All of us can probably remember an instance where we placed the blame on something or somebody else when we should’ve taken control of our actions instead.

When we reflect upon our behavior later, we often realize that it was we who were to blame.

Yet, victimizing ourselves and blaming our depression on society and others regularly becomes an attractive alternative when we’re already feeling sad and hopeless. And while I’m not saying that you’re the only one to blame, putting all the fault solely on those around us is not the way either.

However, if condemning other people is not the way to go, then there must be another, more productive road to success and self-improvement.

Let’s explore why you should take responsibility for your actions.

• Tell the truth to yourself

You should always tell yourself the truth. YOU are responsible for your life and nobody else is. Nor should you expect someone else to be accountable for your actions.

This means that it’s up to you if you want to change or improve something. This is not possible if you keep deluding yourself by telling yourself that others are the ones to blame if something goes wrong.

• Avoiding responsibility makes you weak and anxious

Furthermore, can you honestly sleep at night with a clear conscience when you know that you are fooling yourself or others?

You’re deceiving yourself when you’re intentionally avoiding taking responsibility. And that’s rather weak behavior, since you wouldn’t act that way if you had nothing to hide and were sure of your convictions.

Taking accountability and being honest is also much easier on your conscience and memory, since you don’t need to remember the lies that you will have to if you deceive yourself and others.

• Taking responsibility makes you a strong and morally decent person
  
  

Taking ownership of your existence also teaches you to be a morally decent and strong human being.

This sets you up for future success. After a while of taking your life into your own hands, it becomes a habit. And a great one at that, as it’ll teach you vital skills you will need in the future. Perhaps most importantly, it educates you to think critically and independently of other people.

This way, you can survive on your own and think of logical, well-thought-out plans for whatever struggles life throws at you.

• Ultimately, you are alone

We all come into this world alone, and we all die alone in the end.

I’m not saying you can’t have meaningful relationships with family and friends, and I’m also not telling you that there’s nobody out there who’s willing to help you.

But there’s only one person who knows you the best and whom you can always rely on, even in hard times. That person’s you.

Very few people want the best for you. At best, most are indifferent. At worst, they don’t want you to do better than themselves because it would hurt their fragile ego.

Take the necessary responsibility and develop your character so that you’re strong enough to handle difficulties on your own. Remember that it doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down. What matters is how many times you rise and stand back up again.