In life, it seems as though we can never truly escape our problems and hardships.
As soon as it feels like one problem has gone away, another one soon magically appears out of thin air.
In theory, running from our problems seems like it would work - by choosing not having to deal with certain things that truly require our attention, we can direct our focus elsewhere and wait for our problems to disappear.
However, while this might sound good in theory, it is not practical as a way of life.
When we deliberately choose to run from our problems, they never truly go away.
In fact, every time we choose to run from something that requires our attention, it often manifests into something that becomes harmful in the long term.
By choosing to run from our problems, they will continue to reappear in different forms throughout the course of our lives.
This is also how behavior patterns are established.
By establishing a pattern of running when things get hard, we never truly build the confidence that we need to solve problems and deal with more difficult tasks.
Having a genuine lack of confidence when things get hard often makes things harder for us mentally, physically, and emotionally.
We create more stress on ourselves when we fail to deal with things properly.
This brings about the question as to how can someone refrain from running from their problems and deal with them head-on?
While this is no easy task, the first step to dealing with any problem is to take a step back and ask yourself why whatever is causing you stress is happening.
This means separating yourself from your feelings and thinking deeply outside of the ego.
Ask yourself why it is that you feel the way that you do.
Why does this particular situation bring about so much stress and anxiety?
Much of our own stress and negative feelings are rooted in our own insecurities, and many times, coming to the realization that we screwed up can create even more feelings of stress and anxiety.
It is not easy to be held accountable for our undesired outcomes and our own negative feelings but is something that must be accepted.
Full accountability is one of the largest steps in personal growth.
When things don't go our way, it is easy and natural for us to point the finger and blame some outside source for our unhappiness.
If we feel like someone did us wrong, it is easy for us to blame them for our feelings of uneasiness.
While this may be easy and clearly the path of least resistance, this is also how we establish a pattern of running from our problems.
By blaming others, we never truly deal with the problem in which we created.
It gives us an easy escape to think that someone else is at fault for our lack of well-being, until we eventually find ourselves repeating the same pattern under new circumstances.
One thing to remember is that there are always two sides to every story and then there is the truth.
While you might think you are in the right and someone else is in the wrong, it is very likely they think the same thing for themselves.
Accountability is a matter of recognizing that we put ourselves in certain situations and we choose how we deal with the outcomes.
As mentioned previously, full accountability can be a painful realization at times because we hate to think that we are in the wrong about anything.
However, by failing to take full accountability for our thoughts and behaviors, we can assure that we continue on the path of victimhood and continue to run from our problems.
Running from anything is almost never the answer, especially when we are running from our own insecurities.
Sure, there are circumstances in which it is better strategically to remove ourselves from things or people that do not serve our purpose in life, but a purpose must first be established in order to gain this level of clarity.
If we continue to run from our problems and hardships in life, we further distance ourselves from ever truly being able to find peace and fulfillment.
Having the confidence to say "I was wrong" or "I screwed up" is how we can program ourselves to start thinking of ways to not make the same mistake twice.
The important thing to remember here is that running from our problems drives us further away from building confidence, while accountability gives us the confidence that we need to keep moving forward in life.