Tap into the power of radical responsibility.

I’m not the first person to talk about this approach to life and work.

But I have been applying it to my own life and career for longer than most people. Decades. I’ve also been teaching it to my kids from an early age.

What is “radical responsibility”?

At its simplest, it’s about taking responsibility for the circumstances and situations in which you find yourself.

For example, if I’m finding it harder than usual to pick up new writing projects, even from existing clients, it would be tempting for me to say something like…

“It’s the economy. Companies are cutting back on their expenses.”

Or I might have been sent an email by a client saying the work I just submitted was off-brief…

“The client’s brief was totally unclear. I had no chance to deliver great work.”

In each of these cases I’m placing responsibility for my circumstances on external forces… the economy, my client.

Good reasons. Totally legit. I’m not wrong.

But still…

When you blame your situation on external forces, you are giving up the power to direct your own life.

Think about that.

If I blame the economy for my lack of new gigs, I’m giving up the power to change my own life.

After all, if it’s the economy’s fault, I’m powerless. I certainly can’t mend the economy.

Same with the example of a client writing a poor brief. I can’t miraculously transform him into a great writer of briefs.

I’m pretty much saying, “Hey, it’s not my fault. This is out of my control.”

And that makes me a victim. I’m a victim of circumstances.

Now I have the mindset of a victim.

I’m no longer in the driver’s seat. I’m sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle being driven by someone or something else.

I’m a passenger feeling sorry for himself.

This is why you need to take radical responsibility for everything that impacts your life and your work.

OK, so the economy sucks. What are you going to do about it?

How are you going to adapt? What new opportunities might this present?

How can you help clients and prospects as THEY adapt to a tough economy?

In other words, even if the poor economy is having a real impact on millions of people, that doesn’t mean you have to lie belly-up on the floor and blame it for your falling income.

Instead, stand tall, take radical responsibility for your own career, and find ways to use your skills to help clients who are being impacted by the same challenges.

Same with the client who can’t write a decent brief.

Don’t throw up your arms and say, “Not my fault”.

Instead, take radical responsibility for your situation. Stay in the driver’s seat. Next time, before you start on the project, send him a follow-up email asking for clarification on any sections of the brief you feel are missing or ambiguous.

After that, as you think about how the business world is probably filled with marketing managers who don’t know how to write a decent brief, write and publish an eBook on best practices when writing briefs for freelancers.

Now you’re a published author. You’ve taken back control.

Apply radical responsibility to everything in your life.

In work and in our personal lives, we constantly make excuses.

It’s my client’s fault. It’s the government’s fault. It’s the bank’s fault. It’s the teacher’s fault. It’s the neighbor’s fault. It’s my partner’s fault.

Poor little me. Not my fault. I’m the victim here.

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way.

As soon as you accept total responsibility for what’s happening around you, you take back power over your own life.

No longer the victim of unfair circumstances, but the driver of your own destiny.

I’m not saying it’s easy. And I sometimes catch myself playing the role of victim.

But feeling like a victim is a miserable state of mind.

I’d rather empower myself and take responsibility for my next steps.

I like to be the boss of my next moves forward, mistakes and all.

Radical responsibility!