What's up accountability?

Ahhh, good ol' accountability. The best friend we like to say we stay connected with but, more often than not, do not answer when it comes calling. Now, we all have those moments when it's easier to put the blame on literally anything other than ourselves, but that's called avoiding the problem at hand.

At the end of the day, we make every single choice in our life. The few things we can't control, we can still control how they affect us. I'm guilty of putting the blame on other things at times. I think we all are. However, when you actually sit and think for a moment about what you're saying, you realize that you could've made an entirely different choice that didn't give this outcome.

I recently finally got over a rough cycle I was dealing with in my life and though there were a lot of other factors at play, when I finally sat with myself I was able to admit the rough truth.

It was all my fault.

I chose to continue to make the same decisions over and over, and I allowed that cycle to continue way longer than it should have. It was extremely painful and hard, and I know that, and I'll never let anyone take that away from me, and neither should you. But there reaches a point when you have to slap yourself in the face with the words "what the hell are you doing." Stop giving that power to other people. You hold the power to your life, no one else.

I feel that once you realize that every choice you make directly affects you, you become more conscious of your decisions because every choice inevitably is a stepping stone in your life. Whether it's a small one or a big one. You HAVE to hold yourself accountable with your life because it's YOUR LIFE. No one is going to make the choices for you. You can wake up every day feeling sorry for yourself or feeling sad with the choices you're making, or you can get up and decide "today's the day I do better." It's never too late.

It's okay to have moments when you're down and the sadness seems to be suffocating you like a wave engulfing your lungs, but there comes a time when you say enough is enough. You can't blame things on other people. The more you blame, the more unhappy you're going to be because the problem isn't the things happening, it's how you're letting it affect you.

(Obviously, there are certain situations where this doesn't apply)

Even when we are dealt terrible cards, oftentimes it's better to rise above. To not let those things upset you, for your own sake.

For your own sake.

All of this is for your own sake, and if you haven't understood that yet, then let me say it one more time: FOR YOUR OWN SAKE. This isn't about anyone but you and how you choose to live your life. Hold yourself accountable, and if you can't be honest with others, at least be honest with yourself. Don't be afraid to look yourself in the eye and say, "This is my fault, and I can do something about it." This blog post might sound a little rougher than my others, but too many people like to play the victim card and blame everything on everyone else or everything else so that they don't have to confront their true inner demons and actually change. You cannot grow without holding yourself accountable. Hold yourself accountable in all aspects of your life.

A time when I personally found it hard to hold myself accountable was when I was extremely stupid with how I spent my money this last year. It wasn't until recently when I realized how many dumb choices I made and how much money I could have had saved if I didn't make them. I kept blaming my jobs and saying I wasn't making enough (to be fair my job was super shitty) but I STILL could've had at least some money saved if I didn't make the choices I made and at the end of the day that is entirely my fault.

I know better now. I know that I have the ability to save now and make better choices, and I'm actively choosing to do them. So can you.

Be honest with yourself. Sit down and really talk to yourself about the things you're unhappy with and how accountability plays a role in that. Change starts with realizing you're the one who needs to make it.

Love, Sarah