MarPar
Meat Man with a Hat
Sent to me...
Do you know what it is — the very best reason, by far, bar none, to accept personal responsibility for the decisions and actions you make in your life?
Well, I’ll come to that in a minute. First, some context — and it’s not good news.
Today, we live in a culture of ever-increasing laziness, irresponsibility, and blame. I see it everywhere — it’s hard to ignore. A large body of people have “entitlement mentality”, believing the world owes them a job, a living, a good wage, and a place to live. And if they aren’t handed these on a silver platter — with little or no effort on their part — they will happily live off the fruits and labors of others — and feel they deserve such handouts.
Worst of all, our government has been encouraging it for decades, making such a lifestyle attractive with entitlement programs that anyone with low initiative can cash in on. Adults who embrace this lifestyle are short-changing themselves, setting a horrible example for young people, and choosing a quality of life with a low ceiling.
Sadly, this movement is growing, and it is slowly destroying what America was built on: the grit and determination of ambitious people who came here to work hard, be free, and control their own destiny.
And yes, it’s infecting young people too, not just adults. A few years back, I wrote about a Valencia College professor who asked his 3 classes of 180 sophomores to write a 10-min. essay on what the American Dream means to them and what they feel the government should do to help them achieve it. 10% said: leave me alone. 80% said: pay my tuition, give me the down payment on a house, give me a job, give me free health care, and tax the wealthy so I can have a better life.
My assessment of that 80%? Bunch of sniveling, lazy, whiny, sluggish, gimme-gimme-gimme little crybabies.
But wait… there is good news. You don’t have to settle for this ‘low bar’ lifestyle. No one does. You can have bigger and better.
In fact, there’s plenty for everyone. Because America is the land of abundance and opportunity. The evidence is all around us. It always has been.
But there’s a catch: it will require being personally responsible.
Those who choose a high-achieving life of ‘personal responsibility’ live by a different code than the entitlement crowd. They take control of their circumstances, create their own opportunities, meticulously manage their time, live by the sweat of their own brow, fight off adversity, pick themselves up from defeat, understand that success comes from diligent and continuous hard work (not luck), and they don’t blame events or other people for their misfortunes.
They own it! And they enjoy a high quality of life others only dream about, but may never attain. This can be you. This can be anybody.
And anyone who achieves such success through hard work and honest means need never feel guilty about it, nor apologize for it. Putting food on your plate is not taking it off someone else’s. There’s plenty for all.
And now back to the beginning…
What’s the #1 best reason for accepting personal responsibility for your decisions, your choices, your actions, your life?
It’s simply this: Whatever is going wrong in your life, whatever you don’t like about yourself or your circumstances… no matter how troubling… if you accept personal responsibility for it… along with that acceptance comes the power and control to change it to what you DO want.
But, if you will NOT accept responsibility… if instead you blame other people or events for your problems and dire circumstances… then you forfeit the power to fix, change, or improve it… because you’ve relinquished control to an external person, situation, or event. And unless THEY change (fat chance!)… you’re done. You’re sunk. You’re toast. Game over.
Actions For You:
My choice? I want the control, power, and clout to fix! Therefore, without blinking, hesitation, or doubt, I choose personal responsibility. And I eagerly make that choice brand-new every morning when I wake up.
You also get to choose. So right now, this minute, what’ll it be for you? Tomorrow morning, what’ll it be for you? And the next day? And the day after that? And every day for the rest of your life?
Do you know what it is — the very best reason, by far, bar none, to accept personal responsibility for the decisions and actions you make in your life?
Well, I’ll come to that in a minute. First, some context — and it’s not good news.
Today, we live in a culture of ever-increasing laziness, irresponsibility, and blame. I see it everywhere — it’s hard to ignore. A large body of people have “entitlement mentality”, believing the world owes them a job, a living, a good wage, and a place to live. And if they aren’t handed these on a silver platter — with little or no effort on their part — they will happily live off the fruits and labors of others — and feel they deserve such handouts.
Worst of all, our government has been encouraging it for decades, making such a lifestyle attractive with entitlement programs that anyone with low initiative can cash in on. Adults who embrace this lifestyle are short-changing themselves, setting a horrible example for young people, and choosing a quality of life with a low ceiling.
Sadly, this movement is growing, and it is slowly destroying what America was built on: the grit and determination of ambitious people who came here to work hard, be free, and control their own destiny.
And yes, it’s infecting young people too, not just adults. A few years back, I wrote about a Valencia College professor who asked his 3 classes of 180 sophomores to write a 10-min. essay on what the American Dream means to them and what they feel the government should do to help them achieve it. 10% said: leave me alone. 80% said: pay my tuition, give me the down payment on a house, give me a job, give me free health care, and tax the wealthy so I can have a better life.
My assessment of that 80%? Bunch of sniveling, lazy, whiny, sluggish, gimme-gimme-gimme little crybabies.
But wait… there is good news. You don’t have to settle for this ‘low bar’ lifestyle. No one does. You can have bigger and better.
In fact, there’s plenty for everyone. Because America is the land of abundance and opportunity. The evidence is all around us. It always has been.
But there’s a catch: it will require being personally responsible.
Those who choose a high-achieving life of ‘personal responsibility’ live by a different code than the entitlement crowd. They take control of their circumstances, create their own opportunities, meticulously manage their time, live by the sweat of their own brow, fight off adversity, pick themselves up from defeat, understand that success comes from diligent and continuous hard work (not luck), and they don’t blame events or other people for their misfortunes.
They own it! And they enjoy a high quality of life others only dream about, but may never attain. This can be you. This can be anybody.
And anyone who achieves such success through hard work and honest means need never feel guilty about it, nor apologize for it. Putting food on your plate is not taking it off someone else’s. There’s plenty for all.
And now back to the beginning…
What’s the #1 best reason for accepting personal responsibility for your decisions, your choices, your actions, your life?
It’s simply this: Whatever is going wrong in your life, whatever you don’t like about yourself or your circumstances… no matter how troubling… if you accept personal responsibility for it… along with that acceptance comes the power and control to change it to what you DO want.
But, if you will NOT accept responsibility… if instead you blame other people or events for your problems and dire circumstances… then you forfeit the power to fix, change, or improve it… because you’ve relinquished control to an external person, situation, or event. And unless THEY change (fat chance!)… you’re done. You’re sunk. You’re toast. Game over.
Actions For You:
My choice? I want the control, power, and clout to fix! Therefore, without blinking, hesitation, or doubt, I choose personal responsibility. And I eagerly make that choice brand-new every morning when I wake up.
You also get to choose. So right now, this minute, what’ll it be for you? Tomorrow morning, what’ll it be for you? And the next day? And the day after that? And every day for the rest of your life?
