My son is forgetful.
For example, he has developed a nasty habit of forgetting things at home that he needs at school.
Which in itself, isn’t really an issue… except he has an accomplice making sure this habit stays intact: his mom.
Every time he forgets something, she saves the day.
She brings him whatever it is that he needs – whenever he needs it.
So, he has learned that he has the luxury of being forgetful.
Meaning, he doesn’t have to be responsible.
And what I am noticing is that it’s really screwing him up.
He’s figured out that being irresponsible has no consequence… at least for now.
Soon, he will learn how the world responds to a lack of personal responsibility.
Show your college roommate that you forget to pay your bills on time, and see how long they want to share an apartment with you.
Show your professor you forgot to turn in your final exam, and see how your grade comes out.
Show your boss that you forgot to call back a client… over and over… and guess how long you’ll be at that job.
Here’s the deal.
Being responsible is one of the greatest skills we can develop.
In fact, the more responsible you are, the more power, people and opportunities you have.
When you are known for being responsible, people respond.
They trust you, they want to be around you, they want to do business with you.
But when you aren’t being responsible, people notice that too.
Here’s how you can tell if you are side-stepping being responsible:
- Blaming others – as if you are weak and helpless.
- Blaming the circumstances – like you got stopped in some way and can’t do anything about it.
- Acting entitled – like the world should do it for you.
Look, I am confident that you have a lot of responsibility.
Today, I invite you to look around your life and see where you can tighten things up.
Responsibility = Power.
What I am asking is that you take a deeper look.
Where can you be even more responsible for your words… your actions… your responses?
Author
Matthew Ferry