This story came to us at QBQ, Inc. by way of a QBQ! reader/reviewer who found it posted on his blog:
Over the past few weeks I’ve been getting frustrated with my dad who hasn’t been calling me. Several times he’s accidentally dialed me and when I answered he’d say, “Oops, I’m actually in a meeting” or ” … too busy to chat” and would call me back, but he hasn’t. It’s frustrating, but that’s his personality.
So I was complaining to my husband that my dad never calls. But then he suggested a novel idea: He said instead of blaming my dad, “Maybe YOU should call HIM?”
Me? Call him? I thought. No, he’s the “grown up” in this situation and he should want to talk to his daughter! But then I read the review of this QBQ! book and thought, Personal accountability: Calling your father instead of complaining and making the issue a bigger deal then it needs to be. Now that’s a good idea!
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Essentially, this gal changed her thoughts – away from blame to ownership – and made her own life better. As we teach in QBQ, “Stress is a choice!” We truly do create our own tension.
Some people don’t buy that, can you imagine? 🙂
Question: When did you last reduce your own stress by practicing personal accountability/ownership?
Please share!
One Response
Life is a series of decisions. Some good. Some bad. When bad decisions evoke bad decisions, we incur “decision debt.” I’ve been in a similar situation with a family member and had to get to the point where I did what I knew was the right thing to do. I couldn’t worry about the way my actions were received. Sometimes the long-term and eternal consequences of our decisions are far more significant than the short-term consequences. http://wp.me/p2fSH9-1D