The "3 Rs" are reading, writing,
and arithmetic. The 4th R is responsibility.
Schools are required to teach the
3Rs but who is teaching responsibility? Parents? All of
them are not. The problem is that many parents haven't learned it for themselves,
so how can they teach it to someone else?
Until we assume full responsibility for what happens in our lives, we can't even get to the ramp of the Success Freeway. Nobody else is responsible for where you are stuck today, if you feel that way. You landed there on your own without anyone's help. It's up to you to get out of the rut. You are it. The buck stops right at your desk.
American free enterprise is based on free will, that is, the freedom to choose. As long as you feel victimized by people, circumstances, or something else, you can't realize the great American dream. Get out of the victim's position. As long as you blame others, parents, teachers, neighbors, or the government, you can't be your own boss; someone else will be. "Lack of opportunities," "worthless education," "downward economy"...there are so many excuses.
Everyone has excuses, but very few have ideas about how to succeed. Shun excuses, seek ideas, and think of possibilities. When you stop blaming, you begin to know yourself. By taking personal responsibility, you begin to find out how you fail and how you can make things work the next time. You begin to know where you want to go and how to plan on getting there. Doors to success open up to those who grasp the key of responsibility.
Last, but most important, accepting
responsibility does not equal self-blame. Once you start blaming
yourself, you stop leaning about yourself and the world around you.
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