Responsibility, fault, blame and shame
They’re not the same.
They (mostly) don’t even rhyme.
People can evade responsibility by saying it’s someone else’s fault.
They can take responsibility, even if it’s not their fault.
In fact, being an adult involves taking responsibility for things that we could point out are not our fault.
We can soothe our unwillingness to take responsibility by blaming someone else, or we could surprise everyone by accepting it in advance.
And shame? Shame’s the deal killer, the dream destroyer and toxic. It’s often on offer, but we don’t have to accept it.
Today at 10:30 ET, I’ll be doing a live QA about problems and the Knot. Details are here. Thanks.