Fondest Dreams

Accepting Indirect Responsibility

For Other People/Things

With respect to indirect responsibility – like looking out for those around you or within your school/community – taking responsibility here can involve many different things.

For example, you can pick up trash around your neighborhood, assist a teacher who needs an additional hand or you can report to authority figures the license plate number of the car that always speeds through the neighborhood. You can help an elderly neighbor or participate in a community group that is trying to improve your city. You can make an effort to become a friend to someone who doesn’t seem to have many friends. There are dozens of needs right around you…it’s up to you (choices remember) which one(s) you would like to help improve or make better.

When you take accepting responsibility to this indirect level, reaching beyond your own personal responsibilities, you become aware of those in need. You also develop a better understanding of the needs of your school and community and you become a more mature citizen. You gain self-respect as well as the respect of others from having personal and indirect responsibility. And, as an added bonus, your actions may encourage others to start being more responsible as well.

“This is the final test of a person; their respect for those who can be of no possible service to them.”

The Rewards of Accepting Responsibility

As mentioned above, there are a number of rewards for accepting responsibility, ones that will pay dividends for you in the future. Let’s recap those:

Gaining Self-Respect…The first reward for accepting responsibility is gaining self-respect. You’ll develop a good feeling about yourself as you, week in and week out, take care of all the things that you’re responsible for doing.

Gaining the Respect of Others…As you follow your list and take care of the activities you’ve placed on it, other people will take notice. Your parents, your brothers and sisters, your friends and classmates, even some people you don’t know will take note of the fact that you are taking care of business.

You Will Get More Done…By working your list and keeping it up-to-date, you’ll get more done every week and every month.  It’s easy to waste time, but not quite as easy if you have your responsibility list in your pocket or purse.

Gain the Power to Change…Accepting responsibility will give you the power to make positive changes with your life. You can identify things that you want or need to do and place them on your list. Identifying needed better behavior items and placing them on your list will help you accomplish specific changes that you want to make in your life.

With accepting responsibility, there are always choices and they’re almost always YOUR choices to make. Good choices generally bring about good lives, and poor choices bring about the opposite. Owning and accepting responsibility for your own actions will ultimately determine the type of person you turn out to be.