We are all hit with the daunting reality of responsibility in our every day lives. From life, to work, to school, and the myriad of other things, responsibility surrounds us. Some of us handle it with grace, and some of us fight through it with valor. But the rest of us simply manage to survive. We flop and we flounder and we struggle through the waves of responsibility, only to make it to the other side with no recollection of how we got there. We are blindsided by reality, only to be struck with the realization that we are alive, with no idea how. While each of us handle responsibility differently, the stages of handling it are often relatively the same. From step one we fight and we claw to the finish; some of us with more grace than others. But at the root, we all share the same struggles. Below I have shown the several stages of handling responsibility, represented by everyone's favorite politician, Leslie Knope.
Stage 1: The Delegation
Every task must first be delegated. At first you are excited that you have been chosen for the task...
...and then you slowly realize the daunting requirements placed upon you by even the smallest of requests...
Stage 2: The Bargaining
After the request, your immediate reaction is to weight the odds. What do I get out of this? Is it worth the effort? Will I have time to do this?
Stage 3: The acceptance
After realizing and processing your thoughts thoroughly on the task placed before you, you ultimately accept your fate, and move into completing the task...however you know how. With a smile, you grin with the hopes of hiding your unease and lack of confidence you have in completing the task set before you.
Stage 4: The realization
Minutes, hours, or even days after accepting the task placed before you, you immediately realize your incredible inadequacy to finish the task placed before you.
Stage 5: The procrastination
In response to the over-arching responsibility, and your inability to handle even the smallest tasks of your day, you decide, in your infinite wisdom, to shirk responsibility, until it is absolutely necessary to confront it.
Stage 6: The freak-out
After some time, your responsibility begins to surface. The time has come, and the effort is now required of you. Any normal human being would simply buckle down and get sh*t done, but not you. No, instead you do what you know best...freak out. You avoid responsibility, ignore the task, and get everything else in your life done before going anywhere near the task required of you. Because, I mean, come on, how can you do a task well if the rest of your life isn't in order?
Stage 7: The get 'er done
Eventually, when all other aspects of your life are in order; your laundry is done, groceries are bought, the house is clean, and your will has been thoroughly edited and revised, you finally face the task set before you. In a fit of anxt, you flounder around trying your best to get the task completed. Unfortunately, you've only left yourself 1/3 of the time required to get everything done.
Stage 8: The collapse
After hours of slaving away at a task you could have easily finished in several small steps, you finally have the chance to relax. In an exhaustion unlike you've ever known, you face your ultimate collapse.
Stage 9: The vow
Once you have finally recovered, you vow to never accept responsibility again. Never again will you beat yourself with the whip of responsibility; you're sanity is not worth it. Strong and tall, you walk into your new life, footloose and fancy-free.
Stage 10: The CycleHowever
No matter how hard you try...responsibility will always find you...and so the cycle begins again.
No matter who you are, responsibility will always find its way to you. Whether big, or little; important or not, responsibility will always be a part of life.
