Stop Giving Away Your Power
How I’m learning to live life on my own terms by owning my mistakes.
Facing my past mistakes has always been a challenge for me. By examining them, I have to acknowledge my part, take ownership of the choices that led me there.
Owning my actions is scary. It means that I have to admit that I’m not perfect, show vulnerability, and sometimes even ask for help.
It’s tempting to make an excuse, to blame something or someone else.
‘If only they hadn’t hurt me…’
‘If I only had more time/money/connections…’
If only.
Yes, playing the blame game and removing personal responsibility in the moment seems easier at times, but this response is poison.
This poison seeps into my personal relationships, sewing the seeds of bitterness. It eats away at my mental fortitude, sabotaging my efforts before I begin. It twists my values into grotesque shapes until I can no longer recognize myself or what I want.
This is the danger of blame. It may appear easier to pretend that I’m not responsible, to act as though I didn’t have a choice. In reality, this sort of denial is life-threatening.
No, this doesn’t mean I’ll drop dead tomorrow. The danger I face, that we all face, is a slower, more subtle thing.
Each time I deflect responsibility, I sacrifice some of my power. Each time I cast the blame elsewhere, I declare to myself and the world that I don’t have a choice. That I’m merely a victim of circumstance, not the architect of my own life.
I’ve walked that road in the past. One day I realized that I was giving all of myself away. Hopes, dreams, values, identity, time, all fading because I didn’t want to admit that I have a choice. I always have a choice.
Acknowledging this means taking responsibility for my mistakes. It means facing uncomfortable truths about myself. But, it is this process that is allowing me to build the life that I want. To be proactive rather than reactive.
I can surrender my power to someone else’s dreams and blame the world for every misfortune that comes my way.
Or, I can admit responsibility, learn from my mistakes, and use that knowledge to cultivate a meaningful and fulfilling life.
The choice is mine.
