Take Responsibility!

Responsibility has to do with the choices we make about the realities of our lives. People who exercise personal responsibility see how their choices, more than external realities, determine their fate.  It is the difference between being a victor rather than victim in life.

The Responsibility Ladder shows how the meaning of responsibility and the way we make choices changes as we evolve from one paradigm to another.

The Responsibility Ladder  
Integrity:
I am the author of the outcomes of my life through my choices.  
Achievement:
I exercise choices by setting goals and trying to improve.  
Duty:
I exercise choices by fulfilling my obligations  
Fear:
I am reactive and a victim of events, circumstances, and other people.

Common Ways We Avoid Responsibility  
Waiting:
Many people live their lives waiting for something to happen or change to experience happiness or success.  
Excuses and Self-Justification:
We learn to make excuses to avoid punishment.  
Blame:
This has been institutionalized into our justice system which teaches people to feel and act like victims.  
Being Dependent:
We are passive about asserting ourselves or taking care of our own needs.  
Reactive Language:
"You make me mad."  "I can't help it."  "I have to..."

Understanding our Choices
There are three primary reasons we make the choices we do:
Ignorance and programming. 
We are unaware of our choice-making or that other options are available to us.
Payoffs.
We are rewarded for the choices we make in the short term, even when the long-term consequences of those choices are painful.
Prices.
There is a price tag associated with new choices. We haven't yet decided to pay the price of making new choices.

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/