Personal Responsibility
Even though personal responsibility is dictated by the individual, it is the thread that holds modern society together. It is the foundation that defines the rules and promises that we make to ourselves and others.
Each and every day we are all faced with decisions. Some decisions are so simple that we don’t give an extra thought while others can keep us up at night tossing and turning while we weigh the consequences and rewards of each possibility. How do we handle these decisions when it seems there is no good course of action? Perhaps even more trivial is; how do we handle decisions in which we are tempted to compromise our integrity? The answers to these questions may vary from person to person, and in many situations the answers to these questions can define you.
There are many reasons to consider improving aspects of your personal responsibility. One simple reason could be that you will gain trust among colleagues, friends and family. A good place to start is by keeping the simple promises you make to yourself, friends, family and coworkers. Let’s take a husband that promises his wife that he will complete a chore and fails to complete it. The husband suggests that it’s no big deal and later completes the task. Inconsistencies send a message that the overall integrity is not in tact because the husband failed at keeping his commitment. Overall society forgives us for breaking many promises. Simple misgivings like: driving over the speed limit, showing up a little late to a social function, exaggerating accomplishments etc., are often assessed as okay as long as it’s not a habit. It is important to remember that just because society as a whole may lets you bend the rules it doesn’t mean that your colleagues will.
The most important aspect of personal responsibility is how it affects you. There is a certain pride that comes with completing the task as promised that you just can’t get by taking shortcuts. You...