Responsibility doesn’t come at birth. It is something that is acquired as you age, go to school and progress in life. Your sense of responsibility can come from your family members, friends or from something you see on TV. However, you can hear and see a lot of different things, both good and bad. That is why your sense of responsibility depends solely on you. You choose your own behavior, actions and words.
So, responsibility is a skill. You learn it. However, there are different ways of doing so. You shape your personality with your actions. For example, it is you who chooses to be lazy or to get up early every day, or if you want to save money or spend it recklessly. It is about proving to yourself that you can be, and that you are, in fact, accountable.
In the end, again, all of it comes down to your own conscious decision. Therefore, blaming others for your mistakes is out of the question. With that said, here are a few tips on how you can improve your responsibility.
1. Stop making excuses for yourself
If, and when you make a mistake, own up to it. Instead of transferring the blame to someone or something else, say the true reason why you failed to do something. By coming up with an excuse, you actually admit to being irresponsible. Moreover, it makes you a coward. If you cannot complete a task such as making it in time for a meeting or something similar, do not make the promise in the first place.
You need to think clearly about what you can and cannot do, in order to avoid having to make excuses for yourself. Even better, when you find yourself in this kind of situation, say why you didn’t get that thing done instead of coming up with a pretty little lie.
2. Stop complaining
Complainers are usually the people who talk too much and do nothing. They can be big with words, but when it comes to actually doing something about an issue, they are motionless. Alternatively, you could stop complaining and take responsibility into your own hands. If you do not like how a certain task is being carried out, do it yourself or consult with the person who did it wrong.
By consulting, you offer guidance and a chance to calmly come to a better solution. If you were to complain, those would be just empty, frustrating words coming out of your mouth.
Also, by always nagging about the world around you, you actually fill yourself with negativity. It seems as though you cannot find anything nice to say. By being negative, you are being miserable. Therefore, cutting down on complaining will bring you to a better mind-set, as well as prolonged happiness.[1]
3. Learn how to manage your finances
One of the major responsibilities you will have as an adult is to take care of your money. You will get a job, receive a salary and try to live with it month by month. Perhaps, you will try to put some away on the side, as a precaution; savings are always a good idea. Unfortunately, not everyone learns, or knows how to manage their finances.
Usually, people spend the majority of their salary before the end of the month. Sometimes, they even neglect to pay their bills because they found some other, usually shiny thing to spend the money on. These are examples of what an irresponsible person does.
If you want to be taken seriously, and live a normal life, you will need to learn how to deal with money. You should pay all your bills when you get your salary. Then, buy groceries and make a plan on how you will use the rest. You should also have some money in your savings account or, maybe you could invest part of it. Both of these are better than spending recklessly, which can lead to debt and other problems for you.
4. Overcome procrastination
Successful people are hard-working people. In order to earn and succeed in every aspect of your life, you need to work hard for it. Therefore, you need to be responsible. Without it, you will not make it big. The first step you could make towards the top is to stop procrastinating. Stop wasting precious time.
The hours you spent browsing through the internet, scrolling through social media,[2] or lying around doing nothing, could have been used for better things. For instance, you could have read a book, went for a walk or done a workout. Moreover, you could have finished that project you were far behind on. Anything other than wasting time would be better.
Procrastination will lead you nowhere. You’re responsible for your own future, so learn how to stop procrastinating now and start taking action on what truly matters. To help you with that, join Lifehack’s free Fast-Track Class – No More Procrastination. It’s a focused-session that can help you decode your procrastination behavior and learn the one simple strategy to start taking action and never procrastinate again. Join the free class here.
5. Be consistent and stick to your schedule
Having a routine is good. Routine means order, and this means that you are on the right track. If you are working, try to wake up at the same time every day. Even on the weekends, you could wake up earlier rather than staying in bed until noon. This will give you some consistency.
Plus, getting up early allows you to have more time for whatever things you had to finish that day. Alternatively, you could just relax and enjoy the day off too. If you are a student, then you should make a habit of studying regularly. Or, if you are living abroad, remember to call your friends and family every week.
Additionally, you should make a schedule for your work and personal tasks. If a few things are repetitive during the week, keep them that way. Getting off your schedule could ruin your whole routine and leave you off-balance.
Being responsible means that you are in control of everything you do. You do not let others take the blame, or forget about your friends and family. Also, you should not let laziness overcome your approach to your work. If you are given a task, you can get through it until the end.
This is what responsible people do. More importantly, they accept every responsibility that is thrown at them, whether it is work or life related. They do not leave stuff half-done or play the victim – no. Responsible people stand strong on the ground, with both their feet firmly planted.
