 Recently, I watched the BBC news documentary of an armless man named Vitaly Slonshima. As an athlete, in 1989, October 13, he was carrying a high-jump crossbar to a field to practice. The crossbar he was carrying touched an electric pole and he got electrocuted. His friends rushed him to the hospital. The doctor who tried to save his life said Gangren had entered into both arms and both arms must be amputated if he must leave. When Vitaly's arms were amputated, he became depressed about life. His family members cared for him for five years. He almost gave up at that time because he felt all hope of becoming anything in life was gone. However, he soon started to teach himself how to write with his limbs. He perfected writing with his limbs and decided to go to school. Soon, Vitaly's got his degree in communication and psychology. When he finished that, he proceeded to have his master's in business and also a master's in education. He started to teach in secondary schools. Then he proceeded to lecture in universities. Today, he has completed his doctorate in education. See, he could have complained about his predicament. He could have blamed his circumstances and wished it never arose. He could have committed suicide since it didn't seem it was ever going to be possible for him to make the most of his life anymore. But Vitaly's didn't. He didn't because he chose to make the most of his life. He didn't because he chose to discard all excuses for not becoming great in life. He didn't because he chose to take responsibility for his life. The only way you will change your life. Arbund Einstein said, Man must seize attributing his problems to his environment and learn again to exercise his will. His personal responsibility. Faking responsibility for your life may not be a much discussed topic amongst young people, but doing so in your youth will help you to build a life of success early. All that success is about is choosing to take responsibility for your life. No man becomes anything which he doesn't decide to become. You are responsible for your life. You are what you allow. As much as it is easy to blame anyone or circumstances for your predicament, the fact that we have life in us is a proof that we have been handed the charge we need to either move our lives forward or stall it. Dennis Waitley said, A sign of wisdom and maturity is when you come to terms with a realization that your decisions cost your rewards and consequences. You are responsible for your life and your ultimate success depends on the choices you make. Most young people do not take responsibility for their lives. It's understandable because blaming others for your life's woes is easier than standing up to change. Yet, if your life is not the way you want it to be, only you can choose to change your life. Here are 5 tips you can use to start taking responsibility for your life. There is a price to pay A wise man said that when you blame others, you give up your power to change. Not taking responsibility may be the easy way out but when it comes down to eats later in the future, there is a price to pay. You can pay now and play later or you can take charge of your life, pay now and play later. John C. Maxwell admits that this is one of the very important lessons he learned from his father. Choosing to take responsibility for his life helped him to take steps even as a teenager that sustained him through life. You can pay the price to change. You can pay the price to take charge of your life now or you can wait to do so later. Whichever way you pay the price. 2. Develop Your Self-Esteem Best-selling auto and successful entrepreneur Brand Tracy said, Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important although difficult is the high road to pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction. If you don't have what others have, it's not because you can't have it, it's likely because you are not willing to invest in yourself the needful attitudes to take to have the same thing. Having a victim mentality is thinking that everyone you know should be blamed for your bad lots. No, you should be blamed. Your freedom comes when you admit this and you start to work on yourself to grow. Take those classes, pursue those dreams, leave intentionally and make deliberate decisions that you will become the person you hoped to be. With every step you take successfully, your self-esteem grows. 3. Leave the life you want Jojo Nail said, When we have begun to take charge of our lives, to own ourselves, there is no longer any need to ask permission of someone. No one is going to stop you from leaving the kind of life you want. No one will hold you back. No matter how much you think your present company is preventing you from becoming all you want to be, you are the one permitting them. You can have back your permission by choosing to rise to do what you must but people won't make you do what you want to do. Stop permitting them, grab the permission you already have to move your life forward. When you stop waiting for people's approval to get anything done, you will discover that no one would ever give you the permission to be who you are supposed to be and no one was ever holding you back. 4. Take responsibility every day Helen Keller said, I long to accomplish a great and noble task but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if there were great and noble. Do something every day that keeps you in charge of your life. When you make mistakes, own up to it. When you need to get something done, do it. When you are appointed to lead a team, don't act coy as to reject the offer. Take it up and decide you will lead that team excellently. Abraham Lincoln said, You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. Having responsibility for your life won't be an easy feat at first, so it's safe to start small, to do a little daily. Starting now, do a little bit of what you wouldn't ordinarily do. Fix the project you've long procrastinated on doing. Call the loved one you need to call. Apologize for a wrong you did. Do a little bit every day that helps you take charge of your life. The more you succeed in doing those little things, the greater your self-esteem builds. Number 5 Discipline yourself to do what you must Taking responsibility for your life is choosing to do what you know is right. It may not feel comfortable. It may not be convenient. But since it is the right thing to do, you do it anyway. Otto John Seabachwell once described two sets of people, character-based people and emotion-based people. He wrote that character-based people do what they have to do because they know it is right to do it, whether they feel like it or not. These people are focused on good character. Contrarily, emotion-based people only do things when they feel it is right to or when they feel like doing it. Such people, Mr. Maxwell agrees, are not dependable. In conclusion, you don't become in one day what you want to be. It's the same with forming a habit or taking responsibility for your life. Start now to take those baby steps. And remember, no one can decide to change your life except you. No matter who or where you are now, you can change. You can take responsibility for your life. So do it and do it now. If this video inspired you, subscribe to our channel. We love you.