Personal responsibility is an important factor that affects every aspect of a person’s life. “Your achievements in life are determined by your personal beliefs in self, the dreams you have and the action you take to make these dreams reality.” (Atkinson & Steel, 2011, p. 20) There are many things that individuals cannot control and people tend to look for the way out that takes the blame off them. Personal responsibility does not mean that you can control everything that happens, but it does mean that you can control how you respond to those situations. It is a source of strength to know that you have a say in your life in all circumstances. Although there are many aspects of life that we cannot control, maintaining a high level of personal responsibility in one’s life can help to ensure success no matter what you are attempting to pursue.
“Imagine that whatever you do, whatever actions you take or people you influence, it is impossible to fail.” (Atkinson & Steel, 2011, p. 18) First it is important to understand what personal responsibility means. These are two simple words that we all think we understand but can mean vastly different things to each person. First let us look at the word personal. ‘Personal’ has several definitions, the two most applicable here are “of pertaining to, or coming as from a particular person; individual; private” and “relating to, directed to, or intended for a particular person” (Dictionary.com LLC, n.d.) . It is important to note that the words pertaining and relating give both a sense that personal defines something that can both come from and refer to you. Responsibility is a massively charged word that has so much connotation attached that the simple denotation of the word is too simple to explain the concept. In the sense of personal responsibility it is the accountability for one’s actions, and responses to actions or circumstances as well as a total acceptance that your life is yours. If you accept responsibility for your life, then you must accept that you take the fault or have control of what becomes of it. The world today is a place where responsibility is placed everywhere but the self. If you take back this concept of personal responsibility for your life, you can be empowered to make the changes
This sense of control is precisely how personal responsibility can relate to your success, for example, in something like college. “There is little doubt that students who do take responsibility for their learning (success and failure) perform better.” (Peterson, Rubie-Davies, & Elley-Brown, 2011, p. 2) Your success can be based in what you choose to do. Taking responsibility, agreeing personal targets and projecting ourselves on the right path will do much to improve our chances of managing and, more importantly, creating our future.” (Atkinson & Steel, 2011, p. 18) If you choose to go to class every day, read all of the assigned readings, complete all of the assigned tasks and truly participate in the activity you virtually have guaranteed success. Even if your capability does not always equal perfection your dedication gives you the tools to get there. If you try and still do not get the grade you desire, additional motivation to seek assistance from a professor, tutor or other outside source is your responsibility. Going to college is a choice no matter what your situation is. If you choose to go to school you have to decide what priority that decision will take in your life; if you choose not to put school first then you accept responsibility for the setbacks determined by that. All of this is set up for the effort you choose to put in. Those of us who have personal, financial and other difficulties to contend with have to decide to what degree they want to push themselves; perhaps you need to take a semester off to attend to things, or maybe take less courses one semester. Taking responsibility to know that you can only handle so much is just as acceptable as working yourself to the bone.
I apply this to my life every day. I do my best to maintain excellent attendance with the ease of online school there is so much ease and flexibility to have perfect attendance is a very achievable goal. I will complete all assignments and readings on time. We have the whole schedule laid out ahead of us, there is such ease to plan ahead for circumstances, and not leave things to the end to help avoid the unexpected. There is also unparalleled access to your instructor. It is so easy to ask questions and communicate problems and receive swift assistance to both instructors and advisors that to decide not to communicate is pure foolishness. Putting personal responsibility into action has such powerful effects on your life that there is really no excuse not to. I will continue to use the strategies that work for me and to fine tune areas where I have trouble, fortunately I solve many of my trouble issues by choosing the online option. If my problem is always ‘getting there’ I have taken that element out of the program.
Personal responsibility is not something that you decide to do for the day or for a course, it is a way of life, a habit that you make that affects everything you do and every choice you make. The good part is that because it is an all encompassing life decision it is easy to practice every day a different way to take responsibility for something. Every event that takes place, every action you take, gives you time to review how to approached it. Did you do the best that you could to take part in the action or did you let the action take you? Remember that you will never be able to control everything, but you can always decide to control you.
