Questions

1. In what situations do you focus on external events or people rather than focusing on yourself and your response?
2. What can you do differently in the future?
3. What’s one situation that you would benefit from taking personal responsibility?
4. How can you prioritize your needs?

Actions

• Say no to one request this week.
• Identify one action you can take to commit to yourself more.
• Identify one situation in which you can take your power back by focusing on yourself.
• The next time you’re in a stressful situation or blaming a person or event for your stress, take a deep breath and ask yourself the personal responsibility questions:

1. Why is this situation so upsetting for me? This question helps you identify what you’re feeling and why.

2. How did I contribute to this situation? This question helps you identify how your behaviors might have contributed to the stressful situation and begin to change them.

3. What can I learn from this situation? When you focus on learning from the situation, you can concentrate on growth rather than stressing out.

4. What can I do about this situation? This question helps you focus on specific solutions and strategies.

5. What can I do differently next time ? This step helps you identify the specific behavior you need to alter to get different results in the future.