Whenever there’s a problem, don’t we always assume somebody else who created the problem? I know I can be inclined to do that. My husband and I joke about it all the time.
We call it the “toilet paper syndrome” since the one time he asked me: “What percentage of the time do you think you change the toilet paper roll?” I said: “Well, quite frankly, about 75% of the time.” He said, “Well, that’s fascinating because I think I’m changing it 75% of the time, and that math doesn’t add up.” We had a good laugh realizing that it’s very easy to blame the other person.
Well, it also happens at work. What if, instead, we approached every situation by assuming that we were a part of the problem? Just a part. Because in fact, we always are. There’s always at least some small piece of the problem for which we are responsible
And if we come clean, that’s an authentic way to approach that problem and work through it.
So why don’t you go about the day as if maybe, just maybe, you had some role in the problems that you face? Maybe you can then feel a greater invitation to take responsibility and be a part of the solution as well. That’s a great way to live.
– Roxanne Emmerich