The Buck Stops Here
President Harry S. Truman famously displayed a sign on his desk in the oval office that read, “The Buck Stops Here.” He wasn’t referring to a dollar bill, but to his ultimate responsibility for solving problems. That seems entirely appropriate for the president of the United States.
Where does the buck stop in your life? Are your parents responsible for what happens to you? Your friends? Your spouse?
Does it really make any difference who is responsible? If a problem is affecting your life – than isn’t it up to you to fix it?
A few months ago, I called my dentist’s office to make an emergency appointment. I had a serious problem – a cracked tooth. My dentist didn’t care what or who had caused the tooth to crack. I already knew that it had been a bad idea for me to bite down on a hard piece of candy. Silly me! But if I didn’t see my dentist so he could repair the damage, I would be the one to live with the consequences – the ongoing discomfort of having a cracked tooth.
Any of us, at any given time, will have a problem, whether a broken tooth or paying the balance due on a credit card. If it’s my broken tooth or my Visa card the problem is ultimately mine to solve. I’m the one who will have difficulty eating or be unable to continue using the credit card.
Simply put – if a situation affects me adversely, then it’s on me to solve it. If I merely point my finger at someone else, my problem might become worse while they do nothing. Also, by refusing to take responsibility I become a powerless victim.
As a practicing pragmatist, I believe that the best person to solve my problems is me. I can delegate but, again, that is up to me. If my dentist can’t see me, I need to find another dentist.
So let’s all get better at taking responsibility and actually solving our own problems, rather than getting better at making excuses, especially to ourselves, and expecting someone else to do it for us.
All together now. Where does the buck stop?
That’s right. On the desk of the President.
Alan