Stop Blaming, Start Claiming!

Excuses will always find a way if you let them.

I hated the word responsibility because of my relationship with it.

I heard it from parents, teachers, bosses, people with given authority.

Until at some point, I started to say it to myself. My world shifted; responsibility is now one of the most empowering things I can think of.

It gives me the power to create, grow, and take actions.

How did this mindset shift come to life? Why is this such an empowering word?

Why will it change your life?

These are questions that are going to be answered after this article.

We are going to take a deep dive into the topics.

• What is responsibility?

• What happens if you don't take responsibility?

• Living on your own terms

I will tell you this through my personal story, to give you a clear view on how I walked this path!

What is responsibility?

As usual, if we are going to define a word, I first want to know what the Cambridge dictionary has to say about it:

• Something that it is your job or duty to deal with

• To be in a position of authority over someone and to have a duty to make certain that particular things are done

• Good judgment and the ability to act correctly and make decisions on your own

A really powerful word if you just look at the meaning of it.

It gives you no reason to not take the blame on yourself.

It gives you no reason to not do the things that you are supposed to do.

It also gives you no reasons for excuses.

Then why are there so many people who say they take responsibility but don’t actually do it?

I was one of them.

Just a little stubborn boy who hated authority and never wanted to listen, wanting to do things on my own terms.

I just never realized that if you wanted to live that way you needed to take real responsibility, you need to be your own authority.

So realize what it really means by the Cambridge definition and your own, and act like a responsible person.

That means saying no a lot.

That means holding yourself accountable for your own results.

That means taking action without hesitation.

Are you able to do that? If you are, you now officially have no excuses anymore by fully knowing the definition of the word responsibility.

What happens if you don't?

If you don't take responsibility, it's really easy to see what happens - nothing!

One of my sales coaches always says, "Lead by example."

If you're irresponsible, you're not able to lead by example.

You're not trustworthy.

Why?

Because being responsible also means keeping your word.

If you don't do what you say, you're not taking responsibility for your own actions.

This is something I needed to learn, and I'm still learning.

I can be a bit of a big mouth, but in the end, the results were not there to back it up.

I take my responsibility and keep quiet!

Not taking responsibility for your actions and results is a weak thing to do.

You cannot grow in that way, you can't be trusted, and it won't make you happy.

If your actions and results are never your responsibility, you're being lived.

You're not able to take ownership of the life you live.

I realized this when I went all in on sales for the first time, but was really bad at it and made no money working fully commission-based.

I needed to ask for money from my parents, and that felt humiliating.

I felt like a failure.

I needed to take responsibility, set my ego aside, and take a job.

So, I started working behind the bar before I got into another sales gig.

Taking Responsibility

The realization hit me during the time I worked a couple of months behind the bar.

I was an ignorant, stubborn boy, more of a wantrepreneur than an entrepreneur.

If I wanted to live on my own terms;

• I needed to take responsibility for my actions and results.

• I needed to seek more help and ask better questions of myself and others.

Living on your own terms means you need to be your own authority.

You need to respect yourself.

You need to look up to the future you.

That's what I realized.

I had a big mouth, no results, and was not holding myself accountable for my actions.

That needed to change.

Living on Your Own Terms

If you live on your own terms, you grow consistently.

My girlfriend says to me that it sometimes seems like she has a new boyfriend every week, because of the growth curves I go through since I realized I wanted to live on my own terms.

A big lesson I learned in this whole journey is to see the difference between internal and external.

What are external factors that happened, for example, on a sales call, if the phone of the other person died, if your house is set on fire.

Those are things that you cannot influence.

Internal factors are all the things we can influence, the place we sit during the sales call, how well we are prepared, how well we manage our energy, our mindset.

In the end, it comes down to three simple sentences:

• Did I do the work?

• Did I do it well?

• How could I handle the external situation better?

Ask yourself those 3 questions after you've analyzed the internal and the external of a situation, and you will do better next time if you implement it.

If you want to take your first step towards a more responsible life, start with yourself.

If that is going well, help others and see that as your responsibility.

One simple step you can do right now is to share this article with someone who you think would find it valuable.

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That's it for now.

I wish you a good day - Job Baltes.