People that prioritize responsibility as a core value are held in high regard. Employers, fellow employees, spouses, teachers, and students that are responsible are trusted, respected, and more likely to succeed. History records numerous examples of responsible heroes, leaders, and quotes regarding responsibility.
A straightforward example of taking responsibility is Harry Truman, the 33rd President of the United States. He was famous for having a desk sign stating, The Buck Stops Here. Photos show President Truman pointing to the saying and smiling, but taking responsibility, especially in difficult situations requires courage. In most cases, taking responsibility is guaranteed to disappoint someone or some group. The harsh critics of those who make tough decisions ironically are rarely in leadership positions. When offensive critics are leaders, failure to take responsibility for their decisions is common.
A more academic explanation in psychological terms for taking responsibility is a concept called locus of control (LOC) and is divided into two categories, external and internal. A dysfunctional external LOC is where people attribute success to luck or fate. Everyday examples include: playing the lotto as opposed to investing in oneself, talking to inanimate objects like it's the car's fault it ran out of gas, getting mad at the teacher for assigning that 15 page paper. Grouping all these examples together, an individual with a dysfunctional external LOC concludes, "Nothing good ever happens to me!"
A healthy external LOC is realistically accepting the things that can't be changed and not looking back. Physical stature, eye color, birth parents, childhood family circumstances, a tragic accident delaying attending college, among a host of other things are unfortunate. But whatever is out of a person's control must be accepted in order to move forward and be free of inducing a self-pity party.
Having an internal LOC success is attributed to one's own efforts and abilities. Failure is part of a bigger picture that leads to success. An internal LOC also has dysfunctional and healthy perspectives. A dysfunctional internal LOC is believing, "You can do anything if you put your mind to it!" Sounds nice, but not true!
At 5'7'' despite the most valiant efforts and even amazing athletic ability, playing center in the NBA is not an option. As seen on many TV dramas, "I promise I'll rescue your kidnapped child and bring him back safe!" In actual situations, that is at best bogus, but actually quite cruel to the family involved. Life is harsh at times with no guarantees.
A healthy internal LOC is taking responsibility. A realistic, yet filled with possibilities mentality is adapting and responding to circumstances as opposed to reacting. Psychological research has found that people inclined to a healthy internal LOC achieve more, get better-paying jobs, and have a more positive outlook. Sounds like an internal LOC is the way to go, but not so fast.
As mentioned before, there is a healthy external LOC so properly applied both categories have appropriate applications. Rather than attempting a balancing act, a better approach is to manage the tension between the two taking every circumstance individually and using wisdom and discernment. An either/or binary solution usually ends up distorting efforts and hindering the success that might be attained.
Extreme positions of always relying on luck or taking total control may work occasionally, but fall short and rob a person of fulfillment. The tension between internal and external LOC has been lightheartedly expressed in various forms by a number of famous people basically stating, "The harder I work, the luckier I get."
However, a person chooses to approach the concept of LOC, the long-term plan for success involves knowing the things to leave behind or turn away from and leaning into those that require multiple responses and refinements of process in order to gain the victory. A one-word explanation of this is persistence. A plaque sits on my desk with the quote, "The race goes not always to the swift... but to those who keep on running."
An edited version of President Truman's saying sums up this information, "The buck of responsibility stops here with me!"
Speaker Dr. Dan Mularski guides students to be smart about higher education and live a life that matters. Get your FREE Ultimate Guide to Being Smart About Higher Education along with valuable tips from the Wisdom for the Week video-blog at http://www.DanMularski.com
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