feedback or points out something you should address, and you go into defence mode.
• You attribute your success to others or luck instead of acknowledging your own contribution and merits in obtaining the result.

When you consider yourself a victim, the most frequent questions you ask yourself are:

• Why is this happening to me?
• Why are they doing this to me?
• Who or what is to be blamed for the situation?
• As you place the power outside yourself, you will not look for possible changes you could implement to get the desired result.

When you take responsibility for your life and results, your questions change:

• How have I created this?
• What can I change to keep advancing toward my goal?
• How can I turn this circumstance to my advantage?
• Where are the opportunities in this situation?

These questions help you look for solutions and opportunities, and decide about the changes you have to make. 

What can you do to start assuming responsibility for your results, business and ultimately, your life? Here are a few tips:

• Make a firm decision to change your professional life or business results, and commit to turning your goals into reality.
• Develop a vision for your life, including your professional life or business, set personal and work-related goals, establish your priorities, make a plan and start taking action.
• Acknowledge and celebrate your success and the positive outcomes, and acknowledge your role in obtaining them.
• Stop complaining and blaming others.
• Analyse your results, draw conclusions for your development, make the necessary changes to your plan and keep taking action.
• Accept your mistakes, analyse them and learn from them.
• Accept and face negative emotions such as discomfort, fear, or shame. Find out what you can learn about yourself from these emotions and dissolve them. Learn to regulate and control your emotions.
• Make a development plan to scale up your professional or entrepreneurial skills, mindset, attitude and habits.
• Look for and ask for support and cooperation when needed.
• Accept what you cannot change and ask yourself how you can change yourself to continue advancing towards your goals, or turn a circumstance to your benefit.

Because your thoughts, beliefs, way of thinking and attitude are among the elements you can control and influence when you decide to assume responsibility for your results and life, you must address your mindset, including your beliefs, values, thought patterns, assumptions, points of view, attitude, etc. and ask yourself what elements sabotage your success.