Omeone: A Short Story

Though everyone dreams of riding off into the sunset in a convertible and throwing caution in the wind, you can only be James Dean for so long. The truth is that behaving responsibly adds meaning to our lives and allows us to develop character, forge meaningful relationships, and get ahead in the work world. Remember that pet turtle who died because you forgot to feed him? Let's not let that happen again. If you want to learn how to be responsible, just follow along.

omeone is hesitant to give you additional responsibility, it's probably because you've been nonchalant with the responsibilities you already have. You might think, "But the responsibilities I have now are so petty/boring/stupid/etc., and if I'm given more of a challenge, I will take it more seriously," but that's a characteristic of irresponsible people; they do things as long as they're challenging, fun, and new, and when that fades, they lose interest.
Stop making excuses.
In any situation, there are always some factors we can't control. Irresponsible people tend to shift the blame onto those factors, and vocalize them as excuses. Anytime you make an excuse, it's like saying "I am not responsible for this because..." and what you're really saying is "I am not responsible." Pay attention to how you think and talk: do you find yourself making excuses? Excuses come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common is "I would/would've, but..."
The next time you catch yourself in the middle of an excuse, change your words. Instead, admit why you really didn't get that thing done. Were you too lazy, too tired, or just feeling like doing something more fun? It's okay to admit it. In fact, it's best to admit your real reasons for nothing doing something before you move
on.

Admit your mistakes. Making the most of a mistake is a double-whammy of responsibility. Not only does this transform time that was otherwise wasted into a valuable, course-altering experience, but it keeps you from wasting future time by ensuring that you don’t repeat yourself. If you never fess up to something you did wrong, then how can you learn from it? One of the key parts of accepting responsibility is being able to say, "I really messed up here. I won't do it again."
The next time you find yourself in a similar situation, remind yourself about what you did wrong the last time, and make sure you don't go down that path again.

Stop blaming other people from your problems. Another way to accept responsibility is to stop putting the blame on everyone around you. Keep telling yourself that you failed your math test because you didn't study, not because your teacher hates you; you cheated on your boyfriend because you chose to do so, not because he wasn't giving you enough attention; you were late to work because you didn't get out of the house early enough, not because of the horrible traffic. Blaming other people instead of yourself will not only make you vindictive, but it will make you powerless to change your life for the better.
Sure, life isn't fair, and unfortunately, some people have it rougher than others. You can blame your parents for not loving you enough and leading you down a dark path to an extent, but you won't be able to change the course of your life until you own up to your actions and try to change them.