By: Asma Shums,
Most of us consider ourselves to be responsible people in our roles as employees, partners, children, and parents. But what does being responsible actually mean? It means that you contributed to an event happening either by some action or by doing no action. We often take responsibility when our action or inactions result in a positive outcome but often struggle when things go wrong. All of us can relate to that but a truly responsible person does what most of us are afraid of: accepting the consequences of their actions.
There are two main misunderstandings with responsibility: being responsible does not mean taking the blame and being responsible is actually a positive trait. When we think of blame, we think of a wrong action or a scapegoat. Being responsible in such situations means accepting the mistake, identifying it, and taking steps to rectify it without looking for a scapegoat to pin it on. Being responsible is also a positive trait even though it looks as a weakness. It is a sign of confidence and awareness. This positive belief leads to positive action, positive outlook, and a better precedent for the people we are close to.
What are the benefits of being responsible?
1. You are more confident. Taking responsibility by admitting a mistake it allows you to look for solutions and developing reliability on yourself to create a negative situation into a positive one. The shift to positivity allows you to think that you can achieve whatever you wish to and develop inner power in the form of self-confidence. The shift is from the fear of making a mistake to a journey where you can learn and be confident that you can improve.
2. You solve more problems. When we are responsible, we have already passed the first step in solving any problems: understanding the cause of the problem which is our action or inaction. Once we overcome our ego and public image, we can now begin to look for solutions and move past the blame game and be a person of answers.
3. You experience better relationships. All of us know a person or two who simply cannot take responsibility for their actions no matter how you approach them with the issues that they have caused. We also have experienced people who admit their mistakes when pointed and how quickly we like them and develop trust towards them. It’s hard to emphasize or feel compassion towards someone who does not accept the breakdown of trust caused by their actions.
4. You make better decisions. Once the fear of making a mistake and looking bad in front of our coworkers or families is destroyed, we can focus our attention on making decisions outside of our comfort zone. We cannot please everyone but once we have made a decision, by taking responsibility we can follow through and be true to ourselves.
The ability to take responsibility is a crucial trait we look in our leaders such as politicians and our employers and expect it with our loved ones. By being responsible, you take responsibility for your thoughts, beliefs, goals, mistakes, and achievements and live a much stronger and confident life.
Email info at: asmashums@gmail.com
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
