Saying something: Part Seventeen - Responsibility

I had an idea a while back to do a little series of posts about things I've learned and applied to my personal and professional life. I'll keep these posts quite short but hope someone reads something they can fit into their own life of they can use to good effect.

Three words I value greatly are ownership, responsibility and discipline and this is the second in a three-part set of posts on each of these concepts, you can see the first part here if you would like to.

Responsibility

Human beings have so many responsibilities: Taking out the garbage, going to work, obeying the speed limit when driving, paying taxes...you get the idea. Those things and others like them are important, no doubt, but responsibility extends further.

I believe responsibility starts with the individual themselves, that a person has a responsibility to be the right person for themselves and then others and only through a strong sense of responsibility can a person be their best self, design and create their best life and have that spread outwardly like ripples on a pond after a stone is thrown in.

The phrase, I am responsible is something everyone should repeat three times out loud with conviction each morning while looking at themselves in the mirror - it's a powerful exercise. It reinforces the concept and helps a person to remember that throughout the day, that they are responsible for everything they think, the attitudes those thoughts inspire and the actions that follow.

Shifting the responsibility for things that didn't quite work out is lazy, egotistical, negative and lacks ownership; taking the responsibility for what went wrong, poor performance or results, arguments in one's relationships and so on is positive because it opens the door to different thoughts, plans and strategies, increased motivation and other such positive elements all of which help a person live their best life.

What do you think about responsibility and how has taking it, or not taking it, impacted on your life? Are you a blame-shifter, do you sit back and let others take responsibility for those things you really should be? How do you perceive the value of taking responsibility in your own life? If you want to comment then go ahead.