"The ones who take responsibility for themselves learn from their failures and do not repeat them."

John C. Maxwell (2013-10-08) from his book, Sometimes You Win--Sometimes You Learn:Life's Greatest Lessons Are Gained from Our Losses (p. 67). Center Street. Kindle Edition.

You understand that taking personal responsibility is a choice, a far-reaching choice. John said earlier in this chapter, “Psychologists say that some people possess an internal focus of control, where they rely primarily on themselves for the gains and losses in their lives. Others possess an external focus of control, where they blame others when something goes wrong. Which group is more successful? The group that takes personal responsibility. Which people are more content? The ones who take personal responsibility. Which people learn from their mistakes and keep growing and improving? The people who take responsibility.”

How do you handle failure, how do you handle making mistakes? Do you choose an internal focus or an external focus? Oh I know how tempting it is and easy to do to blame something or someone else. You absolve yourself of all the responsibility and then go on with your life and probably make the same mistake down the road. But if you would stop and really evaluate the cause and learn the lesson then you won’t have to go through that feeling of failure in that area again. The truth is the easy way isn’t always the easy way.

So what lesson do you need to learn?

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