A to Z of Lessons Learned in 2014: Ownership

This is a bit of a tricky subject for me to write about, so please bear with me.

See, 2014 and about three months into 2015 have been the worst times I've experienced in years. Although it didn't touch my health and those of most of my loved ones (for which I remain thankful.) 

But to sum up 2014: I saw basically everything of meaning that me and my family had built up for years lost through no fault of our own. (And the fallout continued into this year too. Although now I can safely say that things are going much better.) 

The thing is that really, when nothing can be done, ownership hurts. Because it makes the loss so much more personal. I couldn't take complete ownership, though. I couldn't take ownership of other people's choices. Only my own. And their choices meant that there was nothing I could still do and still maintain my integrity. 

I can take ownership of my integrity, though. Of my dignity as I went through a rough year. 

I can still take ownership of things that I can control. 

And the one thing I could control other than my dignity and integrity was what I'd do next. This is where taking ownership is a good thing. 

Because when things go this badly, everything comes down to two options: 

Get back up or don't. 

I decided to get back onto my feet. 

What about you? What's your relationship with ownership like?