“You’ll never get anything done in life with your hands in your pocket”

When I was a young boy my Dad worked several jobs including farming, manufacturing and construction projects. Often I was his helper and I still clearly remember a lesson he taught me one day.

We were working on building a room and that day we were building the concrete foundation. My job was to bring the cinder blocks from the large stack over to my Dad so he could keep laying blocks and not have to get up and get blocks each time. It was very cold that day and, like usual, I was standing there with my hands in my pocket waiting until I was told to bring more blocks.

Finally, my Dad said very firmly “you’ll never get anything done in life with your hands in your pocket.” He wanted me to take responsibility and get some more blocks when I could plainly see he was just about out. I had been waiting each time until I had to do it.

I’ve thought a lot about that lesson over the years and realize how important it was and is. If you wait for others to tell you what you already know needs to be done, you’ll never accomplish as much in life as you can. It’s about Responsibility.

For several decades I kept a picture hanging in my office. It was a picture of a mountain scene with only one person who was trying to climb the mountain. The slogan at the bottom of the picture said:

IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME.

I think I was drawn to that simple picture because it reminded me of what my Dad said so many years before.

But too often people wait for somebody else to do what needs to be done. I’ve been to many meetings where a discussion of a very important issue occurred and invariably it would be said, “That’s really important and Somebody ought to do something about it.”

Well, over the years I’ve been looking for Somebody and I can’t find her/him: no phone, no email, no address. There is no Somebody, there’s just you and me: and responsibility is about seeing what needs to be done and doing it before you are told to, and not waiting for Somebody else to take care of what clearly needs to be done or maybe watching while it never gets done.

If you want to achieve all the Success and Happiness in life you can, Be Responsible, take action without being told to. Don’t wait for others to make the world better, do what you can to make it better, one person, one day at a time. Climb your mountain, achieve your God given purpose.

“If it is to be, it is up to you.” Oh, and get your hands out of your pocket. God bless.