I saw another one.  A commercial informing you “It’s not your fault.”

This one was how a “bad” hormone (cortisol) is to blame for you being fat.

I’ll get back to that in a second.  First I want to deal with “It’s not your fault.”

As a coach, my duty is to facilitate change by asking strategic questions and proposing alternate strategies depending on the answers to those questions.

As a consultant, I directly propose methods and protocols for reaching the clients goals.

As a trainer, I build and implement programs to make the changes and goals a physical reality.

Where in those scenarios is blame a factor?

I’ve been taught that a coach, consultant or trainer is sought out only when the client has an irrational passion or experiencing pain or urgency and has already made an attempt to resolve it themselves.  Okay, now I have a client who has a need and I have tools to help them fulfill that need.

So where does the question “Who’s fault is it” come from?

Who cares whose fault it is?

It isn’t actionable.  If a person is dwelling on who or what is to blame for their situation, whether it is body composition, marital problems, financial situations or male pattern baldness, you are using energy that could be better steered toward DOING something.

This is a marketing tactic that is, in my opinion, manipulative and subversive.  It steers attention away from the more pressing issue of responsibility.

Is it your parent’s fault, the school’s fault, your spouse’s fault, your children’s fault, your metabolism’s fault, cortisol’s fault?

I DON’T CARE.

I care about what we can DO about it.

In almost every situation fault or blame has NO relevance to a positive outcome.  None, zero, nada.

Only by grasping responsibility for “What now” is progress made.

Now about that cortisol.  This is a good example of an outright falsehood in advertising.

Cortisol is NOT a bad hormone. It is responsible for proper glucose metabolism via regulating insulin release, regulation of blood pressure, immune function, breakdown of fats and proteins, and inflammatory response among many others.

What IS bad is too much cortisol.  This usually occurs from excessive stress, stimulants (such as caffeine), overconsumption of simple carbohydrates or sleep deprivation.

Would it not be more effective to manage the CAUSE of excessive cortisol?

But that would mean eschewing the path of fault or blame and taking responsibility.

What a concept.