An exasperated and prominent client is on the phone. One of your key helpers calls in sick. An email arrives that will take an hour to address. How did things get this way?

Years back, I took a course based on the work of Robert Fritz, a musician and filmmaker turned accomplishment guru. In his book, The Path of Least Resistance, he discussed how to employ self-imposed questions to move from where you are to where you want to be. One of the questions that he advised people ask of themselves is, “Who created that?”

Any Time, Any Place

Any time of day, for any situation you face, if you ask yourself, “Who created that?” invariably the answer comes back that you did. Allow me to explain. You are experiencing a stringent deadline and are working diligently, but feel intense pressure. Who created that situation? You did for many reasons. You assumed your current post, took on the assignments, allocated available resources in some manner, and now find yourself neck deep in challenges—challenges you can handle.

Sure, you can blame your parents for not passing on the proper genes to you. You can blame your previous employer for having a less-than-palatable work environment, prompting you to seek your present position. Actually, you could come up with at least a dozen other factors as to why you are a victim. When you clear away the rubble and face the music, most of the situations you face are, a majority of the time, your own doing. This is true for nearly everyone.

Most of what transpires in your life is the result of choices you make. Yes, occasionally stuff happens from out of left field. Mostly, you make the choices that affect your life.

When you accept responsibility for one situation after another, you put the locus of control back where it belongs, in your own head. From there, miraculous things can happen. You created the situation, and sure as heck you’re going to resolve it. No more second guessing, no more recriminations, no more lost time on the path. Take responsibility, take charge, and get it done.