The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up. – John C. Maxwell
Wow, I may have to reuse this quote in school because listening to students, “It’s not my fault,” is the only thing they can say. But let’s be fair, it’s not just kids who wear out this phrase, it’s everybody. We’re always so quick to shift the blame elsewhere. We forget to look at ourselves and see exactly what we’re responsible for.
I’m not saying that other people can’t be at fault for things, not at all. We can’t control other people. We can’t control what they say, do or what they think. The only thing we have any control over is ourselves. We control what we say, what we do, and most of all, what we think. I want you to think for a moment about a time you’ve been in a perfectly foul mood, and the circumstances that brought it about. Somewhere in there you’re probably thinking “It’s not my fault, such and such happened.” You’re right, it’s probably not your fault that such and such happened, but how you react to it is under your control. Your attitude is your responsibility. Now, I’m not saying if some bozo rear ends your car that you shouldn’t be angry. Of course you’re going to be angry. Anger is a healthy, normal emotion. But when you hold on to the anger and let it fester it becomes unhealthy. And getting rear ended wouldn’t be your fault, but focusing all your anger on the other person isn’t going to help you either. Accept what happened and focus your attention on how you can move forward from the experience.
It’s not my fault. I say it all the time And you know what, lots of times I’m right, it’s not my fault. But so what. Do I need to feel all morally superior because it’s not my fault? No, because that moral superiority is stupid and it’s not helping anything. I control my attitude, and I’m going to work on accepting responsibility for me, and how I act, and how I re-act. I’m responsible for me, and you’re responsible for you. So let’s take responsibility and let go of the it’s not my fault, attitude.
