How do I become a responsible person?

How do I become a responsible person?

• Be accountable. If your children are feisty, your partner unreasonable, your coworker unbearable, you are always responsible for how you respond. Your behaviour is under your control.
• Stop blaming. When you stop pointing the finger, you have control over yourself. Just because the other person is acting a fool, don’t be one yourself.
• Acknowledge what happened. When you acknowledge, “Yes, I forgot to call when I said I would,” you eliminate the need to make up silly excuses. “I messed up” is the responsible three-word sentence, and when followed with “How can I make it up to you?” it makes people willing to forgive. Your integrity earns respect.
• Accentuate the positive. Move through your day with positive attitude. Have you ever noticed that people who don’t take responsibility for their own behaviour are negative and cynical? Anything that goes wrong is always that other person’s fault. They’re perpetual victims. When you take responsibility for having the life you want, you switch your focus from what went wrong to what went right. A small shift in focus turns a loser into a winner.
• See yourself clearly. Taking responsibility means acknowledging both your weaknesses and strengths. It means acknowledging all that is wonderful about you. You are kind to yourself. A responsible person does not dismiss her own achievements. She knows her good and positive qualities. She has a complete picture of who she is. A responsible person continues to grow emotionally.
• Say “thank you.” Accept praise graciously. When someone acknowledges you, say, “thank you.” When someone is kind or gives you a gift, the responsible response is a sincere “thank you.”
• Practice healthy self-focus. Thinking too much about our own problems, worrying endlessly about the future, regretting the past, and feeling sorry for ourselves can lead to indulgent self-pity. It’s exhausting. However, taking time to really know what makes you tick, in a gentle, reflective way is the beginning of self-love and personal responsibility.