Personal Responsibility

It is said that we as Americans are born free. Americans are taught from the time we are a child that the world is ours to do with it as we want. We can be whatever we want to be, no one can stop us. Children are told that they can be a professionally athlete, a fire fighter, a teacher, and they could even become the President of the United States. Children are taught if we set our goals, if we work hard we can and will achieve our goals. What happens as we get older, how do we lose track of our goals? Why do some people never become what he or she wanted to be as a child? I believe the answer to these questions is easier than most people think and that answer would be personal responsibility. Personal responsibility is the building block of a person’s character and will define a person as he or she gets older. From an early age we children are sent mixed signals, be what you want but if you do not make it you can always blame someone else. Society has accepted that it is never their fault when something does not get done. It starts as early in life as a toddler. Children place the blame anybody and or everything for why his or her room is not clean, for why his or her toys are left out. They never find fault whenever something is missing, it is always someone else’s fault for why they cannot find it. Unfortunately, it does not get any better as they grow up, either. The excuse “the dog ate my homework” has been used for years as a reason for children not completing their assignments on time for school. Even the daily workforce has a million excuses for why projects are not completed on time, but rarely does anyone every say “it is my fault” for not getting it done.
While doing some research on my paper about personal responsibility I came across a webpage from the Brookings institution written by Ron Haskins. Mr. Haskins is the Co-Director at the Center on Children and Families at the Brookings Institution, he is an established

Bibliography: Haskins, R. (2009). The sequence of personal responsibility. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2009/07/09-responsibility-haskins Article explains how youth or young adults should set clear goal such as completing their education, start a career, get married and only then start their families. By following that simple outline every goal will become attainable. Tiboris, M. G. (2012). Youth and diminished responsibility. University of California, San Diego). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 278. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1013618381?accountid=35812. (1013618381). The dissertation argues that today’s youth are often exempt from actions. The government has designed society to believe they cannot be held accountable for their actions. However the author argues that this is bogus, children are morally responsible for their actions and should be held accountable. Petty, A. (2010). Personal Responsibility and Success: Quit Shooting Yourself in the Foot!. Retrieved from http://artpetty.com/2010/02/19/personal-responsibility-and-success-quit-shooting-yourself-in-the-foot/ This page is in a series of leadership, management and professional development produced for management excellence. It states that greatness doesn’t just happen, that it is a series of conscious choices.