Taking Responsibility for Your Behavior is Good for You! Dick S. Forbes, MA

Taking Responsibility for your Behavior is Good for You!  Dick S. Forbes, MA

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have control over.”    Jim Rohn

“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”     Denis Waitley

We live in a culture of blame, being a victim and excuses.  However, a time tested characteristic of successful people is that they take responsibility for their actions. So why do some go with the path of least resistance and just say:

“I didn’t know what the rules were.”
“Other people are doing it.”
“You have unrealistic expectations, I can never please you.”
There are some good reasons to take responsibility for your actions:

• You will stand out. Sad to say, most people avoid taking responsibility for negative outcomes whenever possible. But, when you choose to say, “I did that,” “that was my mistake, “or anything that says you are taking responsibility, people will notice, teachers, employers, clients, coaches.  They will notice because it is a rare thing today.
• You are teachable. People will invest in you because you are teachable. Have ever been around someone who knows it all. There is nothing you can tell them or teach them. Most of us will not spend time and energy on that person. Teachable people will admit when they don’t know something. They will listen and learn. They will admit they can improve on something.
• You can be trusted. When you take responsibility, people have a positive view of you. What does it feel like to be around someone you can trust?  There is a degree of honesty in trustworthy people that others truly respect. We want to be people that are trustworthy.
• We grow and we grow up. The old saying, “we learn from our mistakes” is what people who take personal responsibility will tell you and beauty of that saying; it is the truth for them. We become people of integrity in a culture that I find to be lacking in.
• We become stronger individuals. Most of us fear taking responsibility, admitting shortcomings or asking for help because we fear we will be criticized. Or we may have the need to be right. It is true that there are some jerks out there that will “kick you while you are down” but it is the exception. Taking responsibility lets me spend time and mental energy on improving myself and less energy on denial, redirection and deflection. It allows me to focus on changing. 

• The world will not end.  When we take responsibility and admit our mistakes the world as we know it doesn’t come to an end.  When you take personal responsibility for your actions and outcomes, you do something that will change your world and people will notice. So do the right thing!

Dick is available to speak at your organization or church.

Dick Forbes can be reached at 770.386.0608 or

Email: dsforbes@bellsouth.net

www.forbescounseling.com