Responsibility – Our Ability to Respond
Many people confuse responsibility with duty, obligation, requirements… in short, things you “have to do”. “I have to take my husband to the airport.” “I have to make sure that my kids get a good education.” “I have to make dinner, do the laundry, mow the lawn, fix the car, clean the house…”
The most surefire method I know of to have someone resent something is to lead them to believe they have no choice in the matter. “Who died and left you the boss of me?”
It’s nice to see when others offer a perspective that is similar to ours. We found one that we think is worth reading here:
| Taking Responsibility – There is always a choice – It seems to me that people who fail in life are often the people who don’t take responsibility – there’s always something or someone to blame. For them, the list of things over which they have control is very limited. … |
We choose to define responsibility as “our ability to respond” = response ability. Many of the uncontrollable circumstances and events Michael Miles speaks of are beyond our ability to respond to effectively. But even in these circumstances, we are never left without choice.
That’s why one of the favorite closings we use at the bottom of our messages is…
The shortest path to a happy life is found through conscious choice,
Neill Gibson
