Personal Responsibility
Gen 200
September 18th, 2013
Evelyn Aiken

Abstract

It is easy to point the finger and become the victim when things go wrong in your life. When you can take personal responsibility for your actions, not only are you showing signs of growth and maturity, you are also showing that you are reliable and trust worthy in the work place. The world we live in today, it is easy to become the victim. We have radio lawyers who will be happy to help you sue even if the accident is your fault, there are therapists who will dig into your past and blame your upbringing for poor decisions that you have made, and we can even blame McDonald’s for being fat!
Part of the problem is that people feel that there always has to be a winner and a loser. Just because you accept responsibility for your decisions or mistakes does not mean you have lost. It means that you are mature enough to understand what you have done and you can use that as a learning tool to move forward and hopefully not make the same mistake in the future. As children we are programmed to “tattle” and point the finger at our peers, but when we don’t grow out of that it can have damaging effects on us as adults. “It is time to take personal responsibility for our choices and actions and let maturity shine.” (Sue, 2007).
Not taking personal responsibility also causes laziness, if we can blame others for our short comings then why should we even try to better ourselves? If I grew up in public housing, parents didn’t go to college, and lived off welfare then why should I do any different? The problem with that theory is that we witness success daily throughout our lives. We witness success from our teachers in school, commercials on TV or just daily encounters. Ultimately blaming others for your shortcomings hurt you in the long run, dodging a bill collector or a homework assignment is short lived. You can only run for so long before your blaming others and making excuses catch up with you.
As students we tend to blame the instructor for not getting the grade we think we deserve, most of the time it is because we didn’t read the syllabus or just simply reach out to ask the instructor questions when we are not clear on a certain assignment. It may seem easier to blame the instructor, but at the end of the day we still have that bad grade. Ultimately it benefits the student to accept responsibility and learn from the bad grade. As college students we are responsible for our success and the instructor is there as a guide. “If you receive a poor grade, don’t make excuses. Take responsibility and figure out what you can do to get a better grade next time”. (Garcia, n.d.). College is a foundation for our career and if we make excuses and do not take responsibility as college students, we are setting ourselves up for failure in the work place.
When you accept responsibility for your actions it shows that you are reliable and trustworthy and that is probably the most important thing in the work place. “Because shifting blame onto others is a natural act, professionals must take on a more active role in both recognizing it and trying to correct their own behavior, as well as the behavior of others in their work environment.” (Miller, 2012). You will continue to just make it by and be mediocre when you take the easy route out.
In conclusion, although pointing the finger takes the heat off you and seems like the easy route, do not become a victim and blame others for two main reasons. First, taking personal responsibility shows growth and maturity. But most importantly, taking personal responsibility shows that you are trustworthy and reliable in the work place.

References

Sue, M. P. (2007, October). Maturity: the elusive detail of personal responsibility. American Chronicle, (), . Retrieved from http://amchron.soundenterprises.net/articles/view/39542

Miller, J. V. (2012, July). Keeping the Buck: Fighting the Urge to Blame Others by Taking Responsibility in the Workplace. The People Equation, (), . Retrieved from http://people-equation.com/keeping-the-buck-fighting-the-urge-to-blame-others-taking-responsibility/

Garcia, E. (n.d.). Garcia.learn. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/garcialearn/how-to-get-good-grades-in-ten-easy-steps