Have you ever heard the phrase "The Buck Stops Here"? It was made famous by American President Harry S. Truman. When he made this statement he was acknowledging that he had to accept responsibility for the decisions that he made as President, and that he could not in good conscious pass blame along to anyone else. He was responsible for his decisions, and so are you. Scary concept right?
We live in a world that is in a state of deflection. People are constantly blaming others for the state that their lives are in. It always seems to be someone else's fault for the crap that is going on in our lives. This thought pattern is one that, if not changed, will keep us stuck in the same dysfunctional cycle that we have been living in.
Self Responsibility is a concept that is very difficult for most people to swallow because we have become accustomed to the Victim Mentality. Now, don't get me wrong, there are many things in our lives that happen to us that we would rather not. We are put in situations where we are exposed to things that are hurtful, and do a lot of damage. I am not saying that you take responsibility for those situations that occurred that you had no control over, but I am saying that you need to take responsibility for how you choose to move forward in life, and the power that you give that situation.
I experienced 9 years of Sexual Abuse at the hands of my grandfather. I had no control over the situation that occurred, I was only a child, but as I grew older, I held on to the abuse, and allowed it to define several relationships in my life. I allowed it to impact how I presented myself in the world and the self worth that I gave myself. I chose to allow the abuse to continue, long after my grandfather was gone.
I realized, after far too long, that "The Buck Stops Here". I could no longer place blame for the decisions that I made in my 20's, 30's & 40's, on a situation that ended when I was 12. I had to take full responsibility that I was allowing myself to feel those ways, and that I was choosing to give up my control.
I, and I alone, was now responsible for the life that I was choosing to live. I could make the choice to keep using the abuse as an excuse for my own dysfunction, or I could choose to start working on healing my Trauma. My past and what happened was never going to change, but I could choose how I moved forward, how I looked at myself and the others involved in the situation, and how I would relate to the world in this new state of self awareness.
So it's time to ask yourself in what area of your life does the "Buck Need To Stop"?