Personal Responsibility And Success

Melissa Titus 11/13/2011 GEN/200 Ann Lapinsky

What comes to mind when I think of personal responsibility? Well according to dictionary.com Responsibility means: it is the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something. And it is the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something. And the synonyms are (according to dictionary.com): liability - onus charge - accountability obligation. To me personal responsibility means to take care of oneself and to take responsibility for our own actions. If you put the blame on someone else it can take a turn for the worse and come back with repercussions later on in life or a better term for that would be Karma (What goes around, comes around). When we take responsibility, we admit we are the ones responsible for the choices we make. We, not other people or events, are responsible for the way we think and feel. It is our life, and we are in charge of it. (Gallozzi, n.d). With education and success for a bright future ahead, there are some responsibilities that come with the success that you would want for the future. With following through with an educational plan you will be successful in what you can accomplish.

With responsibility, education does come with it. A person can be taught responsibility. A teacher, an adult, a counselor, even a parent can teach you responsibilities when dealing with your education. Teaching a child, at the right age, about educational responsibilities has some advantages. A child should be shown that education comes first and that attending school for a better future will push the child to want to do well in school. Handing in assignments on time shows that they are willing to learn and accept if they get a sub-standard grade. The child or the adult can then ask where to improve, so their next assignment will be done correctly. Most

schools hand out extra credit projects so it gives the child a chance to bump up their grades, better grades equals a better chance of getting into a great college. If you miss a class, talk to your facilitator about making up the work. By taking that action you are showing that you are willing to participate in something important you may have missed. If you miss a test, immediately set something up with your facilitator to retake the test. A make-up exam is as important as the original test, to bring up your final grade so as soon as you take your make up, the sooner it can be applied to your final grade for that class or course. Procrastination can play a big part with responsibility in your education. The longer you wait on getting something done, the more likely youre not going to get the good grade because you really didnt think it through well enough. You pretty much just rushed through the assignment just so you can hand it in. You can accomplish being a great student if you follow these guidelines to be successful with your education. Dont miss a class, yes; there are going to be days when you will get sick so make sure, if it does happen, get your friend to pick up the class work you missed so you are not behind. Dont procrastinate. Instead of waiting the last minute, get the materials you need for the assignment work on getting it started early, so that way the assignment can be done correctly instead of rushed through. If you miss a test make sure you absolutely meet with your facilitator and schedule a make-up exam. In order to accept personal responsibility you need to develop the ability to: Seek out and to accept help for yourself. Be open to new ideas or concepts about life and the human condition. Refute irrational beliefs and overcome fears. Affirm yourself positively. 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 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 (Lawson 2011). If you follow these behavior traits you can fully understand personal responsibility and apply them to yourself. Failing to take personal responsibility can result in consequences. When you have not accepted personal responsibility, you can run the risk of becoming: Overly dependent on others for recognition, approval, affirmation and acceptance. 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 take on in life. Unsuccessful in personal relationships. You may become emotionally or physically unhealthy. You can become 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. You can unable to develop trust or to feel secure with others. And become resistant to vulnerability. (Lawson 2011). I believe in following these traits because it will lead me to better responsibility for myself and to take actions on the mistakes I may have made. As a student myself, not only do I invest my time but I put my effort well forward as well. With the success of responsibility in our education you can become more confident and well preserved. Make sure you dont over work yourself. Winston Churchill once said The price of

greatness is responsibility. So be responsible for the actions you make upon your college success because you may not know for what the future may hold for you.

References

1. Gallozzi, C. (n.d). personal-development.com. Retrieved from http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/responsibility.htm

2. Lawson, J. (2011). Live Strong. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/14698-accepting-personal-responsibility/#JUMP5

3. Dictionary. (2011). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com

4. Brainy Quote. (2001-2011). Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/winston_churchill.html

In-Text Citations
1. According to Dictionary (2011), Responsibility means it is the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something. And it is the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something (page 1).

2. According to Dictionary (2011), " the synonyms of responsibility are: liability onus - charge - accountability obligation (page 1).

3. According to Brainy Quote (2001), Winston Churchill once said The price of greatness is responsibility. (page 3-4).

4. Gallozzi (n.d), When we take responsibility, we admit we are the ones responsible for the choices we make. We, not other people or events, are responsible for the way we think and feel. It is our life, and we are in charge of it. (para. Responsibility is not a burden, it's a blessing). (page 1)

5. When you have not accepted personal responsibility, you can run the risk of becoming: Overly dependent on others for recognition, approval, affirmation and acceptance. 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 take on in life. Unsuccessful in personal relationships. You may become emotionally or physically unhealthy. You can become 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. You can unable to develop trust or to feel secure with others. And become resistant to vulnerability. (Lawson 2011) (Page 2-3)

6. In order to accept personal responsibility you need to develop the ability to: Seek out and to accept help for yourself. Be open to new ideas or concepts about life and the human condition Refute irrational beliefs and overcome fears. Affirm yourself positively. 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 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 (Lawson 2011). (Page 2-3)

Annotated Bibliography
1. Gallozzi, C. (n.d). personal-development.com. Retrieved from http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/responsibility.htm. This web article best describes personal responsibility today. It talks about actions we should be taking to pursue better responsibility tactics. It also talks about if your happy with the responsibilities you are taking and that if you are not happy then you need to change what you are doing to make yourself happy and to take charge of your life.

2. Lawson, J. (2011). Live Strong. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/14698-accepting-personal-responsibility/#JUMP5 This web article you can find steps into accepting personal responsibility. The article also includes what may happen if you dont accept personal responsibility and that there are consequences for the actions that you make. I referred to behavior traits that need to be developed in order to accept personal responsibility and failing to accept personal responsibility result in negative consequences because I thought these were best described as steps that a student can follow for success with responsibilities.

3. Dictionary. (2011). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com Using the dictionary I thought of using the best definition for responsibility. The site definitely had different definitions but the one that I had chosen was best described for my essay being written. With my definition compared to the dictionaries definition they are quite similar but have different perspectives.

4. Brainy Quote. (2001-2011). Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/winston_churchill.html This web based quote search engine you can find a dozen quotes by any author. I thought Winston Churchills quote The price of greatness is responsibility Had best described my essay perfectly. I wanted to end the essay on a positive note because to me teaching someone good habits of responsibility will help them succeed in life and I would not want to see someone fail.