One of the most profound acts of leadership you can practice is to interrupt the culturally accepted tendency to blame and criticize.
The more times you can take a deep breath and remind yourself that you are an extraordinarily powerful creator who can take responsibility for the world around you, the easier life gets for you—and for all of us.
It’s tempting to point the finger at people, places, structures, and systems to explain your moods, feelings, reactions, and life circumstances, but that temptation is a trap. Blame is the greatest suck on your power, agency, and creativity.
The Prison of Blame
Consider any political race: If the outcome isn’t what you want, it’s socially acceptable to complain about how you were wronged, why your point of view is right, and why things are doomed.
We see the same dynamic in organizations too:
“If only the CEO would…”
“If we had a different leader, then I could…”
If that’s your default track, you’re placing yourself in a prison of your own making. Your capacity to be powerful, influential, and creative cannot depend on the world around you being perfectly aligned, or you will never achieve what matters most to you.
Reclaim Your Power, Responsibility, and Influence
History’s most impactful social movements were led by individuals and groups of people who refused to allow a circumstance or condition define their influence, power, authority, or capacity.
Yet, here we are—with lives full of creature comforts—letting ourselves get stopped and stuck.
Stop letting yourself off the hook. Start noticing where you have influence, creativity, and capacity. Let go of being right about what everyone else can do better or differently. Take a deep breath. Take responsibility for the world, the community, the family, the business, and the relationships you want to create.
Everything begins to change when you reliably take responsibility for how you show up and who you are in all circumstances and conditions. Continually noticing and interrupting the patterns that hold you back to reclaim your power as a creator is a practice of great leaders today.
Create Space for a New Way of Being
If you are ready to let go of blame, criticism, and other patterns that no longer serve you, the livestream recording of Burning Bowl by Candlelight will guide you through two powerful meditations—one for release and one for creation—accompanied by extraordinary live music. While this event was held live in December 2024, you can revisit this ninety minute recording of the livestream as often as is helpful to consciously let go of whatever holds you back and create space for new dreams and possibilities.
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