ICRAVE Taking Responsibility

People are often offended or they offend others and then neither party has the humility to take full responsibility for their part.

Instead they rationalize to justify themselves
They look for evidence to support their perception of the other person, which only aggravates the original problem.
Ultimately, they put each other in a mental-emotional prison
- You can’t come out until you pay in the price that is required which is a humble and complete acknowledgement of your responsibility for the problem (even though others might be partly responsible as well)
- If you take full responsibility for your part in it, and acknowledge it, and apologize out of a deep sincerity and concession of spirit
  - The other person will sense the sincerity of what you say
- Your behaviors must follow what you say so that others can see your integrity
  - “You can’t talk yourself out of problems that you behave yourself into.”
    - Particularly if you keep apologizing and your behavior patterns/style remains unchanged.

We are not victims. We are not the product of our pasts. We are the product of our choices.

We can love when we are not loved, be kind to other people who are not kind to us, and be patient when others are impatient with us.

The next time you feel offended or slighted, try patience. What difference does it make to your attitude?

Taking responsibility is essential to primary greatness

It is easy to take responsibility for the good things in our lives but the real test comes when things aren’t going well.
Those who shrug off responsibility for their lives, blaming circumstances or other people for their situation become professional victims.
Those who practice primary greatness know that their quality of life depends on their own choices, not on the choices of others, or even their circumstances.

craving and resource from “Primary Greatness” by Stephen Covey