High Achievement And Personal Responsibility

“If it is to be, it’s up to me!”

As with most truths, this adage is quite simple. It speaks to the fact that high achievers have high attitudes of self-reliance and take full responsibility for achieving their goals. The often arduous path to goal achievement is strewn with easy excuses to explain why our goals might be unattainable. And while many of these excuses are legitimate, the high achiever refuses to allow themselves to be deterred. They see the achievement of their goals as their responsibility, and refuse to accept these roadblocks, however valid they may be, as excuses.

As Albert Einstein states “Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will - his personal responsibility.” High achievers take 100% responsibility and that gives them power over their circumstances and short comings. Too often we see people clinging on to all sorts of crutches----excuses to explain away their lack of success: I am too young, I am too old, I am overqualified, I don’t have enough experience, it’s my neighborhood, it’s the job, I am the wrong color, the wrong religion. The list goes on. In the end, none of these excuses prove to be even worth the energy it took to cook them up. Many people have succeeded greatly despite being stricken by these conditions.

George Washington Carver reminds us that "ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses." High achievers don’t make excuses. They make progress.

The person who takes full responsibility for achieving their goals is not only deciding the direction their life takes but is also demonstrating a high level of commitment to the attainment of their goals. They are hell bent on keeping the promises they make to themselves and as such act in ways that fully support goal achievement. They throw their entire being in the pursuit of their goals and become totally immersed in the process.

In other words, they play full out.
Success in business, sports and life means playing full out. The person who succeeds is not necessarily the one with the most, but is always the one who gives the most. They understand that goals aren’t finessed, negotiated, or glimpsed from a distance. They are fiercely and single mindedly pursued.

Taking responsibility is empowering. You cannot control everything that happens to you but there is no better feeling than knowing that you have the power to control your own destiny. As Elaine Maxwell said “my will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny.” Low achievers suffer from a chronic case of victimitis causing them to feel powerless over the circumstances they find themselves in. This makes them feel burdened, restricted and hopeless. The successful ones understand that through free will, they can choose to take action which will create the kind of results they desire. Setbacks and challenges are viewed as opportunities for personal development allowing them to become stronger, wiser, more knowledgeable and more skillful.