Understanding the Meaning of Personal Responsibility - Essay Example

? Personal Responsibility in college life What Personal Responsibility means Though we must all recognize the equal objective importance of the success of a human life, one personal has the special and final responsibility for that success - the person whose like it is – Ronald Dworkin These words of philosopher and scholar Dworkin truly speak about the critical importance of understanding and taking the personal responsibility to assure the success in different facet of life (Brown, 2009). One could not attain success in life until he learns to take the personal responsibility. After this realization he is able to organize his matters properly and set the direction of his life according to his own will to meet his set objectives (Susan et al, 2009). Personal responsibility refers to the sense of realizing, recognizing, accepting and fulfilling the responsibilities for one's individual acts, thoughts, behaviours and responses. Personal responsibility is to comply with the obligations and personal duties that are expected from a person while living in a particular society and environment. When an individual has the sense of understanding his responsibilities and duties he can set the directions for his actions because he becomes aware of the potential consequences and effects of his acts upon his personality as well as the people and surrounding environment. When people gain complete understanding and awareness of their responsibilities and obligations they are able to make the right and informed decisions and choices about their life. They could follow the ideas and plans for their personal improvement because they know their boundaries and potential. It makes people realize their importance and role behind the completion and success of certain tasks and, thus, also motivates them to play their part and make positive contributions towards the fulfilment for certain jobs (Brown, 2009). For me, personal responsibility means a lot because it is all due to personal responsibilities realization that I have gained something in my life as a student and as a member of the society. It is something that keeps me aware about the commitments with myself and the society and also motivates to seek the better ways for the attainment of my goals, career plans and social obligations. During the initial years of my life, I was directed by my parents to differentiate between right and wrong. However, as I grow my sense of taking personal responsibility also grew and gradually I turned into a responsible member of the family, educational institution and the society. I believe that all the successes of an individual are mainly contributed by his sense of recognizing and complying with the personal responsibilities. Hence, what I am today is mainly due to my behaviours, my words, my actions and my thoughts and it would never be possible for me to keep all these elements in single and right direction without giving awareness about my personal responsibilities. It implies that personal responsibility encourages people to build their personalities, career, social status and family life. Personal responsibility guides people during each phase of the life to make sensible and constructive decisions (Susan et al, 2009). Relationship between Personal Responsibility and College Education Personal responsibility appears to be an important issue when it comes to college education. The awareness of personal responsibility distinguishes a mature adult from a child and enables him/her to act as a fully functional human being. Personal responsibility compliments success and achievement because it motivates a person to accomplish the things that he/she wants in life. This motivation plays an important role during the college education. The teachers and instructors perform their duties by educating the students. Without realization of personal responsibilities one could not do well at any educational institutes because there are certain things that the students have to learn at their own. The management of time and organization of work according to a time table is important task that students could perform only after having the realization of personal responsibility (Downing, 2010). When the students are aware of their personal responsibilities, they are able to perform their tasks in a better and improved manner, as they could be more concerned and conscious about the possible consequences of all their acts and behaviours. It is widely accepted that college success and personal responsibility are strongly correlated because the more student is aware of personal responsibilities, the more he/she would be able to perform well at the college by seeking the ways of enhancing his/her performance (Brown, 2009). Personal responsibility is also strongly linked with the leadership skills that students usually need to develop during their college life. It is also found that the students with greater sense of personal responsibility turn out to be effective leaders because their responsible attitudes allow them developing their personality as role model for the others. When they are capable to inspire other students with their acts and responsible attitude, they are also accepted by others as leaders because people have confidence upon them and they rely on them. On the other hand, the students showing little understanding of personal responsibility never turn out to be good leaders. It implies that all the aspects of college life are strongly affected by the sense of fulfilling the personal responsibilities. Personal responsibility is linked with the success at college also because at the college level, the students are not usually guided by their parents on daily basis regarding their work and studies. They have to develop their own study schedules with adequate strategies and plans. At this stage of life they have to make them prepare to face the challenges of the upcoming life. That becomes possible only when the students show positive signs of understanding their responsibilities. Not only their college level achievements are affected by their sense of responsibility but their entire career is determined by the way they fulfil their personal responsibilities. It implies that to be successful at college level one has to take personal responsibilities the most critically as they have to face other challenges in their lives (Downing, 2010). Preliminary Plan to Practice Personal Responsibility I am well aware of the fact that the college life is an important milestone of life. During this time one has to learn to bear his responsibilities and prepare himself to face the challenges of the upcoming life. This important phase of life could be spent well through proper planning and having some encouraging and motivating objectives in front of us. I have great desire to act as a responsible person throughout my educational career, and for this purpose I also have certain plans and strategies in my mind (Susan et al, 2009). I believe that education should not be taken as burden but it should be considered as fun and adventure of exploring new things with each passing day. This learning process could be enhanced if one has better time management. I always use to follow proper time table for all my activities so that I can get adequate time for all the activities that I want to do in my daily routine. I am aware that I am solely responsible to manage my education matters and routine. My parents often ask me about my progress and are also used to monitor the progress in my education regularly, but I have grown up enough to settle down my daily time table at my own. This sense of responsibility has allowed me always making and properly following a time table due to which I complete most of my works on time and also get good time to relax and go in for sports and other physical activities. I believe that along with time management one has to consider his behaviours with the people around him. I also take care of this matter and always strive to be a supportive fellow and cooperative student. I use to communicate with the teachers regularly about different matters related with education so that I can get clear concepts of the things being taught. I also interact with my class fellows and friends frequently to discuss different concepts and theories we learn together so that we can get better understanding of the things and could also get effective support from each other. Hence, time management and effective communication are two key elements of my future plan to take personal responsibility during my education. Moreover, I also use to keep an eye upon my resources and expenses and select the activities accordingly so that I can never face the problem of money shortage etc. I believe that time and budget management are the keys to achieve better results at college because they reflect one’s understanding of personal responsibility and allow him/her to perform different types of activities and tasks in a proper manner and at the right time, while keeping the things affordable as well. Reference list Brown, A. (2009). Personal Responsibility: Why It Matters. NY: Continuum International Publishing Group Downing, S. (2010). On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. UK: Cengage Learning Susan R., Lucas, N., Timothy R. (2009). Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make a Difference. NY: John Wiley & Sons References Imbimbo, A. (2009). Steve Jobs: The Brilliant Mind Behind Apple, US: Gareth Stevens Schneiders, S. (2011). Apple's Secret of Success - Traditional Marketing vs. Cult Marketing. New York: Diplomica Verlag Read More