It's easy to blame others or external events for the aspects of our lives we wish were different, especially when we feel wronged. However, this approach is like handcuffing ourselves to the very issues we want to escape. Blaming keeps us stuck and prevents us from taking effective steps to move forward. And, if we stop to pay attention, we'll find it makes us feel like crap, too.
When we let go of blame and take responsibility for our lives, it's incredibly liberating. We unshackle ourselves from the notion that we need anything outside of us to be different so that we are 'okay' and open ourselves up to ways forward we may have never seen before.
Yet all of this begs the question; "what about those of us who have done nothing to cause abuse or hardship we've experienced (abused children, marginalized populations, etc)?". Regardless of how egregious the circumstances are, staying in a space of blame simply leaves us powerless and stuck. We can still take responsibility for our interpretation and response to what happened to us; thus helping us move from someone who was victimized to someone who is empowered.
Essays:
Why Facing Your “Unowneds” Is The Key To Integrity by Jim Dethmer
Videos:
Are You Taking 100% Responsibility? by The Conscious Leadership Group
Feedback I’ve received on this topic:
For taking responsibility: how does that work in difficult situations like someone coming out to their parents
For taking responsibility: there are people that go overboard and take too much responsibility and blame themselves.
Responsibility is not about blaming but putting yourself back in the drivers seat (shifting from blame to empowerment)
The idea of taking responsibility for one thing… helping start the train of shift.