Thought for the Day – T. Roosevelt on Responsibility

By Leary Gates
If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.”- Theodore Roosevelt

A man I once worked with had a sign on his door. “I am not responsible!” it declared to visitors. It was irony from a guy who was responsible for fixing software problems. What he proclaimed in jest, many of us proclaim in earnest. It seems far easier to play the victim—mining our troubles to elicit sympathy— than to accept personal responsibility. It’s easier to say, “If you hadn’t…” than “I’m blew it.” Or, “If they would only…” than “I learned I need to…” Or, “You deserve it.” rather than “I hurt you. Please forgive me.” With so many role models for victimhood, the world is aching to see us politely kick ourselves in the pants.

Your thoughts? Is there something you need to take responsibility for today?

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Published on February 10, 2010 | This entry was posted in Thought for the Day and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

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