Why Does Personal Accountability Matter?

Picture of By Darren Finkelstein
By Darren Finkelstein

The Accountability Guy®

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Before we get into the true crux of the matter, let us start things off with a simple question. How much of your triumphs and accomplishments would you say are in your hands? This includes your words, your actions, your choices, and your behaviors. How much of your success is up to you?

If you consider yourself responsible for at least 80% of your success and the rest 20% based on the way life goes, you will be more successful than most people. However, if you often find yourself blaming other people for your failures, chances are you might be ill-fated.

However, the silver lining here is that personal accountability is more than just a mere mindset; it is also a skill set. And the good news is that everyone can learn and adapt to it.

In this article, we will walk you through what personal accountability is and why it matters.

So, let’s get started, shall we, folks?

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What Is Personal Accountability?

The answer to this might seem quite easy to answer. Most people associate personal accountability to taking responsibility for all their actions and the things they do. However, some people can even narrow it down to thinking that personal accountability is the act of taking responsibility to their own mistakes, as well as the others.

However, it is much more than that.

What Is The Power Of Choice?

Personal accountability is the act of taking and accepting responsibility for your whole life. At first, this might seem very intense and extreme. Sometimes, it can even cause alarms to go off in your mind and make you feel uncomfortable. Besides, haven’t other people do things to you? Haven’t you been thrown a few troubles and curveballs in your life?

You may have gotten blindsided a few times with all the things that have happened to you beyond your control.

So how can you make yourself accountable for things like this? Furthermore, does this mean you can never be truly accountable for your entire life?

The answer here is very debatable. Because while you are not responsible for other people’s nature or consequences in your life, you still have the power to choose. Yes, you may not have control over the random chaotic acts, you will still be responsible for your actions and life because you have the freedom of choice!

This means, no matter what the actions of the surrounding individuals and environment are, you can still choose what their actions mean to you.

In fact, you will be liberated to know that your actions of an event (or even a series of events) determine the outcome. For instance, let us assume that someone has hurt you. If you have decided never to be a victim of that incident again, you have given meaning to that event. From this point, your actions will be very different when compared to the person who hurt you. This might even lead to you developing trust issues.

If you are the survivor of a fatal accident, this event might have given you a new outlook towards life. And from that point onwards, your actions will be different.

However, there are certain people who may have gone through a similar incident they’re actions may be different than yours. While you may have a new profound meaning to life, another person might start to live life in constant fear.

Through various events, you will choose the meaning of it, which will change your outlook on the said event. This power and freedom of choice are what make you accountable for the things that happen in your life. This way, you will also be shaping your future and destiny.

Why Does Personal Accountability Matter?

Now that you have a basic understanding of what personal accountability is, let us delve deeper to see why it matters in both your personal and work life.

When you begin to understanding that your decisions and choices are what shape your future, you will also appreciate the fact that no matter what happens in life, you are the only one who gets to decide what an event means to you and what impact it has on you.

In simple terms, you get to choose it all; right from your thoughts, meanings, and actions, all your decisions and choices will ultimately shape the path of your future. We are all born with this power of choice, and no one can take it from us. And that, fellow readers, is what freedom is all about.

Personal accountability matters because you will be able to decide how a past or present event can affect you. So if there is something bothering you with your past or present, ask yourself the following questions:

“What could this event mean for me?

“Is there any good that can come from this event?”

Make sure, to be honest with yourself while you answer these questions. In addition to this, you can also keep an open mind that will expose you to a world of different possibilities that you might not have considered earlier.

The purpose of these questions is that they will help re-frame the problem and give you a better outlook on the situation. This way, you can discover more possibilities and examine them easier.

For instance, let us assume you are watching a movie at a theatre. Sometimes, the people seated behind you can be very annoying and can keep kicking the seats. In this scenario, it is up to you to decide whether you want to feel angry.

While this might be the quickest solution, you should open up to other possibilities. Why not peacefully confront them instead? This way, you can avoid unwanted conflict and use the opportunity as a chance to better my skills of being a patient human being. 

This way, you can resolve it peacefully, and this becomes a win-win situation!

Final Words

As mentioned earlier, personal accountability is more of a skill set than a mindset. It may take a while to adapt to this concept, but once you do this, it will have various benefits for you and everyone around you.

And, always remember that YOU ARE THE MASTER OF YOUR LIFE AND DESTINY.