Personal Responsibility...Got it?

"You can't give me ticket! Don't you know who I am?"

Those were the words spoken (yelled, actually) to a friend of mine years ago in his early days as a cop.

They came sputtering from the pie-hole of a woman in her early fifties who decided that it was okay for her speedometer to match the number of candles on her birthday cake...even though she was in a 30mph zone.

It's a fairly simple process. Lawmakers make rules, they post them on signs that are pretty easy to read, and then expect people to, within reason, follow them.

I don't care how special your parents told you that you are, you need to follow the same rules as the rest of us, or face consequences.

You are responsible for your thoughts, words and actions...and you are also responsible for any repercussions that terrible trio might cause in your life.

The king of personal accountability, for my money, is Larry Winget, known professionally as The Pitbull of Personal Development®.

To say that I love Larry's simple yet powerful message would be an understatement. He 'says it like it is' in books like "Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life", "It's Called Work for a Reason" and (my personal favorite) "People Are Idiots and I Can Prove It".

You can see examples of a LACK of personal responsibility almost daily:

• scammers like Bernie Madoff who cheat people out of millions of dollars
• politicians and CEOs who line their pockets at the expense of others
• people who break into your house and steal the stuff you worked hard for

What do MANY of these people have in common?

They'll create a litany of excuses why they should not be punished for what they did, trying to justify their actions.

Heck, I see it when I visit my storage facility.

It's on a one-way street with signs clearly telling people "One Way, Do Not Enter" yet, several times a year, I nearly collide with a car whipping around the corner (in the wrong direction) to keep from having to go around the extra quarter-mile (ohhhhh, the humanity!).

So far, I have avoided a collision.

As much as my brain tries to tell me "Hey, we've got almost 200,000 miles and the AC hasn't worked for the past 2 scorching Summers, let him hit you and buy you a new car!"...my level of personal responsibility dictates that I need to stay above-board and do the right thing.

Just because that other person is an idiot doesn't mean I get to be one.

Have you ever watched COPS?

Holy crap, THERE is a parade of people who have so little personal responsibility that the needle barely registers.

They've got every excuse in the book for why they do what they do...except for the truth.

If you screw up, own it.

If you screw someone over, make it right.

If you don't, and the wrong people find you first, you might be screwed.

Personal responsibility...are you exercising it?

Now in his 12th year as The Motivational Firewood™ Guy, Steve Gamlin continues to share his back-to-basics blend of motivation and humor with corporate audiences around the country.

Drawing from a decade in the radio industry, 7 years of stand-up comedy and his lifelong personal development journey, Steve shares 'real' messages for 'real' people.

Stop by to visit our Health Boutique at an Integrity Health Coaching Center nearest you!