You are completely responsible for everything you are and for everything you become and achieve.
You become what you think about most of the time. And only you can decide what you think and how you think about it. Therefore, only you are responsible for what happens in your life. From the age of eighteen onward, sometimes earlier, you make your own choices and decisions. You are then responsible for the results of those choices and decisions
You are where you are and what you are because of yourself. No one else. You are doing the work you have chosen to do and earning the amount you have chosen to earn. You are always free to choose, but once you have chosen, or failed to choose, you must accept the consequences of your choices.
The concept of individual responsibility is a major issue in life and society, perhaps the most important issue of all. There are basically two schools of thought on this issue. On the one side, there are those who believe that no one is really responsible for anything. They believe that the government or society or business is to blame for anything unfortunate that happens to anyone, anywhere.
The other school of thought says that in a society of individual freedom, individual responsibility is absolute. It is essential and unavoidable. This group says that people are responsible for the consequences of their behaviors. Individuals are responsible for the things they do and for the things that they neglect to do.
The fact about responsibility is that, to be free and happy, it is not optional. It is mandatory. Greater progress in your life is only possible to the degree to which you accept a higher level of responsibility in that area. No one else can or will do it for you.
The interesting thing about responsibility is that the more of it you accept, and the more you look to yourself, the more that other people will want to help you. But the less responsibility you accept, the more you blame others, the smaller will be the number of people will want to have anything to do with you.
The first corollary of the Law of Responsibility says: “You are always free to choose what you think and what you do.”
Wherever you are or whatever you are doing, it is largely a result of your own choices. Therefore, you are where you are and what you are because of your own conduct and your own behavior. Like it or not, you have chosen to be there.
Because you have freedom of choice and you can do and say what you want, you can never evade responsibility for the things that you do or fail to do, for the things you say or fail to say.
The second corollary of this law says,“Responsibility begins with your taking full and complete control over the content of your conscious mind.”
It is what you think and how you think about it that determines your reality. And since only you can control what you think, the very act of taking control of your thoughts and keeping them on what you want, and away from the things you don’t want, is the beginning of self-mastery, self-control and personal power.
The third corollary of the Law of Responsibility says: “No one is coming to the rescue.”
If it is to be, it is up to you. If you want things to get better in your life, you must get better. If you want things to change, you must change. If you want things to improve, you must first improve yourself.
The most wonderful reward you receive from accepting complete responsibility is the tremendous sense of control and freedom you experience as a result. The acceptance of complete responsibility makes you feel positive and happy about yourself. It frees you completely from the Law of Accident. It puts you on to the high road to great achievement. It enables you to put your foot on the accelerator of your own potential and move more rapidly toward the accomplishment of more of the things that are important to you.
How to apply this law immediately:
1. Take responsibility for your work, for every aspect of your job. The top people in every industry act as if they own the place. They see themselves as self-employed, no matter who sign their paychecks. And they are always the most appreciated and respected people in the company.
Never make excuses or blame anyone else for anything. Never say or even think, “That’s not my job!” This is the way people who have no future think and talk. This is not for you. You are responsible.
2. Volunteer for assignments, for additional work. Be the first person to raise your hand at a meeting when something needs to be done. Take initiative. Be proactive. Go to your boss and tell him or her that you want more responsibility. And keep asking for it, again and again.
When you get an assignment, or you volunteer for something that needs to be done, do it quickly and well. Develop a sense of urgency. Treat every opportunity to perform as though it were a fumble in a football game and you have a chance to score the winning touchdown. Grab it and run with it.
Excerpt from the book- 100 Absolute Unbreakable Laws of Business Success by Brian Tracy
You can get a free PDF book here
