Change Your Life by Taking Responsibility

September 21, 2009 | Posted by Brad Chaffee

Taking responsibility, personal responsibility, and personal accountability are one in the same.  All three lead to empowerment, greater self-esteem, a can-do attitude, as well as increasingly better problem solving skills.

One of my favorite books on the subject is called the QBQ – The Question Behind The Question, written by John G. Miller.

Taking responsibility for your life is key to greater achievement.  It keeps you from falling into a victim mentality, finger-pointing or state of procrastination—the nemesis of personal accountability.

Miller says that people ask the wrong questions, and in doing so, limit their ability to solve the problem or participate in a solution.  These questions often start off with when, why, or who. He calls these questions incorrect questions, and a waste of time.

I have a confession to make.  I have asked these questions before.  When are people going to better manage their finances?  Why do people spend more than they make?  Those two questions pose the problem.  The solution is out of my control, because as John G. Miller points out, the only one I can change is me.

Does this mean I should give up?  I could, but why would I when I could become “a part of” the solution.  Instead of asking why or when, I decided to ask myself better questions.   “How can I help people realize the importance of managing their money?”, and “What can I do to teach people to spend less than they make?” These are better questions and lead to productive solutions.  Enemy of Debt became my solution to those “better” questions.

Miller calls these better questions, QBQ’s.  They start with words like how and what, and include the word “I”.  Asking questions like these allow you to take action instead of waiting for someone else to.

Have you ever been in a public place and noticed trash on the ground?  Have you also watched people walk right by the trash, or heard someone complain about it?  They say things like, “when is someone going to pick up this trash.”  If they instead asked, “what can I do to become a part of the solution?”, the trash would get picked up.

If more people “picked up the trash” instead of complain about it, life would be easier.  Ask better questions and take responsibility for what you can. You might be surprised at how much more you can do.

Related Posts

Self Reliance Builds Self Esteem
Self Reliance is Important
The Basics of Self Reliance
Self Sufficiency – a Full Time Job
Self Reliance is About Power

Brad Chaffee is the Enemy of Debt, and a regular contributor here at the Self Reliance Exchange. Learn more about Brad by reading his bio. You may also contact him here.

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