Become Responsible
The main point of responsibility is to be able to be trusted and be reliable to other people. "You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." ~Abraham Lincoln
Contents
Steps
- Listen to your superiors. These could be parents, teachers, your boss, or someone who knows best for you. (And someone you're forcefully supposed to listen to. Yep. This is hard no doubt, but it will get parents and teachers off your back if they know they can trust you!
- Don't nose around in other people's business. Also if you do, be careful what you do with the new knowledge you may have of someone. Listen to your conscience. Usually it'll tell you to keep it to yourself.
- Don't talk back to superiors. Swear at them in your head but put on a pleasant face. Do what they ask with a pleasant countenance so you could get out of there or so they won't bug you about it again. If you're in a bad mood or mad at someone, it can be extremely tempting to argue and snap at innocent people. Just keep it to yourself, and if you're crabby, mope to yourself. It's fine! Nobody is happy all the time. However, if you hear, "You're putting down everyone's mood," then just move. But if you actually object, then you literally will be putting other people down.
- Stop making excuses. Have you ever heard the saying, "What goes around comes around"? You can avoid taking responsibility for your actions, but when it comes back to bite you, there's no dodging it that time. Anyway, think of the consequences! It may give you more time for yourself by evading your homework, or your chores, trying to post-pone something your boss has requested of you but remember, your time will be taken AWAY if you get in trouble. I'm sure your superiors have limitations, boundaries and rules that you feel are unfair to you.
- Be honest. "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything at all." Have you heard that quote? If you lie, when somebody asks questions about it you have to make up more lies, which can become a whole time line! It can become very hard to remember all your past lies. Although this makes the quote true, the quote isn't 100% true. If you tell the truth, you're still obviously going to have to think back to things.
- Know your place. Don't try to step up and take charge if you shouldn't. Listen to your conscience. Do what you know is right, but if you have another opinion, suggest it. People should be open to new ideas. For example, if you're a student, don't try to back talk to your teacher, but say you think differently and explain why. If you're at work and you disagree with something your boss said, you could say something about it but of course you don't want to lose your job or have your boss get mad at you. If you act reasonable though, hopefully someone will notice it!
- Remember, it's okay to question someone's authority. But you have to be prepared for the consequences. Anyway, it's better to just do what they say and then get some you time or just hang out with a friend. But if someone thinks they have authority, and they're telling you what to do, you don't have to do it! They're not the boss of you and it's a free country. This is counter intuitive but this applies to someone who doesn't really have power over you
- When asked to do something, try to do it in a timely manner. It may not be your first choice, but it shows people that you're reliable. Also, they will continue to trust you (if you have it already) and it will avoid conflicts.
- If you have a lot of stuff to do, space it out or just get it over with in one go. When you're given a task you have to do which has a deadline and it's important, do it in a timely manor.
- Make sure you gain other people's trust and stay trustworthy. Here's one example - If you're asked to keep a secret, keep it! Take it to your grave. If you're asked something, tell the truth! However, lies are occasionally fine. If it's to make your friend feel good about herself, then okay. If it's something that they would actually want to know and would be upset not knowing, then tell them. But I know not everybody can do this. Actually, nobody can do it all the time. Anyway, the point is, try your hardest to stick to the truth, do something you're asked, or fulfill a request. If you mess up, it's not the end of the world and life will go on. Nobody is perfect, and as long as you try, that's what counts.
- Lastly, always listen to yourself. Usually you know what's best for yourself and sometimes people who have "authority" don't.
Tips
- Think before you speak.
- Don't try to magically become responsible in one day. You have to build up responsibility!
- Take responsibility as a challenge!
- This article may vary when applied to people of different ages.
Warnings
- The only warning I would give is most of this would be considered ANTI-SOCIAL. It is okay to be your own self and self-respect is a wonderful thing, but ignoring authority figures is one key reason that most young men and women end up trying to avoid run-ins with the law. It's okay to listen to yourself but always ask a trusted friend, not some which runs in your group but someone whom will honestly tell you "you're crazy that will only lead to trouble." Remember self-talk is your worst enemy, because you can talk yourself into anything! Rational or Irrational, as Einstein said there is reaction for every action and this is unfortunately true in life, for everything you do, chose you make there are consequences, whether they are good or bad consequences is solely based on your actions. Einstein stated in1861, "Respect is the foundation of a stable way of life and the basis of a code of conduct." Respect yourself and respect other even those appointed over you for this season of your life.
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