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THE PRO-ACHIEVEMENT WAY Monthly Coaching Letter, August 2020

PRO-ACHIEVING with COVID-19: A Not-So-Modest Proposal

A lot has been written about how personal responsibility is vital to challenging the absence of a cure or preventative vaccine for Covid-19. The spread of this virus isn’t about the classes and the masses or anything one person can solve. Instead, it’s about how much each individual is willing to commit to what the virus demands of them – personally.

One of the core tenets of PRO-ACHIEVEMENT is in the word “RESPONSIBLENESS.” There is a significant difference between being a responsible person and a person who has responsibleness. Responsible people generally consider it enough to act on what others expect of them and live up to those expectations. Those who possess personal responsibleness go a step further. They also attend to what they expect of themselves and, in doing so, often go beyond the expectations of others. They are the ones who go the extra mile with or without praise or recognition for what they do.

“Responsibleness” is a word that’s rarely used; even the spell-check on my computer fails to recognize it. Responsibleness describes an ingrained competency and trustworthiness that we associate with those displaying a high degree of reliability. Personal responsibleness, in contrast to personal responsibility, is more internalized, much like integrity. It evolves as a state of being in a person’s character that is more permanent than temporary.

Personal responsibleness isn’t a set of behaviors directed by others. Nor does it get its direction from a system of rules. Rather, it’s the driving force behind a self-imposed standard of behavior. Individuals don’t have personal responsibleness because of what they do. Individuals do what they do because they have personal responsibleness. They operate with the belief that it’s up to them to make things happen, unless circumstances beyond their control make a desired outcome impossible.

It doesn’t take long to recognize a person with personal responsibleness. e: It’s an auto mechanic who checks your entire car when all you brought it in for was an oil change; the waitress who greets you with a smile and keeps your coffee cup filled, or the Uber driver who safely delivers you to the airport in a snowstorm.

Even now, while in the midst of a national health crisis, internalizing personal responsibleness is what’s being called for to help avoid the spread of this virus. We can’t totally control the spread of the virus, but we can—must—accept control for what we do, say, and think.

Here are some ways you can exercise the control you have:

  • Don’t let the conflicting data and politicizing of the virus discourage you or override your own good sense. Those with personal responsibleness wear masks to protect others as well as themselves.

  • Avoid needless confrontation. Simply telling someone to wear a mask does little good. The same with trying to shame them. Instead, smile, politely offer them a mask, and move on. Even though they can’t see your smile, they’ll detect it in your voice and eyes.

  • Accept control for your moods and don’t let the virus keep you down. It’s okay to feel frustrated and a little depressed, but for how long? Personal responsibleness involves taking action. Since moods are more on the surface, they can easily be altered. A simple yet meaningful action is to write someone you haven’t been in touch within a long time and wish them well. Or better yet, give the person a call.

  • If you don’t feel well, don’t be afraid of being embarrassed or disappointing others: Cancel the event. Those with personal responsibleness find that to be a sensible choice.

There is a bigger picture perspective operating with COVID-19. This virus has made us more aware of the need to take care of ourselves. If we don’t take care of ourselves, who will? In this time of crisis, internalizing personal responsibleness is the key when experts talk about saving ourselves and others from this dreadful virus.

Deb

P.S.—Look for my new book THE PRO-ACHIEVEMENT PRINCIPLE available mid-September on Amazon/Kindle.