It's a Matter of Personal Responsibility

About 27 years ago, I made a decision to leave a large, prestigious law firm where I represented several very large corporate clients to open my own law firm. I was motivated not only by the idea of becoming the master of my own fate by becoming self-employed, I wanted to practice the kind of law that would make a difference in the lives and fortunes of the people and the small to medium sized businesses that I represented.

I admit that there have been times when I thought that I regretted that decision, especially when my bank account was on life support. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the decision that I made.

Being self-employed in a professional practice has taught me more about personal responsibility than I ever could have learned otherwise. The first hard lesson about personal responsibility was learned when I woke up one morning shortly after I had resigned my position at my previous employer and realized that I was facing a substantial debt and could no longer count on a substantial paycheck like the one that I had been receiving from my employer.

If I was to feed my family and to pay my bills, it was up to me to find clients who would pay me for my time and professional services. At times the learning curve was steep, but necessity forced me to learn about marketing my legal services, which was required in order to attract my clients. And I was driven by necessity to achieve results that my clients expected.

By most accounts, it can be said that I have managed to build a substantial and successful law practice over the past 27 years. Whatever success I have achieved was possible only because I realized from the beginning that it was up to me and me alone to do what was required to succeed.

About a year ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes, and my physician informed me that I needed to adjust my lifestyle and diet. My doctor could tell me what I needed to do, but it was up to me to do it. During the past year, the lifestyle and diet changes that I made have resulted in the loss of 60 to 70 pounds, and my latest laboratory tests indicate that my diabetes is well under control

Space does not permit me to recite the many failures that I have experienced during the past three decades, but for each failure a valuable lesson was learned. And more importantly, those lessons could not have been learned if I had refused to accept personal responsibility for those failures.

Whether facing economic difficulties or relationship problems, each of us can achieve our goals by recognizing that we are personally responsible for how we react and respond to life's challenges. We cannot always control what happens to us, but we alone are responsible for how we deal with the events of our lives. Recognizing our personal responsibility is the first step toward acquiring the courage and skill necessary to create happy and productive lives for ourselves.

It's up to you. It's up to me. It's a matter of personal responsibility.