Everything's My Fault: The Power of Personal Responsibility

It's March 2020. My team and I have been notified to shutdown all operations through a government mandate due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We thought two weeks would pass and we'd be back to "business as usual". At the 2 month mark of being non-operational, it finally hit us that this was something bigger and unlike anything we've faced before. While it was a major bummer that we couldn't service our members like we've done for the past 15 years, the more alarming problem in front of us was figuring out the long term strategy with financially supporting our 3 locations and 80 team members. Yes, there was government aid that certainly extended our timeline. With that said, it was a drop in the bucket compared to what we needed. Tough decisions had to be made, decisions that greatly affected the livelihood of people we called family for years.

"Why is this happening?", "This isn't fair", "What did I do to deserve this". I'd be lying if I said these statements didn't enter my head at the time. I even considered that the doors to our business would permanently close well before I'd ever want them to. One of the things I'm most grateful for during that time was...well time. I had more time than ever to pause and reflect on life's happenings. I can't tell you exactly when, but at the 3 or 4 month mark of shutdown, I realized while COVID wasn't my fault, the way I let it affect my circumstances was.

I embraced that I was responsible for the outcomes I wanted to create. With a fresh perspective, I began to see the opportunities this unfortunate event presented as opposed to how it was detracting from what I had planned. I realized that I was in control of what happened next and to abdicate that would cause me more pain than taking on the burden of full responsibility. As heavy of a weight as personal responsibility is, it's also one of the most levitating beliefs we can have. It's limitless in that everything that happens (or doesn't) in our lives has a direct correlation back to our thoughts, actions and behaviors. It's freeing in the sense that there are no other parties involved to take into consideration. The only person you need permission, forgiveness, or rationale from is yourself. THAT is 100% in your control.

My team and I accepted the reality we were in and began to grab the steering wheel again, focusing on what we could control to get back on track. While we couldn't keep all of our locations and team members at the end of the day, we put the best transition plan in place to ensure the humans who gave their hearts the company for so many years didn't have the rug pulled out from under them. It was during this time that I ascended into ownership of our flagship location, an opportunity I wouldn't have seized if it weren't for my re-frame. Fast forward to present day, we're sitting with 1 location, 12 team members and "better-than" pre COVID profitability.

Take Away's

Adopting personal responsibility can be an effective medication to the notion that we're not in control of the outcomes in our life. While it may feel like an added burden at first, it's the only way we can effectuate the change we seek. To live in less pain is to take responsibility of the pain we feel...and then change it.