Taking Responsibility

Purpose

This exercise comes from some work a friend did at an AA retreat center. It fits with the work of self forgiveness and the commitment to be honest with ourselves, take responsibility for our actions and heal and move forward. I think it is brilliant because it is often hard for us to list our errors, but our resentments are often easier to access.

Procedure

I include this in the handouts for the self-forgiveness week as an exercise in taking responsibility.

1. List your resentments. Make a list of all the times in your life when you felt wronged, or cheated or mistreated.
2. For each resentment, think of all the feelings you had in this situation. Be as complete as possible.
3. Honestly look at what role you played in the situation. Was there any part of your behavior that contributed to the situation?
4. Plan strategies on how you could have dealt with the situation differently. Consider how you might handle the situation differently in the future.