Personal Responsibility Nichole DeClouette GEN/200 Foundations For General Education And Professional Success October 27, 2014 Barbara White
Personal Responsibility How would people feel if every day we lived our lives not knowing if we would have to pay the price for the next person’s actions? What if we were constantly being held responsible for the life of someone else, possibly even a stranger? I think we can all agree the world would be chaotic and for that reason everyone is expected to maintain personal responsibility. Personal responsibility is the act of being responsible for yourself, your actions and faults, and admitting when wrong. Even though people are aware of this, some people avoid personal responsibility for the sake of not having to deal with the consequences of their wrong doings. Personal responsibility has a connection to just about every decision we make and everything we do. Being personally responsible must be taken seriously in order to succeed especially when it comes to advancement in education. Being a responsible person means you do what you say you are going to do with no hesitation. You fulfill your obligations. Personal responsibility means you are reliable, and people can count on you. With personal responsibility comes integrity. You must be honest and fair and also have personal courage. Face your fears. One major characteristic of personal responsibility is being able to admit when you are wrong and accepting the consequences for your actions. Everyone has the freedom to make their own choices in life which means they should be held accountable for their actions. In a book written by Dr. Alexander Brown titled, “Personal Responsibility: Why It Matters”, Brown discusses the “nature” of personal responsibility and the effect that a person’s actions may have on the world. In his book, personal responsibility is defined as, “ being personally responsible implies being solely responsible for something or someone without the help or intervention of another” (Brown 2009). He also stated that “taking personal responsibility for our own lives has something to do with not imposing burdens on other people” (pp 14-15). In my opinion, how successful someone is in their college education falls solely on each person. To be a successful college student, you must be proactive. Some ways I feel that will benefit a student is to look ahead to further assignments and readings so you know what is coming up and can plan accordingly. Also, when help is needed, instead of waiting around, do not hesitate to take advantage of any tutoring that is available. Personal responsibility means not making excuses. In college, you must learn to manage your time and understand that it is your education, so it is what you make of it. The teacher is there to provide the knowledge but it us, the students, responsibility to take that knowledge and apply it to your learning. Another important connection between personal responsibility and college success is when in school, be in school. To be in school means to complete and turn in assignments on time, participate in class, do not be afraid to ask questions and to take your work seriously. Ron Haskins is a former Senior Advisor to the President for Welfare policy at the White House, and now co-director of the Center on Children and Families at the Brookings Institution. Haskins wrote a research article titled, “The Sequence Of Personal Responsibility.” In the article Haskins (2009) states that “when an individual fails to meet the expected (personal responsibility) standards, they do not look around for some factor outside of themselves to blame” (para1). He goes on to say that personal responsibility ends when an individual does not meet the standards and begins to place blame on everyone else around them to include; their economic circumstances and society. The article notes that when referring to personal responsibility in education, “students accept the responsibility to study hard and to learn as much as they can in courses that press against their limits of their capacity” (Haskins, 2009, para 3). Personal responsibility is something that I have learned to accept and to take seriously in life. I think it is a process and something you learn over time. One way I will learn is to have a plan. My plan to practice personal responsibility in my education is to learn how to properly manage my time and set aside an adequate amount of time for schoolwork. I also will write out my goals and keep a weekly to-do list so that I can see what I have to do and where I am trying to go in life. Being able to see these things written down will help to keep me motivated and to push myself every week. In conclusion, although some people avoid personal responsibility for the sake of not having to deal with consequences, in the end, we have choices in life. We, as individuals, chose the paths we want to take, and that can determine how successful we will or will not be. Yes, sometimes you never know where life is going to end up taking you but regardless, you still must act in a responsible manner regardless of the outcome.
References Brown, A. (2009,September). Personal Responsibility: Why It Matters. Continuum International Publishing. Retrieved from University of Phoenix Library, Ebrary e-book Haskins, R. (2009, July). The sequence of personal responsibility. Brookings Institution press. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu
