Tag: responsibility

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motivation

The Price of Greatness

“The price of greatness is responsibility.”

Winston Churchill from Brainy Quote

This quote would mean less if Winston Churchill didn’t live it. Here was a guy who stood up to Hitler when the rest of Europe fell. He remained defiant and encouraged a nation when it looked like all hope was lost. He held out until America entered the war. Because he was responsible, Nazi Germany was beaten.

No one has ever become great sitting on a couch, watching TV, and waiting for something to happen. No one has ever become great by looking the other way when challenges come. No one has ever attained greatness by seeing a mess and just assuming someone will take care of it.

If you notice something on a job is wrong, and you just assume a supervisor will take care of it, you have forfeited greatness. If a customer complains the job isn’t right and you blame everyone else who had a hand in it, you have forfeited greatness.

Every day, we have opportunities to be great. It takes courage to be responsible and to rise above the average to the great. We may not encounter a dictatorship. But we may be faced with the choice of speaking up when things aren’t right or relinquishing our chance for greatness.

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motivation

The Freedom to Make Bad Choices

Cartoon of a boy with a big mouth about to consume a birthday cake. The caption reads, "This choice make come back to haunt him."

Ooh! That choice may come back to haunt him! But I can relate. My inner child likes to make gluttony an Olympic sport. I’ve been called a cookie monster fairly recently. I have made my way through scores of cakes, pies, and assorted baked goods over the years. They would probably fill an Olympic size pool.

Cartoon of a boy with a big mouth about to consume a birthday cake. The caption reads, "This choice make come back to haunt him."

We have the freedom to make bad choices every day. Of course, there is always a price to pay. If I didn’t attempt to control my appetite and never exercised, I could be facing a much heavier body with chronic illness. But that would be my choice.

I could choose to weigh thirty pounds heavier as I did twenty years ago. It would be my choice, because as Zig Ziglar said, “I never accidentally ate anything!”

Some bad choices are made knowing there are consequences. Some are made out of ignorance. We can be foolish and choose to ignore the wisdom that can save us from heartache. Some bad choices are made out of entitlement. We think we deserve something so we feel justified in making that choice.

But when we make a bad choice, let’s be honest enough to admit it was our choice. It does no good to blame others for our bad choices. It reminds me of this proverb:

The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord.

Proverb 19:3 KJV

Yes, we have the freedom to make bad choices. But we also have the responsibility to own up to them. The next time I see a plate of cookies (especially chocolate chip cookies), I will probably indulge. But I won’t blame anyone but me if I gain a few pounds.

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motivation

Change Comes When You Accept Responsibility

Cartoon of a dog retrieving a laptop

The other day, I had a conversation with two people at different times in the same organization.

One said, “Things aren’t the way they used to be!” And I suppose they are right. Things always change. I’ve also noticed our perceptions change over the years. We look at the past as the good old days no matter how hard or brutal they were.

The other person said to me, “Oh, that’s just the way things are here! It’s always been that way. They’ll never change!” Wait a minute! They can’t both be right. Either things have changed or they never have. They were both looking at some challenges, but had two very different perspectives.

Yet, both views had a few things in common.

  • They were frustrated and didn’t see a solution
  • They weren’t taking responsibility for a solution
  • They decided the challenges were someone else’s problem

As a person who has worked in publishing, I’ve seen many changes. I have also seen businesses that have had trouble adjusting to change. Newspapers are a big example of that. I get that the glory days of newsprint are gone. And it’s just not the same.

Cartoon of a dog retrieving a laptop

But at a certain point, organizations (which are the people within an organization) must change. The past is gone. We need to deal with the present, not live in the past.

At the same time, if a challenge has always been in an organization, it is the responsibility of each person to change for the better. Everyone has the ability to grow, adapt and improve. When each person accepts that responsibility, businesses, and organizations grow with the new and improved workforce.

We can all be change agents. Let’s make it happen!

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cartoon

Leadership and Responsibility

Sketch of a king holding a sign that says, “Not Responsible for any of Your Problems.”

It’s fun to be in charge. Everyone loves the perks that come with leadership. But with each leadership position, there comes responsibility.

A king that that loves to rule, but takes responsibility for nothing makes for a lousy ruler.

If you want to be in charge, What responsibilities are you willing to take on? The larger the role, the more you will be accountable for.

Charisma and seniority only takes a leader so far.

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Sermon Notes Sketch notes

Difficult People: The Blamer | Sermon Sketch Notes

Sermon notes page 1, Difficult People Philippians 3
Copyright ©2017 Kevin Spear | Sermon Copyright Kyle Hayes

Sermon notes page 2 Difficult People Philippians 3
Copyright ©2017 Kevin Spear | Sermon Copyright Kyle Hayes

Yesterday’s sermon was courtesy of Kyle Hayes. My big takeaway was his discussion on Locus of Control. Naturally, if we believe things are out of our control we claim we are victims of circumstance. 

Continue reading “Difficult People: The Blamer | Sermon Sketch Notes”