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Take Responsibility: The Power to Change Your Life:
What Happens When You Own Your Choices
Recently, I listened to Mark Manson on Matt D’Avella’s Three Rules Podcast. One idea from their conversation really stuck with me:
Take responsibility for your life, no matter what.
Manson shared that while we can’t control everything that happens to us, we can control how we respond. This responsibility isn’t about assigning blame — it’s about reclaiming power.
Indeed, this idea isn’t new — it’s a recurring theme in both faith and philosophy.
In Islam, the Quran beautifully reminds us:
- “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Quran 13:11)
This verse emphasizes that while external circumstances may be beyond our control, personal effort and accountability are the keys to transformation.
Stoicism echoes this wisdom. Epictetus said:
- “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
The Stoics teach us to focus on what we can control — our thoughts, actions, and attitudes — and to accept external events with grace.
