Can You Take Credit for Failure and Success?

When it comes to feeling good about ourselves and developing healthy self-esteem, how we view our achievements and blunders can be a good indicator of our self image. Those individuals suffering from low self-esteem tend to be more than willing to stand up and take credit for mistakes and failures, but less likely to see those areas where they have succeeded. There are still others who are quite happy to take credit for what they have done well but shy away from accepting responsibility for mistakes and blunders. The most well-adjusted individuals are those who can do both-take credit for failures and successes.

We have all known that person-the one who seems more than willing to say "I'm sorry" at the drop of the hat and take the blame for mistakes or blunders whether he or she was actually responsible or not: "I don't remember doing that, but I'm sure that I someone made that error." It can be aggravating to work or be around such a person but it is important to understand that it is a signal that the individual's self-esteem is suffering. As a matter of fact, there may be elements in that behavior that you recognize in yourself. For some of us, it might not be so severe, but we definitely feel more comfortably admitting to mistakes than we do stepping up and taking credit for something we have done well.

We have all known that other person-the one who seems to be more than happy to take credit for successes and projects that he or she has had the slightest hand in but this same person won't step forward and accept responsibility for the smallest mistake. Either way, the self-image is suffering. In order to be well-balanced and have a healthy concept of self, it is important to be able to fess up to mistakes and take responsibility for those blunders we really do have a hand in, but to also be able to claim credit when we have succeeded and done well. This is not advocating bragging or marching around claiming credit for every small success, but an appropriate ability to stand up and be counted, whether we do well, or not.