We All Have Responsibilities in Life
We all have responsibilities in life; however, many of us have different opinions on their importance. Home chores, parenting responsibilities, and work tasks are all vital but the levels of significance assigned to each task varies by the person. Some people care about career first while others care about family above all else. What is important to us matters, yet we must be courteous of those around us.
Parenting
Having a child is a life changing event. It doesn’t matter if you are married or single, what is important is the child is loved and cared for. This is a task that no parent can do alone. Our immediate family members help us on this life changing journey, but help doesn’t remove us from responsibilities. Furthermore, there is no job that is exclusive to a mother or a father. Responsibilities must be shared across the board to ensure a healthy relationship. The key to being successful parents is love, understanding, teamwork, and communication. One parent cannot have different rules than another. This sets a poor precedent early in a child’s life. Now this is certainly easier said than done and there will be fights and other hiccups along the way. However, we must remember that being responsible for a young life is of crucial importance. When a mistake is made, and it is ignorant to think one will not eventually occur, we must set blame aside and confront whatever happened. We must admit our faults, take responsibility, deal with the consequences, and learn to ensure we grow from the experience. It is important not to dwell on the past and to look forward, getting caught obsessing over mistakes will help no one. Take ownership of what happened, deal with the consequences, and strive for a better future. Doing so is a key building block of any loving family.
Work
We all want to, and should, take pride in our work accomplishments. We want to be successful, we want to be the best, and we want to be able to brag about it from time to time. In contrast, we never want to fail or be blamed for an error. To be realistic, all of us will experience both of these things at some point in our careers. Bad things will happen, but we will also have major professional victories. So how do we ensure our successes far outweigh our failures? Accountability is the first thing that comes to mind. We must take responsibility for our work assignments and we must be proud of the work we do. People who do the bare minimum rarely excel and often get labeled as lazy. Our work is a reflection of the effort we put into it. I will admit that effort will only get you so far; however, if you are going to fail at something it is best to fail at full speed. Like with everything else in life, we will make mistakes that make us feel stupid. It is human nature, but I will bet you almost anything that your peers and supervisors will respect you for giving it your all. In contrast, uninspiring work that gets the job done will not get you ahead. So make sure to take pride in what you do no matter what. A job well done is something everyone should feel good about, it does not matter the level or complexity of the obligation. So next time you get an assignment that you feel is beneath you strive to excel at it. It will show a lot about your character by doing so.
Chores
One of the worst feelings after a long hard day at work is having to do the chores. Not many people enjoy cleaning the bathrooms or taking out the trash, but they are necessary parts of life. All of us have worked with or lived with someone who does not hold up their end of the bargain when it comes to maintenance tasks and it really sucks. It is bad enough to have to clean up after ourselves but when we have to clean up after others we get annoyed and this frustration can lead to friction in any type of relationship. So the best way to avoid these issues to ensure we have set rules and assigned responsibilities. Some of the rules should be self-explanatory such as cleaning up after yourself and not leaving trash in common areas, but these simple rules are often violated. When this happens do not be afraid to call someone out on it. Ignoring it only sets a poor expectation and enables the behaviors to continue. It is of monumental importance that we are not condescending or hypercritical. We cannot make a big deal out of not doing the dishes just to leave the sink a mess ourselves a day later. We must be mindful of our own downfalls and ensure we minimize mistakes. This not only sets a standard and creates an expectation, it shows that we practice what we preach. Finally remember that communication is key to any conflict, do not be afraid to monitor the rules just remember to follow them yourself.
Too often we hear someone say something was not their fault, we see too much finger pointing, and witness many people shrinking responsibility. It is annoying to see and is intolerable to deal with. No matter how upset or embarrassed you might be about something do not run from it. Meet any mistake or problem head on and take ownership. The world would be a better place is everyone did so. Lastly, doing the right thing feels good. That should be reward enough.