Do You Get It?

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When clients or friends ask me what is the key to successful self-development? I always say that I think it is taking responsibility for ones own life. Everything starts with taking responsibility because until you do so you will be forever thinking of yourself as a victim and that you have no real control over your destiny and the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.

I tend to think that the world is split between those that ‘get it’ and those that don’t. Those that ‘get it’ realize, that if they have no money it is because they have not looked after it properly, that if they are overweight it is because they eat too much and don’t exercise, that if their relationships always end in disaster that they need to understand what it is they are doing wrong, that if they hate their job they can always leave and that if the dog poops on the carpet it is their own fault for leaving it alone for too long etc.

Those that ‘get it’ can change things, they can see problems and deal with them because they know that they alone are responsible for the quality of their lives and as such they are unlikely to sit on their rear waiting for somebody else to come along and make things better.

People that don’t ‘get it’ can be spotted easier than a giraffe riding the subway. They can be heard saying things like it’s my bosses fault, my wife made me late, I’d be retired now if it weren’t for this Government, I am like this because of my parents, how can I possibly be happy when it’s raining and so on and so forth. They will look for anything to deflect criticism away from them because when they accept responsibility for their actions it may mean that they need to change them from time to time and that is not something they like to do. They think the world needs to change and that they are just fine thank you very much.

So, ask yourself whether you get it or not. If you do, kudos to you, if you don’t, and you want to but think you may need some help, try hiring a life coach and taking your life to the next level..

Note: I must point out at this stage that taking responsibility does not mean beating yourself up. If you make a mistake or something doesn’t go quite according to plan, learn from it and move on without recrimination towards others or yourself.