Foster a Sense of Self-Accountability: 3. Take responsibility

Take responsibility for your life and learn to not depend on others

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Do you remember being a child? Do you remember the feeling of being taken care of? Do you remember the comfort of being provided for?

Now, can you honestly say that you never retreat into your comfort zone as an adult? Having others take care of or provide for us is a trade-off in power. By seeking that comfort that echoes our childhood, we are giving our power away and we are not likely to get as much as we could had we taken more ownership:

1. Those who provide for us may be limited in resources or capability (neither within your control), and you will lose out accordingly

2. Becoming dependent on others may lead to you making your happiness dependent on others, which makes you reactive rather than active

You can instead learn to depend on yourself by being your own parent. This doesn’t mean treating yourself the way your parents treated you, or perpetuating your childhood into your adulthood. Instead, what this means is to trust your own judgment and intentions, and to listen to yourself. It also means being more responsible for yourself, and taking more accountability for yourself. Just as you gain more autonomy as you age, so should you take more responsibility through depending more on yourself and less on others.

One thing to note — no one is an island. It’s desirable to take responsibility for your life, but it’s also okay to ask for help when it is genuinely needed. An ideal scenario is we are actively involved in leveraging our own lives, but we are also willing to count on the help of others when we cannot do certain things by ourselves.

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