Do you take personal responsibility? For anything? For at least one single thing?
In your daily life is there one thing you are ready to and then actually do step up and begin to work on to change?
By far the majority of people feel they are only one person so why bother trying to change this or fix that. The majority of people would rather complain or moan and groan about a variety of issues or how others are not taking personal responsibility.
Rather than to actually become involved in changing something, one single thing for the betterment of society and their community. Seriously, consider and reflect on your day, yesterday, today or tomorrow what seemingly small things would make your list of either you or another person not taking personal responsibility?
Need some assistance writing your list?
Here are a couple of examples:
On a recent weekend early morning my wife and I were out taking a fast paced five mile walk. We were on Long Beach Island, N.J. Not to stray too far off the topic, LBI is a beautiful place! If you have not been to the Jersey Shore it is not all about Snooki. New Jersey is not all about refineries and the NJ Turnpike. The NJ Shore is one of nature’s true gifts to our world.
Back to our morning walk. We know enough to walk facing oncoming traffic. It is the safe way to run or walk alongside the road. A car was pulling out of a side road onto the main road. I was able to see the driver only looking left at oncoming traffic. We were fast approaching from the driver’s right side. I placed my hand on my wife’s shoulder and said “let’s stop now they are not looking”.
Right then the driver hit the gas and quickly moved ahead now passing quickly right in front of us. Now the driver noticed us while they were already out on the main road. If we did not stop one of us or both of us would have been seriously injured or worse. Now the question – is this a lack of personal responsibility by the driver? Is it a lack of personal responsibility by one or both parents when they were teaching the driver how to drive? Or how about the driver’s education instructor?
Similar to this example is the ‘right’ to turn ‘right on red’.
Does anyone remember when there was not permission by the traffic laws to turn right on red unless there was a green arrow from a traffic light point right at the intersection?
How many times do you see on a regular basis ‘roll thru right on red’ and ‘roll thru stop sign on red’? How about you… do you drive like this or observe others who do where you live? I have seen cars, trucks, school buses cut into oncoming, green lighted traffic as if it is their ‘right’ to turn ‘right on red’. Not to mention the people who are walking, running, or pushing a baby in a stroller. They are coming from the driver’s right and have the ‘right’ to cross the street.
Are these driver’s not taking personal responsibility?
Is it the lack of personal responsibility by any of the people who taught them how to drive? As a child were they watching as other’s drove the vehicle they were in? Now they are driving the way they saw others drive them. They don’t even recognize anything is wrong.
Okay, what is the answer? One answer might be for the Government to request the auto industry to develop and test and install cameras and software such that if the driver doesn’t look right the vehicle will not move ahead. Does this sound like a solution you would like?
Another solution might be for each and every person to take ‘personal responsibility’. Recognize that by rushing around trying to save ten seconds here or there, they may very well injure or kill someone.
Write up your list now. Do something about one thing on your list.
Mitch Tublin is the CEO and Founder of Wenkroy International LLC a boutique consulting company with a main focus on Strategic Business Consulting, Training and Business Coaching. Our passion is to take people to the next level in their life and in their business. Are you interested in having Mitch speak at your company or event – click here.
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