What responsibilities do you have? What responsibilities do you believe you have? The difference between these two questions is much larger than just the phrasing. Responsibility comes down to more than just future action, it is our past actions, our current actions and the actions of those we influence. Responsibility is hard because it is not just a perception of needing to take care of something or someone, it is the physical commitment to do so.
I take responsibility for my son, for my team and for myself. Now think about that statement. I take. I take on the backlash, good or bad, when I say something and that something happens. I take on that weight. Now if we think even further into it, does that mean the more responsibility I take on the stronger I am as a person? YES! If you are responsible for a dog, then you have more will power. You know you can't stay out late because you need to take care of that dog. You know you have the life of that dog held in the palm of you hand. All of these thing are only what you are responsible for.
What do you believe you're responsible for? This is what you concern yourself with. This is what you commit your time and energy to. What if as humans we all believed ourselves responsible for the care of the elderly? Not just our family but everyone. What if we believed ourselves responsible to help rebuild after disaster? What if we believed ourselves responsible for the entire next generations well being? See where this is going? If we believe ourselves responsible for doing our job at the highest possible level without need for compensation or praise, we would have a very different outlook on work. If we believed ourselves responsible for caring for the earth, doing our part to clean up after ourselves and plant new trees, we would have a very different planet.
If you believe in something strongly you will go on to accomplish it. So what will you believe you are responsible for today?