Academic Success

In this paper, I will define what personal responsibility is to me and the role it plays in academic success. In my thesis statement, I state that personal responsibility starts from within. Its takes discipline and a willingness to do what you feel needs to be done. Failure or success in whatever you choose to do or not do in any area of life is based on your actions or inactions.
The definition of personal responsibility varies in different cultures as well as with one person to the next. What it all boils down is doing what one feels is the right thing to do. So what is my definition of personal responsibility? To me, it is being accountable for your actions and all of the decisions you make throughout life. If the results turn out to
be positive or negative, you have to live with them. It is also having that inner voice telling you when something is right or wrong, you listen to it. Whether people realized it or not, they were being taught what personal responsibility is simply from observing actions of family members and friends growing up. By this, I mean watching their parents going to work to provide for them and siblings even when they were exhausted, sick or just didn’t want to. Children depend on them for shelter, food and clothing and it’s the parent’s responsibility to ensure they receive it. What about those people who weren’t born into a family of means or power? I‘m referring to individuals who grew up in poverty, had discipline, were motivated and endured countless other obstacles to beat the odds against them.
Vandeberg (2012) said “Both your successes and your failures are entirely in your hands”. It doesn’t get any clearer than that, but some may make the argument of being religious playing a significant role in their successes or failures. They often rely on prayer and faith to get them through the tough times. Vandeberg (2012) also stated that “Some spiritually or religiously minded folks might argue that God, or Goddess, or the Universe is responsible for their success. This isn’t completely correct. Now, I’m not saying that faith and gratitude aren’t important to your continued success, but at the same time, the Divine doesn’t look down on humanity like a Roman emperor and give some folks a “thumbs-up” and others a “thumbs-down”. Regardless of our degree of faith and gratitude, if we don’t actively seek out success, if we don’t take some positive action, and we just sit back and do nothing while praying to God, Goddess, the Universe, or whoever, then we will accomplish nothing and we will fail. And, is that failure anyone’s fault, but our own? How many successful people of faith would place the blame for another’s failure on Deity? Coming from a different prospective is, Brunkhorst (2005) who said “Personal responsibility begins on the inside and moves outward. We must begin to take responsibility for our thoughts, choices and actions. Then we will be responsible for the circumstances we create in our world. I couldn’t agree more with his comments. Whatever the choices may be, one must be willing to accept the consequences of them and not place blame on anyone else. When it comes to the learning process, Betts (2012) makes excellent points by saying “Responsibility is a central element of self-regulation and knowing one is accountable influences one's self-regulation; thus, a measure of personal responsibility in learning should predict level of intentions to perform learning behaviors.”
There are many examples of someone taking personal responsibility and someone who doesn’t.
For instance, let’s look at domestic violence when it happens to a woman. I have heard and read where the men said that the women made them act aggressive towards them; in order words, they said she made me hit her. No one can make you do anything you do not want to do. You are in control of you actions and not point the finger and place the blame elsewhere. Now for someone taking personal responsibility, let’s take teenage pregnancy for this example. Even if the man is too immature and may not be ready to take care of a baby, he steps up and takes responsibility for the welfare of that child. So, how does personal responsibility correlate with academic success? Simply put, if you do not exercise personal responsibility when taking college courses, you will fail. One must put in the time and effort to be successful in college and that take dedication. Success also rides on having a positive upbeat attitude. If you believe in yourself, the sky is the limit of what can be accomplished. This also means that you should surround yourself with other positive and like-minded people that can support you when you need it. There will undoubtedly be many distractions while on this journey of furthering your education. One must put in the time, effort and be dedicated to be successful in college. You must create realistic plan in order to remind yourself of the goals you have set, maintain focus and keep you on track to accomplish them. Some older college students may have families and work full time so they have to be able to budget that into their daily routine. This plan may include dedicating two or more hours a day concentrating on course work and free from distractions. The stresses of work, family and college can take a toll on you. Having a hobby or engaging in other leisure activities allows you take your mind off the pressures of everyday life. In conclusion,
personal responsibility has to be owned and never make any excuses for not taking it on. We cannot expect anyone to take it on for us or make excuses for our behavior.