Making the Principle Real

Let’s go over a real-world scenario to illustrate taking full responsibility of your life. In this scenario, you are taking a class that is really important for your major. It’s a tough class and the professor is extraordinarily mean. You are convinced the professor hates you. You work really hard on the first paper he assigns you, but he gives you a D.

What are you going to do?

A) Throw your hands up in the air and say, “It’s the professor’s fault; there is no way I can pass this class. He hates me, I did a great job on the paper and he still gave me a D. It’s not fair! Life sucks.”

B) Stop showing up to class because what’s the point anyway, right? The professor hates you and will fail you no matter what.

C) Complain to your friends that you are stupid and that you don’t deserve to get your degree and you will drop out of school and work in McDonald’s forever!

D) Realize the paper you wrote did not meet that particular professor’s standards. Schedule a meeting to meet with the professor during office hours to specifically find out what was missing from your paper. Ask yourself why you think the paper could have been better (and actually answer it). Look at how you prepared for the paper and find out how you can better prepare next time. For the next paper, make sure you finish your first draft with plenty of time (at least two weeks) before the deadline to meet with your professor or TA to see if your next paper is up to par. Ask the professor whether you can submit extra credit to help counterbalance the first bad grade you received. Regularly meet with the professor at his office hours to build a relationship with him so you are not just a social security number but a person. And get tutoring at the tutorial center if you find yourself falling behind.

I think you know what the correct choice is. Do you see how this can apply to your life? Can you think of people you know who are not applying this principle to their lives and are suffering because of it? Can you think of times in the past where maybe you blamed others instead of looking inside yourself?

You are responsible for everything. EVERYTHING! How you approach, react, and respond to situations is in your hands.

Arel Moodie is widely known as America's Top Young Speaker. He has spoken to over 65,000 students in 39 states and 2 countries on the topics of student success, student leadership and student entrepreneurship. He is a leading authority on helping students of this generation succeed in school and in life. He is also the best selling author of the book Your Starting Point For Student Success. To find out more about Arel's book, go to www.startingpointbook.com. To find out more about Arel's speaking please go to www.arelmoodie.com.