What Are You Willing to Accept?

Justin Potter
Sep 23
3 min read

My pastor once dropped a line, and fortunately for me, it has always stuck with me:

“It’s not your fault, but it is your responsibility.”

That one sentence is brutal and freeing all at the same time. And when it comes to your health and fitness, it’s dead on.

The Great Handoff

When you were born, your parents carried 100% of the responsibility for you.

They gave you your DNA, your structure, and your start in life. They fed you, changed you, carried you. But the second you entered the world, responsibility started shifting.

You began breathing on your own. Eating on your own. Even that first dirty diaper was your body’s way of saying, “I’ve got this part covered.” Little by little, more of the weight slid from their shoulders to yours.

Feeding yourself.

Dressing yourself.

Calming yourself down.

By the time you became an adult, your parents’ role in your health was basically gone.

So who’s carrying it now?

Who’s Really Responsible?

Think about it. Who do you give credit (or blame) for your health today?

Your doctor?
Your spouse?
Your parents (bad genes and all)?
Your coach?
Your dentist?

Sure, all of them influence your health.

But let’s be honest: none of them carry it the way you do.

Your doctor can diagnose and prescribe, but he’s not doing your workouts.
Your spouse might support you, but she’s not signing up to push your wheelchair because you skipped training for twenty years.
Your parents? They gave you your starting hand, but they’re not playing it for you anymore.
Your dentist? He’s worried about plaque, not your squat depth.
And your coach (that’s me)? I’ll shoulder some of the load. I’ll design the workouts, teach you how to move, push you to show up. But I can’t sweat, eat, and recover for you.

You might want to believe responsibility is shared evenly. But here’s the truth:

No matter how you slice it, the majority always falls back on you.

Do the Math

Here’s a quick exercise: write down the names of everyone who touches your health. Doctor, spouse, parents, coach, whoever. Then try to assign percentages.

If you’re in a hospital bed on life support, maybe your doctor has 90% and you have zero.
If you’re at home and your spouse is literally feeding you and cleaning up after you, maybe she’s 80%.
But if you’re up, mobile, and making choices every single day? 90% plus is on you. Period.

And here’s the kicker: none of those other people will ever agree to the percentages you try to assign them.

Ask your doctor if she’ll take 10% responsibility for your long-term health, and she’ll laugh.

Ask your spouse if she’ll carry 50% of the blame if you can’t move at age 80, and she’ll tell you to get moving now.

Ask your coach if he’ll take 70% responsibility for your fitness, and he’ll tell you: “I’ll coach you hard, but you’ve got to show up and do the work.”

No one else is signing that contract.

The Hard Question

You can blame your parents, your job, your friends, your genetics, your schedule. And honestly, some of those reasons might be valid.

But at the end of the day...

Excuses don’t move the needle & the scoreboard doesn’t care.

So the question always comes back to this:

What are you going to do about it?

“Yes, and …”

Taking responsibility doesn’t mean pretending everything’s easy. It means owning the struggle and moving anyway.

“Yes, I’m nervous about walking into a new gym. And … I’ll do it anyway.”
“Yes, giving up sugar is tough. And … I’ll start today.”
“Yes, I’m out of shape. And … I’ll keep going until I’m not.”

That’s ownership. That’s what progress looks like.

Bottom Line

Nobody else is going to make you healthy.

Not your doctor.

Not your spouse.

Not your coach.

It’s not all your fault. But it IS your responsibility. 100%.

So I’ll ask you again:

What are you willing to accept?

If you’re ready to stop giving away responsibility and start owning your health, we’re here to help. At Percheron Fitness, our coaches will give you the plan, the accountability, and the community you need, so you’re never carrying that responsibility alone.

What's the first step to owning your health and fitness?