Personal responsibility
It's not my fault!
"Officer, I know I was going 30 mph over the speed limit, but it's not my fault. I'm late for work, and there's a lot of traffic, and I can't be late for work again, or I might get my 6th occurrence this month, and that means I won't be eligible for an incentive payout."
"I see, sir. And where do you work?"
In West Des Moines, just off the University Ave exit."
"I see, sir. And where do you live?"
"In the middle of Ankeny."
"And what time did you leave your house, and what time are you supposed to be at work?"
"I left my house at 7:45, and I'm supposed to be at work at 8:00."
"Sir, you DO realize that according to the laws of physics, it is simply not possible to drive from the middle of Ankeny to West Des Moines in 15 minutes without going over the speed limit? The distance is nearly 20 miles, only 8 of that is on the freeway. Even if all 20 miles were on the freeway, you would have to average more than the speed limit."
"But it's not my fault! I had to finish watching The Voice last night, and so I hit the snooze button too many times this morning. Then the dog didn't want to come in because she was playing in the snow, and I just couldn't find the right outfit."
"So...you're saying it's not your fault you were speeding..."
"That's right!"
"What are you looking for, officer?"
"Just checking to see if there was anyone else in the vehicle that you could blame for your actions, sir. Seeing none, I'm going to have to give you the ticket. Pretty sure I can't give a ticket to your dog, or your wardrobe, or even the judges on The Voice...although they've likely broken some of the laws of good music. Your vehicle, you're driving, your ticket."
Do you know anybody like that? Or...have you ever been that person? Everything and everybody else is responsible for the outcome except you. I don't know about you, but I have been there before. I'd find myself in a situation or dealing with consequences of something and my mind would start to make up excuses as to why it wasn't my fault. Why I didn't have to look at my choices, my actions, my inactions. Why do we do that?
Because we don't want to change. We seriously want to keep doing what we're doing and simply hope things change.
You know, if I leave my house at 7:30 and expect to be sitting at my desk by 8:00..the chances of that are extremely slim. For a couple days at my new job, I simply couldn't figure out why that was. In my previous job, I had an additional 5 miles to go, yet I could always get there in 30 minutes. But at my new job that is 5 miles closer? Yeah, 30 minutes is NEVER gonna happen. Why? Because at my other job, I was always going to work at a time OTHER than prime drive-time here in Des Moines. Between 7:30 and 8:00 AM, I am now sharing the roads with 100,000 of my closest friends, neighbors and colleagues...a goodly number of whom are thinking "rats! I should have left earlier! This traffic is killer!"
Now...if I leave the house at 7:15...I miss that 7:30 - 8:00 bubble in traffic. There are fewer of my friends/neighbors/colleagues on the road, and I really CAN get to work in less than 30 minutes.
No, I haven't gotten a speeding ticket. But I have been close to late a couple times, and I really don't like that. And it is completely and totally my fault. Not the people on the road, not the dog, definitely not my wardrobe, and absolutely NOT "The Voice". (Maybe Agents of Shield or Blindspot every now and then...)
So...who are you going to be today...the "victim"...the person who palms off any and all personal responsibility? Or are you going to step up and be an adult, accepting responsibility for what you do and/or don't do?
Yes, I can be blunt at times. Maybe that comes from being trained as a referee. Call 'em like you see 'em. Or as GM Greg Kailian would say, "Be equally unfair to everyone."
My two cents worth today.
"Officer, I know I was going 30 mph over the speed limit, but it's not my fault. I'm late for work, and there's a lot of traffic, and I can't be late for work again, or I might get my 6th occurrence this month, and that means I won't be eligible for an incentive payout."
"I see, sir. And where do you work?"
In West Des Moines, just off the University Ave exit."
"I see, sir. And where do you live?"
"In the middle of Ankeny."
"And what time did you leave your house, and what time are you supposed to be at work?"
"I left my house at 7:45, and I'm supposed to be at work at 8:00."
"Sir, you DO realize that according to the laws of physics, it is simply not possible to drive from the middle of Ankeny to West Des Moines in 15 minutes without going over the speed limit? The distance is nearly 20 miles, only 8 of that is on the freeway. Even if all 20 miles were on the freeway, you would have to average more than the speed limit."
"But it's not my fault! I had to finish watching The Voice last night, and so I hit the snooze button too many times this morning. Then the dog didn't want to come in because she was playing in the snow, and I just couldn't find the right outfit."
"So...you're saying it's not your fault you were speeding..."
"That's right!"
"What are you looking for, officer?"
"Just checking to see if there was anyone else in the vehicle that you could blame for your actions, sir. Seeing none, I'm going to have to give you the ticket. Pretty sure I can't give a ticket to your dog, or your wardrobe, or even the judges on The Voice...although they've likely broken some of the laws of good music. Your vehicle, you're driving, your ticket."
Do you know anybody like that? Or...have you ever been that person? Everything and everybody else is responsible for the outcome except you. I don't know about you, but I have been there before. I'd find myself in a situation or dealing with consequences of something and my mind would start to make up excuses as to why it wasn't my fault. Why I didn't have to look at my choices, my actions, my inactions. Why do we do that?
Because we don't want to change. We seriously want to keep doing what we're doing and simply hope things change.
You know, if I leave my house at 7:30 and expect to be sitting at my desk by 8:00..the chances of that are extremely slim. For a couple days at my new job, I simply couldn't figure out why that was. In my previous job, I had an additional 5 miles to go, yet I could always get there in 30 minutes. But at my new job that is 5 miles closer? Yeah, 30 minutes is NEVER gonna happen. Why? Because at my other job, I was always going to work at a time OTHER than prime drive-time here in Des Moines. Between 7:30 and 8:00 AM, I am now sharing the roads with 100,000 of my closest friends, neighbors and colleagues...a goodly number of whom are thinking "rats! I should have left earlier! This traffic is killer!"
Now...if I leave the house at 7:15...I miss that 7:30 - 8:00 bubble in traffic. There are fewer of my friends/neighbors/colleagues on the road, and I really CAN get to work in less than 30 minutes.
No, I haven't gotten a speeding ticket. But I have been close to late a couple times, and I really don't like that. And it is completely and totally my fault. Not the people on the road, not the dog, definitely not my wardrobe, and absolutely NOT "The Voice". (Maybe Agents of Shield or Blindspot every now and then...)
So...who are you going to be today...the "victim"...the person who palms off any and all personal responsibility? Or are you going to step up and be an adult, accepting responsibility for what you do and/or don't do?
Yes, I can be blunt at times. Maybe that comes from being trained as a referee. Call 'em like you see 'em. Or as GM Greg Kailian would say, "Be equally unfair to everyone."
My two cents worth today.
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