Responsibility

AM I RESPONSIBLE?


Responsibility is so commonly bantered about it is easily abused as a value. What is true resonsibility? When are we truly being responsible? Can anyone be really responsible all of the time? Is responsibility optional in our society today?


I have been browsing through a book I bought ages ago by Stephen Covey on the 7 Habits of highly effective people. I particularly like this paragraph on responsibility.

Its the nature of reactive people to absolve themselves of responsibility. Its so much safer to say, "I am not responsible." If I say "I am responsible," I might have to say, "I am irresponsible." It would be very hard for me to say that I have the power to choose my response and that the response I have chosen has resulted in my involvement in a negative, collusive environment, especially if for years I have absolved myself of responsibility for results in the name of someone else's weakness.

This I supposed is why many people have a difficult time in addressing personal responsibility. So having this awareness of what is going on inside of us emotionally and mentally may help us to realise why we are not willing to say, "I am responsible." And also why we blame everyone else for our troubles so quickly and easily. For example,when we are speeding and a slow-coach pulls out from a junction, we get angry at him instead of taking responsibility for speeding. If I admit I am wrong on this one, what else am I wrong about?

So when we are blaming someone else or the world for our problems, maybe its time to do some self reflection. Tomorrow when you are living in your work-world pay attention to your self talk and your verbalisations to others.

Have fun.



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