We are all responsible for our own lives and what we accomplish. There may be times when we interact with someone who has a fluid idea of what their responsibility means. They may let things slide they aren’t interested in or may manage their time in ways that prevent them from being as effective as they could be. If we depend on them to complete something that impacts what we’re doing and they drop the ball it may stop our progress. If the issue is important or time sensitive and hasn’t been done, we may jump in and do the job in an effort to keep things moving forward. It’s good to be helpful but if we find we’re always covering for someone else and picking up the slack because they don’t follow through, we may create more problems for ourselves in the end. If others begin to rely on us to cover for them there will be no reason to change their behavior. Why should they do something they don’t want to do if we’ll come in and do it for them? It can be hard to let something slide because someone didn’t do their part when the task is important to us, but letting others own their responsibilities and be accountable for them is appropriate. If we stop cleaning up other people’s messes they will remain for them to address. If something doesn’t get done we can always re-route our way forward. There are plenty of alternatives for every situation. We don’t have to wait indefinitely for anyone to do their part. Instead, we can go right around them. Our lives are ours and we can do anything we want to do. It’s great to get cooperation from those around us, but if that’s not available, we can find the way on our own.
Helping others accomplish their tasks opens the door to learning new skills. Each time we do something new we learn a skill to take forward with us. It’s great to have a broad scope of understanding in the areas important to us or in arenas we enjoy. We can offer to help when needed without taking on the full responsibility of the task. Sharing the load can move things forward more quickly but sharing is only taking on part of the work. We don’t have to take over the entire project simply because we want to help. We can allow the others involved to do their part and work together to find success.
Some people don’t like to teach others about their responsibilities. They may feel if they are the only one who knows how to do a task they will always have a place in the project. There is security in being the only one who knows how to do something but being willing to show others how to accomplish the task will open new doors for us going forward. We are all valuable and important and we can be open to working as a team to get things done. All options are possible and working together will help us achieve every goal we desire.
Today if you’ve been covering for someone again and again, step back and look at your responsibilities clearly. Do your part and let those around you do theirs. If they don’t move forward, move around them. You can do anything and nothing is strong enough to hold you in place. Choose the best way forward and you will find success.
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