“The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
Blaming others for our conduct started in the garden. When God asked if Adam had eaten the apple, Adam blamed Eve, and then he blamed God… What about you, do you own your mistakes, or do all your apologies have a big “BUT”?
We tend to say, “sorry, BUT… , and explain why we did what we did … Instead, be sorry for your actions - or offer reasonable explanations for them - but choose one, because both aren’t true.
As a society we have lost the ability to own our behavior. We blame parents, culture, our environment… you name it, we blame it. This comes from a stubborn refusal to look in the mirror. Brace yourself … Sometimes your problem is completely your fault. Confess, repent, and change it.
Life doesn’t give participation trophies, you reap what you sow, and the consequences don’t change because you “feel” like they should. So, make it your default reaction to “Own” your mistakes... Stay with me on this because there is an upside to approaching life this way… It gives you power.
Obviously, there are times when we suffer innocently. But when your life has been upended and you are blamed for it, you can respond in one of two ways:
1. – Deny all responsibility and blame others, leaving you with no power to fix it, making you a victim.
or
2. – Own the problem and consider remedies, which gives you control.
Do you want to be a victim? If not, consider the possibility that you might bear some blame for the situation. That helps you respond calmly to accusations, which allows people who love you to help you. That calmness will also confuse those who are attacking you out of spite. Humility and confidence produce thoughtful consideration, instead of the knee-jerk argumentativeness we often see today.
Make “Owning it” your first consideration when responding to complaints … Look In the mirror, could It possibly be your fault? You should hope so… because then you can fix it. To gain wisdom, you must admit that you still have things to learn… OWN IT.
"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month. - Theodore Roosevelt
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