Comments on: You Made Yourself Into Who You Are

By: Links for Super-Charged Living - May 10, 2008 | My Super-Charged Life

Links for Super-Charged Living - May 10, 2008 | My Super-Charged Life — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:04:23 +0000

[...] You Made Yourself Into Who You AreThe Absolute Best Guide To Establishing Yourself as an AuthorityWhy I No Longer Support The Sierra ClubWhat Software Speeds Up Your Day the Most? [...]

By: linklings, bring it? already been brought! edition

linklings, bring it? already been brought! edition — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:38:15 +0000

[...] You Made Yourself Into Who You Are [...]

By: Friday Night Linkage | Remodeling This Life

Friday Night Linkage | Remodeling This Life — Sat, 10 May 2008 01:54:46 +0000

[...] You Made Yourself Into Who You Are from Mrs Micah. 3 cheers for personal responsibility and accountability. [...]

By: Friday Link Love - Stimulated Personal Economy Edition | One Caveman's Financial Journey

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:38:19 +0000

[...] Mrs. Micah – You Made Yourself Into Who You Are [...]

By: Alice

Alice — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:14:58 +0000

@James,
I agree that external factors can play a huge role in a person’s wealth or lack of it. However, I think that everyone has the opportunity to choose who they are: not in terms of worldly wealth, but their character.

@deepali,
I think you’re right about our being shaped and influenced by all kinds of things, and not everyone has the courage or honesty to face up to their past (to see what influenced them) or their present (to see what they’re really like).

@MrsMicah,
Good post, my dear!

By: deepali

deepali — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:07:14 +0000

Good post, even if I disagree somewhat.

Taking responsibility for your actions (and reactions) is the mature thing to do. But it isn’t always accurate. We are, as much as we don’t want to think it, products of our environments. Much of our behavior is learned. It can be unlearned, true, but the opportunity has to exist to do so.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:58:39 +0000

Well said.

Taking responsibility for how your life turns out – it’s called having a high internal locus of control. Mine has steadily increased in the last five years. It’s amazing the mountains you can move when you take full ownership of your past and future.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:54:20 +0000

Mrs. Michah, a most timely post for me. Thank you for putting so much into it. I’m in the process of picking myself up by the bootstraps and moving on. It isn’t easy but the alternative isn’t either.

By: Cath Lawson

Cath Lawson — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:14:48 +0000

Hi Mrs M – Brilliant post. I guess two people could experience almost identical problems in life, but they could turn out completely different depending on how they react to them.

I also still have a long way to go. When I was ill for a long time, I used to get myself down about how hopeless life was and how I’d missed the most important parts through being ill. My attitude was so self destructive.

In the end I just told myself that it could carry on being like that, or I could concentrate on getting well, forget about what I’d lost and make the future better.

By: James

James — Wed, 07 May 2008 03:12:49 +0000

Ms Micah,

Ah! The proverbial question, how much of your life outcomes are due choice or other factors?

If we take the argument to the logical conclusion- then it leads to some very sticky implications regarding race and class.

For example, its pretty much a given statistical fact that African Americans make less income and have lower overall levels of net worth.

Should we then conclude that African Americans are poor by choice? By extension, are patterns of financial decision making different in the African-American community? Or, is it something about race that makes African Americans poorer?

Regarding class – how does the notion of the importance of individual choice play into class based inheritance patterns? Should we say that the 3rd and 4th generation of Rockefellers are rich because of their own actions? What about the wealth of Bill Gates children?

Now, I am frankly undecided on this question. Individual choice plays a role, to be sure, but how large of a role it plays seems like an open book.

Best,

James