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Responsible for Success

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Responsible For Success
Albert Schweitzer once said “Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will - his personal responsibility” (English Forums, 2011). Nearly everyone believes that the number of persons who possess personal responsibility decreases with each generation. If Schweitzer was concerned about the lack of people’s accountability in his day and age, it can be assumed the current generation is in a dilemma. Personal responsibility is the act of being accountable for one’s actions and the consequences thereof. Personal responsibility is essential to success because it can make an individual superior to his or her competitors, it allows one to resolve personal obstacles efficiently, and it ultimately results in a better lifestyle. “You are the person with the most power to affect your life. You are the one who decides how to feel about what you are experiencing. You are the one who gets to choose differently. Do you choose success?” (Johnson-Hughes, 2011).
To be successful, one must have the ability to be better than his or her competitors. In a survey conducted by Eric L. Dey and associates, the first finding was that “students and campus professionals strongly agree that personal and social responsibility should be a major focus of a college education” (Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2008). Personal responsibility is the most obvious way to compete with others. Being punctual, maintaining proper hygiene, educating ones’ self, and completing tasks in an efficient and timely manner are a few examples of qualities possessed by those responsible for themselves. The unemployment rate as of October 21, 2011 is 9.1% according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Bureau of labor statistics, 2011). The current status of the economy has made competition tougher than ever. With limited jobs available, companies can only afford to hire the best candidates. Thousands of employees who possess experience have been laid off or let go because of financial problems many companies are dealing with. College graduates lack the experience that these individuals possess; however, graduates who can market themselves as responsible individuals still have a possibility of being hired when up against their experienced counterparts. Also as a result of companies’ poor financial circumstances, many college graduates remain out of a job or are working beneath their degrees, for instance waitressing or holding temporary employment solely to obtain compensation. Companies are also making a large amount of budget cuts; one of the likely cutbacks is employee raises. Consequently, promotions encompass tougher requirements now. Employees cannot expect to excel in their professional lives by merely meeting expectations. One must constantly strive to exceed expectations.
Personal responsibility can be an extremely useful tool in overcoming individual obstacles. A person who possesses the quality of personal responsibility can competently maintain control of obstacles such as time management as well as distractions. “Although it [personal responsibility] is something that is very difficult to learn, the choices you make when you start to make all of the decisions in your life will influence your success in all areas of your life” (Murphy, 2011). To manage time, one must make sacrifices and execute adequate planning. One must ignore disruptions such as family or financial problems while at his or her workplace or educational institute to maintain focus. One can greatly affect his or her performance by allowing the influence of unrelated circumstances. Obstacles are only as much trouble as one allows them to be; if one handles every obstacle he or she faces responsibly, it is likely to be overcome much more quickly and effortlessly than someone who handles the same situation irrationally.
The ultimate result of being responsible for oneself is a better lifestyle. “…the desire to feel good is even stronger than the desire to stay alive” (Hautman, 2008). John Kander and Fred Ebb say money makes the world go ‘round; the Bible says money is the root of all evil (All Great Quotes, 2011). Regardless of one’s position on this, to live the life most people desire, money is necessary. Even the basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter cost money, and one earns money by being successful at whatever he or she chooses to do. Being successful can also alleviate stress and anxiety. When one is without any of the basic necessities or even just wants, one tends to worry. Without ailments such as stress, anxiety, and worry one can be assumed to be happier and healthier than his or her stressed counterparts. These are certainly reasons to strive to have personal responsibility.
Personal responsibility is critical to being successful as it will make you better than your opponents who lack this quality; it permits you to resolve personal obstacles competently, and ultimately results in a better standard of living. Before creating a plan to practice personal responsibility throughout my academic life, I evaluated my goals. It is important for one to recognize where he or she wants to be to get efficiently to that point. I want to complete my Bachelor’s degree within two years and when all of my children have started school I want to enter marketing and advertising. My own plan to observe personal responsibility in my education is to be an efficient planner and make the most of my time through use of calendars and day planners as well as prioritizing. As I aim to have my degree completed fairly quickly, I must maintain a consistent schedule allowing plenty of time for work and studies as well as family time. I plan to do whatever is necessary to maintain focus. If everyone who wishes to be successful makes being responsible his or her first priority, every person will reach his or her goals!

References
All Great Quotes. (2011). Money quotes. Retrieved from http://www.allgreatquotes.com/money_quotes.shtml
Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2008). Should colleges focus more on personal and social responsibility? Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/pdfs/ed501068.pdf
Bureau of labor statistics. (2011, October). United States Department of Labor. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/cps
English Forums. (2011). Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Retrieved from http://www.englishforums.com/english/dralbertschweitzermustcease-attributing/lxcwl/post.htm
Hautman, J. (2008, February). Happiness is everyone's ultimate goal. Retrieved from http://selfcreation.com/happiness/happiness_is_the_goal.htm
Johnson-Hughes, PhD, D. (2011, April). The secret recipe for success. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c79d6230-970b-4644-a08b-bf45ac2a4ac1%40sessionmgr10&vid=11&hid=1
Murphy, Dr., P. M. (2011). Personal responsibility. Retrieved from http://frontpage.okstate.edu/coe/cp101/personal%20responsibility.htm

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