The Freedom and Power of Accountability

Why an article on accountability? While hardly a new topic,
the concept is widely maligned, misunderstood, or missed
completely. Until we are willing to live our lives from an
accountable perspective, there are always excuses as to
why we can't, why our lives don't work, and why we should
not even try.

Let's start at the beginning. The 3 basic levels of
accountability are, briefly:

1) Accountability for our feelings: I do not have choice
regarding all the events in my life, but I always have
choice in how I respond to those events.

2) Accountability for our feelings, choices, and lessons:
I co-create the experiences in my life. I choose not to
waste precious energy blaming myself or anyone else.
I honestly examine all of MY choices that co-create the
experiences in my life, and I choose to learn valuable
lessons from everything I experience.

3) Spiritual accountability for everything: This level of
accountability is best framed by the statement, "I chose
my parents, and I will choose the time, place, and method
of my death." The implications are many, but simply put,
we are spiritual beings having a human experience. The
experiences we co-create here on earth have some purpose
or lesson for us, both at a human and spiritual level.
It is our job while we are here to discover that purpose,
learn, and evolve.

Accountability is a massive concept; however there are
some foundational ideas that assist in its integration:

1) Accountability is not "right"; it is simply a way of
viewing our lives and experiences that helps us to let
go of the past and move forward in life.

2) Accountability is an internal experience; no one can
make you accountable

3) Accountability is the foundation of freedom and
personal power

In defining accountability, it is sometimes easier to
start with what accountability is NOT, as our society
is very invested in the model of blame. If something
is "wrong," then there must be someone to blame;
someone or something is responsible.

Accountability is NOT SELF-BLAME.

Too many people believe that being accountable is 
being responsible, and most have the experience of 
blame attached to being responsible.

The first and most important step in understanding
and applying accountability is accepting the concept
there is NO BLAME. This idea, while it sounds
simple, is really quite radical, and doesn't fit
within belief systems held by most.

If the concept of no blame is difficult for you,
simply ask yourself this question,

"What if there is no one to blame?" 

How would that impact your life?

How could it assist you and free up your energy?

Would this idea support you to forgive yourself
and others?

Simply releasing the energy of blame can transform
your life.

Become conscious of where in your life you blame
others and you blame yourself.

If possible, let go of the blame and see how it
feels.

A concept that allowed me to stop blaming is: We
all have made the best possible choices we knew how
to make when those choices were made, with the
information we had at the time. (Information means
our entire development as human beings, mentally,
emotionally, physically, and spiritually).

The truth is, for most people, this is
exceptionally difficult to accept. We have been
hard wired to blame, and there must be someone or
something at fault. If we begin to release this idea,
we can let go of the emotional energy and weight of
blame in our lives. What we are aiming for is the
experience of truly accepting what is.

Regardless of how much we feel blame may be justified
in a given circumstance, a more important question
is, "Is it your wisest choice to consume your
precious life energy blaming yourself or others?"

If we choose to blame, we project our life 
experiences outside of ourselves where we have no 
power, or internally where we diminish and demean 
ourselves.

From either of these positions, we cannot learn or
move forward in life. We can only stay stuck.

Next, ask the question, "What is my life lesson in 
this experience?"

Only after answering this question can we really move
forward to the power of accountability. The key to 
ongoing empowerment and personal evolution is
interpreting and applying the lessons in our lives.

Practice answering the question "What choices did I 
make to co-create this experience in my life?" 

Answer the question in areas of your life where
things are going great and areas where things are not
terrific. There are significant lessons in both
circumstances.

Now the most important aspect of truly being
accountable is the application of the lesson(s).
Accountability has become a much more commonly used
term over the past 15 years. Many people now profess
to be accountable and, even more entertaining, to
taking accountability. I always wonder, taking it
from where?

The grounding of taking accountability is usually
still related to the weight of responsibility and
blame, yet the results in their lives never seem to
shift.

Here is the measure of true accountability. Our 
results in life change because we apply the lessons of
our life. It is a simple and powerful measure. If our
results do not change, we have not learned the lessons 
and keep recreating similar experiences over and over 
again.

If we choose to accept (and apply) the concept of 
accountability, then no matter the circumstance, we 
can choose to accept, learn, and grow, regardless of 
how challenging it may be.

The final component of accountability is the capacity
to attach meaning and significance to the events in
our lives in a manner that supports us to move
forward, evolve, and more consciously engage in our
lives.

~ Jay Fiset ~