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Today I went for a run along a river trail near my home. The trees, the running water, the chirping birds… I was enjoying the beauty of nature immensely, along with the satisfaction that comes from hearing myself breathe deeply and feeling my muscles work.

As I went along, I suddenly came along a pile of crap. Literally. Horse crap, I believe. Stinky, smelly, swarming. I tried to ignore it, but couldn’t entirely forget its existence, as I ran around it.

I got back into my rhythm of running, and enjoying my exercise. I was thinking about my plans for the day, making mental lists of things I wanted to get done. I was lost in thought. I went around a corner, and boom, there it was again! And again, again!

OK, so the horse poop I ran across today did not ruin my day, my morning, or even my run. It was a little gross (OK, a lot), but it did get me thinking (as so many things do)

The trail I run on is one that I have been on quite a bit. I know that horses also frequent the trail. Rarely do I run into big piles of poop. Hmmm, I wonder why? I assume that all the horses poop as they go along the trail.

The conclusion I must draw is that most horse owners clean up poop as they go. Today or yesterday, somebody did not take responsibility to clean up after themselves.

One of the huge aspects of taking responsibility is that you clean up the messes you make. You don’t leave them for others to deal with.

This reminds me of something else that happened a few days ago. I was sitting at a stoplight, and all of a sudden my car jolted forward. I had been rear-ended! The light quickly turned green, so I turned left. There was a lot of traffic and it was quite difficult to pull over to the right and get off the road to examine my vehicle. I was also trying to keep my eye on the offending car. I could see it would be easy for them to get lost in the traffic and avoid talking to me.

Happily, the other driver did not try to disappear. She went through the traffic maze to get over to where I had pulled over. She apologized profusely and examined my car with me. I determined that she had only hit my bumper, and my car had not been damaged. She again apologized. She took responsibility for what had happened, and I appreciated that.

So which type of person are you? Do you make messes and then just hope that someone else will fix them for you? Or do you have the integrity to take on the sometimes unpleasant task required to fix the problem?

Today you will undoubtedly create some type of mess. Be responsible… clean it up!

Taking responsibility for yourself is a huge step in solving any problem you come across in life. It means that you acknowledge your contribution both to your current circumstances, and your role in your future. Many people see taking responsibility as taking blame for what has already happened.  Being responsible for your future is the other part of the equation.

I see so many people act like victims of the life they are in. “If only this, if only that, if he wouldn’t, if she would,…. ” This is a very stifling and ineffective way to approach life. If you always blame others, you are in effect giving them control over what happens to you.

Try this exercise: (It may be helpful to write it down).

Think about one thing in your life right now that has you worried. It could be anything; relationship, finances, career, children, …….  Now think about why you are in that situation.  Think of all the ways you can blame others. Think about this long and hard.   After you have established the “blaming” mindset, try to think of a way to fix the problem. You will most likely not be able to arrive at a solution, or the solutions you do come up with are unlikely to work because they involve changing another person.  And that is one thing you truly have no control over. Pretty depressing, huh?

Now think about the problem again, but this time, take a different approach.  Whether or not you are completely at fault, it is time to shift into responsibility mode. Think of all the ways you have contributed to the problem.  Think of things you have control over, and make a plan as to how you will resolve this problem with those assets.  If your issue involves other people (which most problems do),  take 100% responsibility for your part. Commit to do everything in your power and then some to remedy the situation. If you cannot resolve the situation to your liking, commit yourself to extract value and develop into a better person as a result of this problem.

How does the second approach to your problem feel different from the first?

There is empowerment and peace when you start to approach your life with an attitude of responsibility. Admitting responsibility means assuming the power you have had all along.