THE POWER OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

 

                               ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY, 

                                     SUCCESS IS POSSIBLE

                    YOUR ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO ACCEPT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LIFE ARE ESSENTIAL TO HAPPINESS, HEALTH, SUCCESS, ACHIEVEMENT, AND PERSONAL LEADERSHIP. ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY IS ONE OF THE HARDEST OF ALL DISCIPLINE, BUT WITHOUT IT, NO SUCCESS IS POSSIBLE.

                    THE FAILURE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND THE ATTEMPTS TO FOIST RESPONSIBILITY FOR THINGS IN YOUR LIFE THAT MAKES YOU UNHAPPY ONTO OTHER PEOPLE, INSTITUTIONS, AND SITUATIONS COMPLETELY DISTORT CAUSE AND EFFECT, UNDERMINE YOUR CHARACTER, WEAKEN, YOUR RESOLVE, AND DIMINISH YOUR HUMANITY. THEY LEAD TO MAKING ENDLESS EXCUSES.

                              MY GREAT REVELATION

                        WHEN I WAS TWENTY-ONE, I WAS LIVING IN A TINY APARTMENT AND WORKING AS A CONSTRUCTION LABORER. I HAD TO GET UP AT 5.00 SO THAT I COULD TAKE THREE BUSES TO WORK IN ORDER TO BE THERE BY 8.00 A.M I DIDN'T GET HOME UNTIL 7.00 P.M, TIRED OUT FROM CARRYING CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ALL DAY. I WAS MAKING JUST ENOUGH MONEY TO GET BY, AND I HAD NO CAR, ALMOST NO SAVINGS, AND JUST ENOUGH CLOTHES FOR MY NEEDS. I HAD NO RADIO OR TELEVISION.

                   IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF A COLD WINTER, WITH THE TEMPERATURE AT MINUS 35 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, SO I SELDOM WENT OUT IN MY SMALL APARTMENT AT MY LITTEL TABLE IN MY KITCHEN NOOK AND READ.

               ONE EVENING, LATE AT NIGHT, I WAS SITTING THERE BY MYSELF AT THE TABLE, IT SUDDENLY DAWNED ON ME THAT "THIS IS MY LIFE". THIS LIFE WAS NOT A REHEARSAL FOR SOMETHING ELSE. THE GAME WAS ON, AND I WAS THE MAIN CHARACTER, AS IN A PLAY.

                 IT WAS LIKE A FLASHBULB GOING OFF IN MY FACE. I LOOKED AT MYSELF AND AROUND ME AT MY SMALL APARTMENT, AND I CONSIDERED THE FACT THAT I HAD NOT GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. THE ONLY WORK THAT I WAS QUALIFIED TO DO WAS MANUAL LABOR. I EARNED JUST ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY MY BASIC EXPENSES, AND I HAD VERY LITTLE LEFT OVER AT THE END OF EACH MONTH.

                     I SUDDENLY KNEW THAT UNLESS I CHANGED, NOTHING ELSE WAS GOING TO CHANGE. NO ONE ELSE WAS GOING TO DO IT FOR ME. IN REALITY, NO ONE ELSE CARED. I REALIZED AT THAT MOMENT THAT, FROM THAT DAY FORWARD I WAS COMPLETLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MY LIFE AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO ME. I WAS RESPONSIBLE. I COULD NO LONGER BLAME MY SITUATION ON MY DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD OR MISTAKES I HAD MADE IN THE PAST. I WAS IN CHARGE. I WAS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THIS WAS MY LIFE, AND IF I DIDN'T DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE IT, IT WOULD GO ON LIKE THIS INDEFINITELY, BY THE SIMPLE FORCE OF INTERIA.

                     THIS REVELATION CHANGED MY LIFE. I WAS NEVER THE SAME AGAIN. FROM THAT MOMENT ON, I ACCEPTED MORE AND MORE RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE. I ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR DOING MY JOB BETTER THAN BEFORE RATHER THAN DOING ONLY THE MINIMUM THAT WAS NECESSARY TO AVOID GETTING FIRED. I ACCEPTED RESPONBILITY FOR MY FINANCES, MY HEALTH, AND, ESPECIALLY MY FUTURE.

                     THE VERY NEXT DAY, I WENT DOWN TO A LOCAL BOOKSTORE AT MY LUNCH BREAK AND BEGAN THE LIFELONG PRACTICE OF BUYING BOOKS WITH INFORMATION, IDEAS, AND LESSONS THAT COULD HELP ME. I DEDICATED MY LIFE TO SELF-IMPROVEMENT, TO CONTINUOUS LEARNING IN EVERY WAS POSSIBLE.

                 FOR THE REST OF MY BUSINESS LIFE, RIGHT UP TO THE PRESENT MOMENT, WHENEVER I'VE WANTED OR NEEDED TO LEARN SOMETHING TO HELP ME, I HAVE RETURNED TO LEARNING, TO READING, TO LISTENING TO AUDIO PROGRAMS AND ATTENDING COURSES AND SEMINARS. I FOUND THAT YOU COULD LEARN ANYTHING YOU NEED TO LEARN IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH ANY GOAL YOU SET FOR YOURSELF.

                   OVER TIME, I LEARNED THAT FULLY 80 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION NEVER ACCEPTS COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR LIVES. THEY CONTINUALLY COMPLAIN, CRITICIZE, MAKE EXCUSES, AND BLAME OTHER PEOPLE FOR THINGS IN THEIR LIVES ABOUT WHICH THEY ARE NOT HAPPY . THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS WAY OF THINKING, HOWEVER, CAN BE DISASTROUS. THEY CAN SABOTAGE ALL HOPES FOR SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS LATER IN LIFE.

                    1. MAKE A DECISION TODAY TO TAKE COMPLETE CONTROL OF YOUR FINANCIAL LIFE, GET OUT OF DEBT, AND ACHIEVE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE. 

                    2. DETERMINE YOUR NET WORTH TODAY. ADD UP ALL YOUR ASSETS, SUBTRACT ALL YOUR DEBTS AND LIABILITIES, AND CALCULATE THE EXACT NUMBER.

                    3. SET UP A SEPERATE BANK ACCOUNT AND BEGIN SAVING AT LEAST 1 PERCENT OF YOUR INCOME AS YOU RECEIVE IT EVERY MONTH OR PAYCHECK.

                   4. MAKE A LIST OF ALL YOUR DEBTS AND BEGIN PAYING THEM OFF, STARTING WITH THOSE CARRYING THE HIGHEST INTEREST RATES.

                   5. CALCULATE THE EXACT AMOUNT THAT YOU WILL NEED TO BE FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT AT THE END OF YOUR CAREER AND THEN SET THIS AS A GOAL.

                  6. SET SPECIFIC FINANCIAL ACCUMULATION GOALS FOR YOURSELF FOR EACH MONTH, QUARTER, AND YEAR FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

                  7. PRACTICE FRUGALITY IN SPENDING BY PUTTING OFF AND DELAYING EVERY EXPENDITURE YOU POSSIBLY CAN INTIL YOU ACHIEVE YOUR LONG-TERM GOALS.