I like the quote by Pema Chodron (PC) that’s shown in this image, but personally a better one for me is, “You know what, I screwed up here, and I need to own that.”
It took me about 43 years to stop blaming other people for my problems. Then one day I finally said to myself, “The only reason I don’t live in Alaska is because of me. The only reason I don’t practice yoga more is me. The only reason I don’t meditate more is me.”
A couple of times a year I still open my mouth to start blaming other people or situations for my problems, but I try to catch myself before the words actually come out, and when I wrongfully accuse someone else for my problem of the moment, I do try to apologize.
(It’s worth noting that I think PC and I are talking about two different circumstances. I’m talking about things that are under my control, which are the 99.9% of the things that happen to me in my daily life. I have read several books by PC, and I suspect that this quote is about people who have been harmed by things out of their control, such as family violence. I absolutely agree with her quote in that context.)
