Take Responsibility

Most people will do anything to avoid looking in the mirror and admitting: I’m the reason my life looks the way it does.

A friend of mine called from a worksite in the Norwegian forest.
Late thirties. Ex-rugby prop.
He told me how much he hated the job, the slippery rocks, the moss, the endless walking.
He cursed the forest like it was an enemy.

The irony? He also said it was magnificent.
One of the prettiest places he’d ever been.
Nature wasn’t the problem. Nature was perfect.

The truth was simpler: he was carrying thirty kilos too much and hadn’t stepped into a gym in years.
Of course his knees and back hurt. Of course he was miserable.
It wasn’t the forest. It was him.

It’s the same everywhere.

• Parents. “They didn’t give me enough.”
  Maybe. But are you giving yourself enough now?
• The system “The economy is unfair.”
  Maybe. But someone in the same system is thriving.
• Technology. “My phone ruined my focus.”
  The phone doesn’t pick itself up. You do.
• Sports. “The coach doesn’t like me.”
  Or maybe you never did the extra work.
• Health. “It’s my genes.”
  You don’t choose genetics, but you do choose habits.

Different targets, same escape.
Blame feels safe becasuse it moves the weight away from you.
But the cost is your power.

No one is required to love you.
No one is required to help you.
No one is required to make your life better.
Except you.

Responsibility isn’t a burden. It’s a doorway.
The moment you take ownership, you stop waiting for the world to fix itself.
You start fixing yourself.

Start small.
Make your bed.
Do the dishes before they pile up.
Go for a ten-minute walk instead of scrolling.
Build the habit of order before you complain about chaos.

When you own the failures, the wins taste different.
When you own the downs, the ups belong to you, too.

That’s how freedom takes shape.
Not from luck or help, but from standing in front of the mirror and respecting the person looking back.

But even when you take ownership of your choices, one truth remains: You don’t control what happens, only what it means.

That’s where responsibility evolves into authorship.