We’ve all heard it. When something does not go according to plan, someone immediately pipes up with, “It’s your fault!” or “It’s not my fault!” or cries to figure out what went wrong. Obviously, there is nowhere this is more true than in politics, but it also happens throughout life.
The reality is that a focus on the future, where we want to be and how to get there is the most useful response.
Consider this analogy… A group is climbing a mountain. Suddenly they fall, the ground gives out, their ropes slip and break, the heads of their pickaxes come off and they slide into a ravine and are trapped.
What is most useful? Blame someone for buying a bad rope? Blame someone for not tying the knot correctly?
Of course not. The group must take stock of where they are, figure out where they need to go, and plan a course to get there. Anything else is wasted time and effort.
You might sputter, “But they need to check the rope! That twit bought the wrong one and it might break again!!” You’d be partly right, but directionally wrong.
Absolutely, check the rope. Without it, they won’t be able to get where they want to go. Figuring out that John bought cut-rate rope does ZERO good. Making sure that the rope they are about to use to escape their situation is 100% necessary. It’s all about the focus and the purpose.
Far too much time is wasted looking for someone to blame or for a scapegoat. It is a waste of time and energy. Time and energy that could be better used. This focus prevents finding a solution to current problems and moving forward.
What in your life are you spending time looking for someone or something to blame? It might even be that you blame yourself! Where could you lay down that burden and, instead, focus on where you want to be or what you want to get?
