Define what personal responsibility means to you. Explain the relationship between personal responsibility and college success. Include a preliminary plan to practice personal responsibility in your education………….

The free will to think and anticipate makes a person have expectations in life. Some people accomplish or achieve their goals while others do not. But, the key thing is that, in life everyone has got goals they hope to accomplish (Len Wilson 2012).
According to me, personal responsibility means understanding my deficits, additionally it includes being aware of what I am committed to do as well as being aware what I should do in order to achieve what I want. This will assist me understand better ways to explore and being focused on my main goal.
Generally for a student, there is one resource that is very abundant. It is as abundant as the oxygen we breathe. This resource is time. For a person to achieve their goals they have to understand how to manage their time properly. Furthermore, I have to be able to understand how to best cope with the pressure that comes with studies. The various deadlines that have to be met may increase my stress levels. Lack of proper management of stress levels can lead to deterioration of my overall learning process. The different activities in school which help in producing an all round individual should not be ignored. Therefore I have to learn to structure my time properly to capitalize on this rare opportunity.  Dave Ellis (2011) says that time is an equal opportunity resource. This is very true. Everyone across the globe has got the same amount of time to spend. Time makes us all equal. The richest person and the poorest person each have got the same amount of time to spend. The difference on how their time guarantees the outcome of their actions. Every race, gender, creed or national origin has the same amount of time to spend. It is up to an individual to decide how best they want to spend their time.

Relationship between Personal Responsibility and College Success
When I enrolled in college, my parents explained to me that, this was a make or break period. What I did while in college would define who I end up to be, what kind of life I will end up living, how easy or how hard raising my own family would be. These words seemed empty at first; I mean I had heard about all the fun college had to offer. I wanted to experience that lifestyle while still in college. But, the hard facts hit me. I was not going to live on fun for the rest of my life. I needed to focus on my studies as they were the only weapon I had in this tough world. I undertook to monitor my time, and as well plan my time according to what I wanted to achieve in a particular period. It helped me realize where I could spend more time and where I needed to spend less time. It showed me where to concentrate and also showed me what activities were wasting my time. After all I am paying to be in college; therefore I should get the best value of money. Instead of wasting time chit chatting on useless gossip, I decided to read one motivational book at a time. I stumbled upon Sean Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  He brought up a really strong point in this book. He explains that, time management is centered on one single thought: organizing and executing around a person’s priorities (Covey 1989). The book inspired me to concentrate on the most important areas rather than on the urgent things I needed to do. It made me acknowledge the fact that; the most important thing for me right now is to get a decent education.
As I mentioned earlier, time management and stress management are the things I have to consider. Having learned how to manage my time, I needed to understand how to manage my stress. I had to understand how to balance school work to avoid rushing when doing my assignments. I came to realize that time management helps a lot in stress reduction. I still had to understand how to live with my fellow students to avoid stigmatization. I did not want to deal with being called names. I wanted to be an all rounder but still focusing on my main goal. When it comes to dealing with family, friends, work and education, people always get squeezed for time (Forbus, Newbold & Mehta 2011). I realized that I have to keep my body fit (which includes watching my health). I have to engage in physical activities, get enough sleep and relax to get rid of stress and stress related conditions.
I came to appreciate the fact that, in college it is not just about working hard. One has to work hard but also work smart.
Preliminary Plan to Practice Personal Responsibility
I intend to continue with what I have already started. My time management schedule is on track; furthermore, I have set specific goals and targets that I have to achieve in my college career. I have kept an exercise schedule which I intend to follow religiously. Lastly my association with my fellow students is mandatory, it has helped me relax and unwind, helping me eventually remain stress free.
Conclusion
I can confidently say that, personal responsibility `helps in keeping an all round student. It helps a student achieve the best in their education and helps in fostering a students association with the college community.

Reference

Len Wilson, (2010), A great definition of personal responsibility. Retrieved March 12 2012, from http://lenwilson.us/personal-responsibility/

Covey, S. K. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effective people. New York, NY: Free Press.

Ellis, D. (2011). Becoming a master student (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Forbus, P., Newbold, J. J., & Mehta, S. S. (2011). A study of non-traditional and traditional students in terms of their time management behaviors, stress factors, and coping strategies. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 15(Special Issue), 109-125.

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