Individual Responsibility – Why It Is Your Fault…

There has been acres of newsprint given over to the riots in the UK over past days, from police trying to explain what went wrong, to politicians promising more “robust policing”, to psychologists wringing their hands and telling us that it wasn’t the looters fault, they are a product of a “broken society”.

Well I am going to take a controversial view here and say…

Rubbish.

If you took part in the riots, you are responsible.

If you looted anything from anywhere, you are responsible

If you as much as threw an insult at the police, you are responsible.

Anyone that knows me will know that I am a 100% believer in individual responsibility. What that means is that if you are in a place you don’t want to be in in your life, it is down to you.

You have put yourself there!

What???

So what makes me think this? Why do I believe that everyone is responsible?

I have spent a lot of time studying successful people in business, mainly because I wanted to be one. There are several common factors in the vast majority of successful entrepreneurs and one of them is that they believe that their destiny lies 100% in their own hands.

So not only is what has happened in the past down to you, but what happens in the future is also down to you too.

Many people won’t accept this theory because they think they are being blamed for things, but that is just a cop out in my view.

So they carry on through life, painting themselves as the victim, always apparently suffering the same bad luck, never achieving what they want, because the economy is against them, they went to the wrong school, etc etc etc.

Boring!!!

For every poor little looter who lives on a sink council estate and thinks they have no future, there are others who don’t use that as an excuse. Think of businessman Lord Sugar (Clapton) and footballer Rio Ferdinand (Peckham) as examples.

Where’s the Proof?

If you look hard at your life, you can find the answers to why you are where you are.

Your life is made up of hundreds and hundreds of tiny decisions that you make every day. Every now and again, you make what appears to be a big decision, but in reality that is usually just an amalgamation of hundreds or maybe thousands of much smaller decisions.

So when you want to change your life, rather than trying making one huge shift, it is much easier to start making lots of smaller ones that will lead in the right direction.

Let me show you this works with an example from my life…

• In 2006 I started a mortgage brokers with my wife, Rachel, which was very successful, until;

• In 2008, the credit crunch bit;

• In 2009, I went back to full time work in London;

• In 2011, I am still working in London, but planning my escape;

• Where I am – still working full time for someone else, rather than doing what I want full time;

• Where I want to be: running my own businesses again, writing, blogging, marketing;

• The “excuse” for why it is not my fault: “The Credit Crunch”

• The actual reason: I didn’t diversify income enough in 2006-2008– the mortgage business is still running, but now it is Rachel by herself.

See how that works? If you rely on the “excuse”, it is not my fault and therefore I am a victim and can do nothing to change my circumstances.

If I look at the decisions which led to me returning to full time work, I can see it was down to me. That means if I shaped the past, I can change the future.

This Can Change Your Life…

Don’t get me wrong, This isn’t about feeling like you’re a bad person, or feeling it is always your fault.

It is about taking responsibility and control for yourself and your life. Get an education. Get a job. Start a business. Do something.

Or blame everyone else and be like the others.

Its your choice…what will you do?

Blogger, writer, marketer and owner of www.abcmultimedia.co.uk, and www.internetbusinessforbeginners.co.uk, home of the On-line Apprentice 2011. I am currently a full time nine to fiver, planning an escape very soon from corporate life, former mortgage broker, lover of marketing online and offline, internet business bore, cricket obsessive, frustrated marathon runner and a Manchester United Fan (fully paid up member of the prawn sandwich brigade)