Definitely —personal responsibility is required in order to create long-term change. We can all make incremental, but beneficial, changes to our lives, regardless of our socioeconomic status.

That said, the self-help articles I read that spurred my post were about massive changes — leaving a job, moving cross-country, etc — and the authors implied that those who don’t do such things are failures for not taking an active role in “shaking up” their lives. That’s insulting to anyone who doesn’t have the resources to take such great leaps.

Thank you for reading and commenting!