My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life,
but doing the best at this moment puts you in t
he best place for the next moment.
Be Boring
We have been spending a little time on the building blocks of good relationships. The first element was introduced in the last post, BE BORING . Be who you are all the time. Be authentic.
The second building block is TAKING RESPONSIBILITY. This block has two important aspects to it.
TEAM RESPONSIBILITY
As an adult, you live in a society where people often shirk their duties and responsibilities. This means that much more often, others need to step up and take ownership. You need to take ownership of your responsibilities to your team, as well as for the outcomes produced by that team. And, you need to take ownership of your full potential. What teams am I talking about? I am talking about all the teams that you belong to: your home, your marriage, your work team, your clubs, your church, etc.
It is often said that many more people are afraid of success than they are of failure. Are you?
Every person leads in some aspect of their lives, even if they only lead themselves. You will often be faced with situations at work, at home, at church, at club meeting, when you need to stand up for something.
Take responsibility for yourself, your life, the things happening around you (to the extent that you can) and be ready to help move the process forward. Do it alone if you must. Because that, my friend, is what responsible adults do. You see problems or issues, and you try to fix them. Or you offer suggestions about how things might be different, or improved.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
The second aspect of taking responsibility can be summed up with a simple phrase:
“When you screw up, own up!”
Every idea that you present, every task that you are given, every venture that you set your minds to will not be successful. Accept that! If you make a mess of things, or can’t figure out the next step, ask for help.
Here are six steps to get through it.
Nothing in this life will ever be solved or resolved by figuring out who is really to blame. So stop blaming.
If necessary, take the hit for the team, for your marriage, whatever.
Back your ego down a notch or two, it really is not all about you.
Take a really deep breath (and cry if you need to).
Figure out how to go forward and…
And, here’s the really hard part: DO IT!
Caution:
Don’t get stuck at the licking your wounds and self-recrimination part. This serves no one in the long run; least of all you! So pull up those big girl and big boy panties, and take a breath, and make the next step.
So far, we have two building blocks in place for the development of good relationships:
- Be predictable. Be authentic.
- Be responsible: For the team, and for your own actions.
What would you add?
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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/herbrm/5321602808/sizes/z/in/photostream/
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