The more we grow, the more we realize and accept that we are accountable for all our actions one way or another. But having said this, it is not necessarily a bad thing. So what exactly is accountability? In simple words, accountability is when you are answerable for all the decisions, behaviors, and actions you have taken that might or might not have affected others, either negatively or positively. Taking accountability also means that you don’t blame others for any wrong of your decisions, choices, mistakes, and behaviors that had led to some loss or consequences, but instead, you admit the fact that it was your own fault. In addition, what comes with it is not just accepting your own imperfections but also making things right and working it out to the best of your capabilities.
Importance of Personal Accountability
There is various importance for taking personal accountability. This includes:
- Constructive Criticism: Taking personal accountability helps to define that you as an individual are open to criticism and approaches it in a constructive manner, where the proof itself is in taking accountability. Unfortunately, this is a unique trait that not enough people possess.
- Trustworthiness: Taking accountability allows others to have trust in you. This is because we already know that being held accountable is admitting faults and an effort to make things right. This personality trait allows people to trust you.
- Develops a sense of ownership: This relates to the concept of dependency, where being in control of the situation and taking full blame where you do not feel dependent on others.
- The control of destiny: This is the most important factor because once you know that taking accountability means controlling my own destiny, then this helps to increase confidence as there is little to no pressure in proving to anyone anything because your actions, decisions, and behavior will directly affect your own fate and not the fate of others.
- Future planner & Problem solver: being held accountable helps develop the personal trait of being a problem solver and strategically plan for the future. When things go wrong, it only becomes wise to develop strategies to achieve a solution since self-accountability is at stake quickly.
There is evident importance of personal accountability to lead a successful and healthy life. But, interestingly, there are many more that can also depend on individual to individual as to what they are trying to achieve through the concept of personal accountability.
