These words from the Nike campaign of the 90’s say it all. The phrase was coined at a meeting when someone commented on Nikes can do attitude “You Nike guys, you just do it!” and the rest, as they say is history.
There is a lot to be said for using these words as a philosophy in motivating people into action in moving forward. Often clients use these 3 little words as a mantra or affirmation to help them focus on the job in hand. It is like an instruction for your brain to quit the procrastinating and get on with it. Sometimes to wait and weigh up all the consequences and plan in detail an action, can leave us in a situation where we can talk ourselves out of doing that action.
The underlying philosophy of a ‘Just do it’ attitude is self responsibility. Self responsibility means gaining control of your life by recognising you are responsible for your choices and actions. By not adopting self responsibility we become dependants or followers, turning control of our lives and actions to others. Self responsibility means having a proactive mindset where you go out and actively make things happen. Unfortunately there is a large majority of people who have the opposite mindset whereby they wait for things to happen to them, or for someone else to do it for them. They act passively to life. A good indicator of where you stand is to reflect on your actions should you see an accident. Do you rush over immediately to see if all is ok? Or do you stand by and watch, doing nothing? Those who take responsibility for their lives ‘Just do it!’ whilst those who lack responsibility just sit on the side lines expecting someone else to do it or something else to happen. So if you have a list of things the length of your arm that you want to do, or you’re having difficulty getting motivated about those goals you’ve set yourself, then cut the procrastinating and get on with it. Take control of your life, adopt a proactive approach to work and home using your mental energy in a more positive way. So next time you see the Nike tick use it as a reminder of a philosophy that can work for you… and Just do it!!
FAQs
Ten examples of individual personal responsibility
Always be punctual. Make an effort to listen attentively when someone else is speaking. Motivate others around you, especially your friends and family, with your enthusiasm and energy. Make a difference in the community by volunteering or donating to charities.
Why do people make excuses instead of taking responsibility? ›
Making excuses can almost always be traced back to one emotion: fear. Fear can come in many forms. Perhaps you make excuses about going after your dreams because you're afraid of failure. You may make excuses about your weight or your health because of self-doubt and lack of confidence.
Why do people blame others instead of taking responsibility? ›
Those who blame tend to have a fragile sense of self-worth. Often adapted in childhood, many blamers believe they can't make a mistake or that accepting responsibility for something negative will make them flawed.
How do you describe self responsibility? ›
Personal responsibility is when you take full accountability for your actions, decisions and thoughts and more. When you hold yourself responsible, it leaves little room for blame games, and you develop better control of your life. Being self-responsible is being self-aware.
What is a famous quote about taking responsibility? ›
“Your life begins to change the day you take responsibility for it.” “The future is up for grabs. It belongs to any and all who will take the risk and accept the responsibility of consciously creating the future they want.” “The only life worth living is the one we take responsibility for choosing.”
What is a good example of responsibility? ›
Examples of Taking Responsibility for Your Actions
You recognize and own up to your part of what is occurring. If your message is hurtful to someone, you are willing to examine how your communication may have been damaging. You don't blame others when you're at fault. You don't make excuses for why things are happening.
What is it called when someone never takes responsibility for their actions? ›
irresponsible Add to list Share.
What is a person who always makes excuses called? ›
A person who seeks excuses constantly, for justification for their failure to do something, can be also said to be “unreasonable” or “irrational” or even just “evasive”. A slang expression which expresses the idea is to say that the person is offering a “cop out” or indicates that they are “copping out”.
What personality avoids responsibility? ›
A hallmark of people who have strong narcissistic and other dark personality traits (hereafter referred to as narcissists) is the avoidance of taking responsibility for their dysfunctional or incompetent behavior. Since they already have shaky and low self-esteem, they try to mask it with fake confidence.
What is a person called who blames others for everything? ›
Someone who has the traits of a narcissist. This is because they feel a subconscious sense of self importance to look past their actions and blame others. They aren't taking responsibility for their actions but rather lacking to blame, showing lack of empathy.
Blaming others for their own behavior is typical of someone with Narcissism or Narcissistic Personality Disorder, a condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. Narcissists want people to admire them and so they need and seek out as much attention as possible.
When someone hurts you but blames you? ›
This type of behavior can also be a form of emotional abuse. If you're finding it hard not to feel blamed or responsible for someone else's feelings, therefore, consider taking a break from that person or putting some distance between you and them. This can help you protect yourself and focus on your own well-being.
What causes a lack of responsibility? ›
People duck responsibility for reasons ranging from simple laziness or a fear of failure, through to a sense of feeling overwhelmed by the scale of a problem or a situation.
What are 5 ways to be responsible? ›
5 ways to develop personal responsibility
- Identify personal strengths and weaknesses. The first step to developing responsibility at work is to be honest about where you are now. ...
- Set goals and create a plan to improve yourself. ...
- Learn from your mistakes. ...
- Follow through on commitments. ...
- Develop excellent communication skills.
If you take responsibility for your own actions, you show accountability.
Which action is an example of someone taking personal responsibility? ›
Owning up to consequences: Taking personal responsibility also means accepting the consequences of one's actions. For example, if a person breaks a rule or commits a violation, they should accept the punishment or corrective action without blaming others.
What does it mean to take responsibility for your own actions? ›
Taking responsibility for your actions involves owning up to the positive and negative consequences of your choices and behavior, rather than attributing them to external factors or others' actions.
Which action is an example of someone taking action to accept personal responsibility? ›
Expert-Verified Answer. The action that is example of someone taking action to accept personal responsibility for eating right is: Writing down foods consumed at each meal in a day.
What are examples of personal responsibility at home? ›
Routinely taking care of household tasks like cooking, cleaning, and running errands. Working to provide family income.
