Brian Tracy presents a short motivational talk arguing that accepting complete personal responsibility produces mental and emotional freedom. He claims nearly all negative emotions stem from blaming others or circumstances, and that deliberately replacing blame with the affirmation "I am responsible" immediately cancels anger and unhappiness; the piece ends with a brief, guided exercise to practice this affirmation.
Did you know that there is a simple method that will enable you to enjoy complete freedom in your mind and emotions? The fact is that the more responsibility that you take on, the more in control you feel. And the more you feel in control, the greater freedom you experience, especially in your own mind. When you feel completely free, you make better decisions and you do more of the things that you really want to do. If you could look at the spectrum between success and failure, it's really the gap between responsibility and irresponsibility. A person who accepts complete responsibility for every part of their life feels powerful and confident and free and in control. A person who blames other people for their problems experiences anger, fear, resentment, doubt, and all sorts of negative emotions. Here is a great Negative emotions are the root cause of virtually all of our problems and unhappiness. And all negative emotions tend to be caused by the tendency to blame other people or situations for our problems. Fully 99% of all our difficulties and problems exist only because we are able to blame someone or something else for them. The instant that you stop blaming, your negative emotions begin disappearing. What is the antidote to blaming? It's simple. Since your mind can only hold one thought at a time, either positive or negative, you can override all your negative emotions, eliminate the tendency that blame and become angry simply by saying the words firmly, I am responsible. You cannot accept responsibility for a situation and and be angry at the same time. You can't accept responsibility and be unhappy or upset. The acceptance of responsibility cancels negative emotions and short circuits any tendency toward unhappiness. This is the mark of the truly superior person, the act of accepting responsibility. No matter what happens, when you accept responsibility, it calms your mind and clarifies your vision. It soothes your emotions and enables you to think more positively and constructively. The very act of becoming a totally responsible human being makes you feel terrific and gives you the winning edge in everything you do. Now here's an exercise for you. Think of any person or situation in your life that makes you angry or upset. And cancel the negative emotion by repeating over and over again the words, I am responsible. I am responsible. I am responsible. You will be amazed at how you feel immediately.
