CAREER LIFE CONNECTIONS

Name:

RESPONSIBILITY
IN TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS YOU CAN FEEL MORE IN
CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE. NO LONGER ARE YOU AT THE MERCY OF OTHER
PEOPLES BEHAVIORS. PEOPLE MAY INFLUENCE YOUR FEELINGS HOWEVER IT
IS YOUR CHOICE HOW YOU RESPOND,

What prevents us from taking 100% responsibility?

 Blame others / denial / minimization / suppression
 Fear of change / the unknown / of committing to change process
 Alcohol / drugs / other addictions (ie. Gambling)
 Male ego / attitudes toward women / socialization from family or origin and peer
group on how men should behave
 Work stress / unemployment
 Pride – feeling betrayed – stubborn (unwilling to be wrong)
 Denial / minimize / suppression / repression
 Laziness – shame – feeling a need to keep behavior a secret
 Wishful thinking that things will get better on their own
 Feeling badly about behavior / self-image / feelings in general

CONS
Trust in self and by others
Decrease in self-esteem if your feel ruled by others
Feeling trapped
Lowered confidence in self
Feeling at risk of being discovered and vulnerable
Develop a hyper vigilance
Decrease in security

PROS
Develop trust in self and others
Enhancing self-esteem by feeling in personal charge
Sense of freedom (no need to hide or secret keep)
Others can believe your work
Open with others
Confident in ability to deal with conflictual situations
Increase in safety and serenity

Add your own to this list as your personal motivations for assuming
responsibility for all your behaviors – even those perceived as being caused by
others behaviors. There will always be people in this world who annoy you – it is your
responsibility to learn how to deal effectively and non-abusively with these behaviors.