The Pledge That Changed Everything: A Journey to Personal Accountability (Part 1)

Years ago, I came across an article in Reader’s Digest that centered around a high school football team and a powerful “Pledge of Success” their coach would read to them. I don’t remember every detail of the article, but that pledge—it hit me hard. It planted a seed in my heart that has grown into something foundational in my life. At that time, I was stuck in a mindset that many people fall into: I believed I was a victim. I blamed my circumstances, my upbringing, my friends, even my bosses—but never myself. If something went wrong in my life, it was always someone else’s fault. That pledge became the first crack in that victim mentality.

The Pledge of Success read:
"Today is a new day, a new beginning. It has been given to me as a gift. I can either use it or throw it away. What I do today will affect me tomorrow. I cannot blame anyone but myself if I don't succeed. I promise to use this day to the fullest by giving my best, realizing it can never come back again. This is my life and I choose to make it a success."
Reading this, I realized how often I wasted my days with excuses instead of effort. This simple string of sentences challenged everything I believed about myself. I started to see the uncomfortable truth—I wasn’t failing because others held me back; I was failing because I wasn’t even trying. I thought success was supposed to come to me just because I wanted it, not because I worked for it.

That was the moment I started to change. I began taking ownership of my choices. I stopped waiting for life to hand me opportunities and began pursuing them with intention and discipline. I learned to shut out the noise of negativity and blame. I focused on what I could do, not on what others weren’t doing for me. Slowly but surely, progress happened. And not just for me—those around me began to benefit too. When you take personal responsibility, you become someone others can count on. You stop being a burden and start becoming a blessing.

Now, as I look at the next generation entering the workplace, I often see a reflection of my younger self: eager, full of potential, but trapped in the same mindset of entitlement and blame. If I could offer just one piece of advice, it would be this: Be honest with yourself. If you're not achieving your goals, what’s truly standing in your way? And if the answer is a difficult boss or a tough situation, have you done all you can to influence it positively? Or did you just give up? Identifying the real issue is only the first step—next, create a plan. Set clear, attainable goals. Track your progress. Hold yourself accountable.

This is only part one of the story. The next major step in my personal growth came from reading The Oz Principle, which builds on this same idea of accountability and personal ownership. But we’ll dive into that next week. For now, I hope the Pledge of Success resonates with you the way it did with me. If you're struggling, maybe it’s time to stop looking outward and start looking inward. Thanks for reading. I love you all and can’t wait to share more with you next week.