WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
It was 1994, and I was a young man working as a sales manager for a Spanish Radio station when the General Manager Job came open. I was not qualified for the job but decided to try anyway (I was curious to see where I stood).
During the interview with the owner and outgoing General Manager, they said this to me: “Ed we love you and want you to stay as the sales manager BUT you can never be the General Manager of a Spanish Station because you are white!”
I was not surprised that I did not get the job, but I was shocked at the reason! What did my ethnicity and color have to do with the job qualifications? For the next two days, I was very angry. I thought about talking to a lawyer, suing the company, going to the newspaper and TV station to tell my story and even thought about standing on a busy corner in town with a sign! Then I started to ask the question, who is responsible for me not getting the job?
Was it the owner and General Manager for thinking color was a qualification for the job?
Was it my Mom & Dad for having the audacity of having a white baby?
Was it mine?
The correct answer is: I am responsible for not getting the job! We have a choice to accept responsibility for our lives, success, family, future, finances, attitude, and even our promotions. My life started to change that day because I decided to get better, not bitter. I started working on me, my attitude, my skills, and my knowledge, and six months later that same owner called me in and asked me to be the General Manager!
Who is responsible for your life? If you do not like where your life is headed, then accept responsibility for where you are regardless if you had help getting there!
Find your passion and you will find your life!