Responsibility

“Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.”

Johann Wolfgang Von Quotes.

If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.
 Les Brown

A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.
Bob Dylan

“Responsibility is the price of greatness.”

Winston Church hill

What is responsibility?

Responsibility is a loaded word it can be thought of as respect for the rights of others and personal accountability for one's actions. To some, responsibility is a burden. To others responsibility is a reward. For many, responsibility means having someone to point to.

But breakthrough discovery proves that responsibility is a process – a mental process triggered whenever something in your world isn't quite right this means owning your choices and the result of it’s outcome. By Definition responsibility is a kind of duty or obligation to satisfactorily perform or complete a task (assigned by someone, or created by one's own promise or circumstances) that one must fulfil, and which has a consequent penalty for failure.

Nothing adds to personal development and eventually to success in life like the act of responsibility, but this is the least choice we desire to make especially personal responsibility. Taking responsibility means admitting that we are the reason (casual agent) for the option we chose in life we and not others or the combination of circumstances are responsible for the way we think and feel it is our life and we are in control of it, these does not mean that we are responsible for all that happens to us, but we are responsible for how we think, feel or react to what happens to us in life, Chuck Gallozi remarked that personal responsibility is nothing other than the freedom to create our own lives. Responsibility he said is equal to freedom and power and once we realize this fact we become liberated and empowered.

But as youths we often tend to think in our minds that we are not yet up to the age when we should be responsible for what we will be, in most cases we allow the environment to over-power or control us instead of actually taking control and directing our destiny towards success, we live a care-free life all in the name of going with the flow; but it is only a dead fish that goes with the flow, therefore I urge you to now to ask your self ‘am I dead fish; or a living being’?

If you find yourself thinking or saying any of things like;

·         It's not my fault I am the way I am.

·         I never asked to be born.

·         Life is so depressing. If only I had better luck and had been born to a richer and healthier family, or attended a better school, etc.

·          Now that you have me, what are you going to do with me?

·          Life is unfair! There is no sense in trying to take control of my life.

·          Why go on; I see no use in it.

·          You can't help me, nobody can help me. I'm useless and a failure.

·         God has asked too much of me this time. There is no way I'll ever be able    to handle this.

·          When do the troubles and problems cease? I'm tired of all this.

·         Stop the world; I want to get off.

·         How can you say I am responsible for what happens to me in the future? There is fate, luck, politics, greed, envy, wicked and jealous people, and other negative influences that have a greater bearing on my future than I have.

·         How can I ever be happy, seeing how bad my life has been?

·         My parents made me what I am today!

·         The problems in my family have influenced who I am and what I will be; there is nothing I can do to change that.

·          Racism, bigotry, prejudice, sexism, ageism and closed-mindedness all stand in the way of my becoming what I really want to be.

·         No matter how hard I work, I will never get ahead.

·         I am who I am; there is no changing me. etc
 

then consider your self as some who is yet to accept personal responsibility, and terms like :- self-pitying, depressed, loser, quitter, chronically angry, dependent personality, complainer, addictive personality, blamer, stubborn, troubled being , stuck, fearful, pessimist, despondent, mentally unstable, obstinate, hostile, aggressive, irresponsible, weak, guilt-ridden, resistant to help, passive, irrational, insecure, neurotic, obsessed, lazy, heart sick, lost …. can be used to describe you.

And when you have not accepted personal responsibility, you can run the risk of becoming:

·         Overly dependent on others for recognition, approval, affirmation and acceptance.

·         Constantly performing poorly or failing in your exams as students

·         Chronically hostile, angry or depressed over how unfairly you have been or are being treated.

·         Fearful about ever taking a risk or making a decision.

·         Overwhelmed by disabling fears.

·         Unsuccessful at the enterprises you may take on in life.

·          Unsuccessful in personal relationships.

·          Emotionally or physically unhealthy.

·          Addicted to unhealthy substances, such as the abuse of alcohol, drugs, food or unhealthy behavior such as excessive gambling, shopping, sex, smoking, work, etc.

·          Over responsible and guilt ridden in your need to rescue and enable others in your life.

·          Unable to develop trust or to feel secure with others.

 To accept personal responsibility you need to develop the ability to:

·         Affirm yourself positively by opening up to new ideas or concepts about life and the human condition.

·         Renouncing irrational beliefs and overcome fears.

·         Recognize that you are the sole determinant of the choices you make.

·          Recognize that you choose your responses to the people, actions and events in your life.

·          Let go of anger, fear, blame, mistrust and insecurity.

·         Take risks and to become vulnerable to change and growth in your life.

·         Take off the masks of behavior characteristics behind which you hide low self-esteem.

·          Reorganize your priorities and goals.

·          Realize that you are the party in charge of the direction your life takes.

The Gains of Personal Responsibility

The understanding is the first step in personal responsibility and assuming personal responsibility comes with certain advantages

Firstly, is that we function within an environment of freedom. On this Albert Einstein puts it that ‘everything which is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labour in freedom’. Dreams, aspirations and ideas means nothing if one does not have freedom to pursue them 

The Second Gain, is that we become more powerful –we are then more interesting to others- and as you move around your school for example you colleague will come running  to you and seeking your opinion or advice about certain issues because they have observed that you have a direction in your life. You have made some of those decisions and they want to know why. You become a kind of model or mirror for others by your good example.

Thirdly, Trust comes in. Taking personal responsibility brings in trust and trust they say is a greater compliment than being loved. Hugh Pinnock, on accepting personal responsibility puts it that ‘we understand why we want to behave differently when someone trust us, but why do they trust us? Because we already have made decisions that lead to trust’

Such kind of decisions is only made when we accept personal responsibility and this builds a solid good reputation for us over time.

Fourthly, it provides the foundation for success since one is free, powerful, and has earned trust by taking control of his life; this opens several doors of opportunity and ideas now this offers you the maximum benefits obtainable from such ideas, since there will  be integrity in action.

Fifthly, once you are considered responsible it gives you the opportunity to add value to the society and as I have always said it is the value you add to the society that will determine how successful you will be in life, since people will always pay for your value.

Some Steps towards taking personal Responsibility

Be Courageous:  William C Stone a self-help book author pointed out that to be responsible is to “Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.” Each time you make a responsible decision, you become more responsible person. Even if in the past you have had a bad reputation or record; we need to have the courage to say ‘No’ to substandard results, for example, and the courage to sometimes study that extra hour or two or three each day, to accomplish that which will bring pride. Being courageous generally involves making tough decisions and standing by them. Abraham Lincoln said “you cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today” easy choices might make us feel good but tough ones will challenge us, but it will eventually make us better.

 Stopping the blaming Game: When things don't go the way we want, when we get hurt or frustrated, it is temping to look for someone or something to blame. It can be comforting, in an angry and resentful kind of way, to think that this is not my fault. If only someone or something else were different then I could feel better or do better. But the problem with this kind of attitude is this you will be kind of held back, trapped and waiting for some one or something out there to change before you will move on, this then means you are not free or have limited you capabilities. Anything less than 100% responsibility for yourself, means that you have given a portion of your power to someone or something else, and if you are not full control then you growth or progress will be limited by them.

Chose your friends wisely: ‘Where there are friends, there is wealth’- Titus Muccius Plautus. John C Maxwell simply put it that “if you have started your journey on the road to responsibility, just make sure that you have the right travelling companions. You will find it difficult or impossible to be responsible when you spend most of your time with responsible people.  Friends can be such a blessing in any persons' life. They can laugh with you in joyful times, or give a comforting hug in times of sadness and pain.

Form Good Personal Habits: of finishing what you start, and not expecting others to step in for you and most importantly making proper preparations since proper preparation for the future consists of forming good personal habits. This is done by actively pursuing the good in all particulars of your daily life and by regularly examining your motives to make sure they are free of the shackles of fear, greed, and laziness. If you do this, you won’t be struck about or held by outside events.

Help Others: As we make these decisions and progress in life, always build, help, protect, and heal others. Make sure that if someone needs your help and guidance you have an hour or two each day to provide for them some of the support so often needed. By so doing you reinforce the knowledge and create better opportunities for our self and others.

Finally, don’t ever allow others to make for you life's vital decisions. They are yours. Be in control of it.” You are the person who has to decide. Whether you'll do it or toss it aside; you are the person who makes up your mind. Whether you'll lead or will linger behind. Whether you'll try for the goal that's afar. Or just be contented to stay where you are.” - Edgar A. Guest. So make the right decision and the sky will be just the beginning.

Think Harder! Work Harder!

© Darlington Uzoigwe

Some quotes on Responsibility

Responsibility walks hand in hand with capacity and power. -Josiah Gilbert Holland

Each is responsible for his own actions. -H. L. Hun

Ultimately, whatever is in your reality is your responsibility. - unknown

Refuse to be average. Let your heart soar as high as it will. -A. W. Tozer

The greatest thing a man can do in this world is to make the most possible out of the stuff that has been given him. This is success, and there is no other. Orison Swett Marden

The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self-respect springs. -Joan Didion

Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Responsibility walks hand in hand with capacity and power. -Josiah Gilbert Holland

Nobody can do it for you. -Ralph Cordiner

In dreams begin responsibility- William Butler Yeats

Responsibilities gravitate to the person who can shoulder them. -Tom Stoppard

Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will - his personal responsibility.-Albert Schweitzer

I will not surrender responsibility for my life and my actions. -John Enoch Powell

When we have begun to take charge of our lives, to own ourselves, there is no longer any need to ask permission of someone.- George O'Neil

Each is responsible for his own actions. -H. L. Hunt

No alibi will save you from accepting the responsibility.-Napoleon Hill

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. -Max Depree

Accountability breeds response-ability.- Stephen R. Covey

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else. -Les Brown