Responsibility

become your best version mindset responsibility Dec 06, 2020
Florin Lungu Speaking

There was a video trending on YouTube of a little 2-year-old boy with sprinkles on his face and his mother asks him if he has gotten into the sprinkles and he denies it. She continues to ask him if he is sure he hasn’t eaten any sprinkles and he says no. She even asks him how the chair was pushed up to the counter where the sprinkles are spilled out and he says he doesn’t know. She then asks him if he saw anyone come and push the chair up to the counter and eat the sprinkles and he continues with his story of not knowing anything. She asks him one last time and he tells her he absolutely did not eat the sprinkles as a two-year-old can best explain.

Of course, we all know he ate the sprinkles and we believe he pushed the chair to the counter and made the mess while he was eating the sprinkles. He wouldn’t take responsibility for his actions. He knew at that early age that what he did was wrong and that there were consequences to his actions that were not favorable, so he tried the lying tactic. However, he was only two and clearly not sophisticated enough to wipe his mouth clean of the evidence!

How often have we as adults been in a similar situation where we know the impending outcome of our actions is, on the surface, more painful than telling the truth so we skirt around taking responsibility and either deny or deny and then blame someone or something to take the heat off us?

I can certainly raise my hand. I am sure you can too. Whether it is a little white lie or a doozy of a lie. We have all been in similar situations where it just seems like the better choice. But is it?

When we take responsibility and say – yes, I did that or, yes I forgot to do that, or I am sorry for what I did, even though the initial reaction may be negative and depending on the indiscretion, may result in a severe punishment such as losing a job or ending a relationship, in the end, it is always the best decision.

Responsibility is defined as the state or fact of being accountable for something within one’s power, control, or management. Everyone makes mistakes or indiscretions of varying degrees. That is part of being human. Taking responsibility is the best way of handling those mistakes and beginning the healing path to becoming whole again.

While taking responsibility for our mistakes is the foundation for every trust-based relationship, an important area of our lives that we need to take responsibility for is our results.

In the current global context, many people use conditions and circumstances outside of their control as the primary cause for the situation they find themselves in. It gives them a good excuse for not trying. What can I do? It is out of my control...

The truth is that while there are things we cannot control, there are many things we can control. And taking responsibility is being accountable for the things that are in our power and control.

We cannot just look up to the government or the authorities for solutions. We have to find our own answers and take full responsibility for solving our problems. The first might give us fish for a while, but the latter teaches us how to fish, which feeds us for a life-time.

I leave you with this question and I invite you to reflect a little bit upon it, what's one area of your life where you need to take more responsibility for your results?

I know for me is my financial results. It is one area where I allowed the current situation o influence my results a lot more than I should and I am taking responsibility for that.

What's yours?

Florin