Life isn’t perfect.

Things go wrong, we make mistakes, accidents happen, and life may not
turn out the way we hope. But is our default reaction to find somebody or something else to
blame for our problems?

For example, you would blame your parents for not teaching you how to eat healthy as a
child. If you are always late for work, you blame the traffic, instead of accepting that if you
had got out of bed when the alarm went off instead of hitting the snooze button for half an
hour, you would be on time. When you are consciously analyzing your steps, you hold
yourself actively responsible for your life.

Personal responsibility refers to the act of identifying or recognizing a problem and taking care of
it, when you take full accountability for your actions, decisions and thoughts. It calls for courage
and confidence so that a person portrays self-dignity and avoids pride so as to allow himself learn
from his own mistakes. It is very easy to develop a victim mentality when you constantly blame
others and external factors for the negative aspects of your life.

Being self-responsible is being self-aware. Everything we do and say has not only an impact on
your lives, but also on others’ lives as well. That is why we must make decisions both ethically
and morally responsible, which are based on honesty, integrity, and our personal values. In
case we fail to comply, then there’s no blaming anyone else but ourselves. Accepting
responsibility for our actions is a sign of emotional maturity; it demonstrates self-awareness and a
belief that we can change and learn to do better. 

But it turns out that this is extremely hard for today’s modern society. Instead we seem to
support blaming. What is that? This is the fine art of making others responsible for all the
difficult things that happen to us.

Blame is the exact opposite of responsibility; it is attributing your misfortune to something or

someone else to avoid taking responsibility for your actions. But why do we do it?

Blame is a common human reaction to negative consequences. It works as a defense

mechanism and helps you safeguard your sense of self-esteem by evading the awareness of
your own failings and flaws. Overall, it feels better to find fault in everyone else instead of
looking in the mirror.
The tendency to blame is driven by our inability to foresee a better way of dealing with a
distressing situation. We tend to blame when we are in distress because it allows us to
preserve the self-satisfying narrative of helplessness and self-righteousness. We excuse
our shortcomings as the result of other people’s wrongdoings or actions.

Responsibility requires pivoting from blaming external factors to empowering internal

forces. There is no point in blaming. Besides, blame amplifies anger and moves us away
from responsibility toward victimhood. The stance of victimhood is a powerful and rigid
one, as the victim is always morally right and forever entitled to sympathy.

Taking personal responsibility is a habit you can cultivate over time. It’s like a muscle
memory; if you do it often enough, it will become automatic. When you hold yourself
responsible, it leaves little room for blame games, and you develop better control of your
life. So it’s up to you to decide what kind of person you want to be.