There are many ways to live life. The route that people choose to take can have consequences – both for themselves and other people in their lives and work.
Some people choose to take responsibility. They have a positive attitude and build on what they can control. They then choose to do their best even in challenging circumstances.
Some people choose not to take responsibility. They have a negative attitude and focus on what they can’t control. They choose not to do their best and blame this on certain circumstances.
Different people make these choices in different situations. Let’s explore how they may follow these approaches.
Some People Follow The
Taking Responsibility Approach
Some people choose to take responsibility. Bearing in mind what they can control, they choose to have a positive attitude, take positive actions and do their best to produce positive achievements.
Some individuals learn this approach from their parents or other positive models. Some learn it from personal experiences. Some follow it because they believe in following a certain philosophy. They say to themselves:
“I have a choice in this situation. I can either choose: a) to take responsibility and do my best; b) to not take responsibility and not do my best.
“The choice that I make will have consequences. What set of consequences do I want? Bearing these in mind, how can I do my best in this situation?
Different people make different decisions in situations. You will, of course, have your own approach to making such decisions.
Some people clarify: a) the real results they want to achieve; b) the possible options going forwards; c) the pluses and minuses of each option. They then follow their chosen way forwards.
Some people focus on the principles they want to follow in a situation. They then clarify the specific things they can do to translate these into principles into action and get positive results.
Some people simply choose to take responsibility. Bearing in mind what they can control, they aim: a) to clarify the Dos and Don’ts they want to follow in the situation; b) to translate these into action.
Different people follow this latter approach in different ways. Some may do this by tackling the following exercise.
Some people take responsibility because they want to follow their personal philosophy. They also want to follow certain principles in their lives or work.
Such people gain strength from taking this approach and would find it difficult if they did not take responsibility. Let’s look at another route that some people may take.
Some People Follow The
Blaming Circumstances Approach
Some people choose not to take responsibility in certain situations. They may blame other people, blame circumstances or blame what is happening in the world. Different people may do this for different reasons.
Some may grow up in situations where they learn it is okay be irresponsible and satisfy their own needs. Some may not have models who taught them how to manage adversity in a positive way.
Some may get more sympathy from people by talking about their problems rather than by finding solutions. Some may find procrastination to be more attractive than taking action.
Some may fall into a negative addiction and go for short term fixes. Some may spend their lives finding new excuses to justify their behaviour and approach to life.
There are many ways to live life. Some people choose to take responsibility. They have a positive attitude, translate this into action and do their best to achieve positive results.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of this approach? How can you do this in your own way?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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