If someone asks you about a person you look up to, what kind of image forms in your mind? Probably someone who knows what they are doing in life, someone who holds themselves accountable for their duties, manages to have good social life, and fights obstacles that come along the way. These are all the qualities of a responsible person.

Being a responsible person does not just mean holding oneself accountable for one’s own behavior, but also fulfilling duties that come with ties to the society. While responsibility may sometimes come in smaller forms like doing household chores, or managing to meet deadlines at work, it can sometimes come in bigger forms with power of positions. Here, I am thinking about responsibilities of a president of a country.

Quite often, I have heard people say that responsible people are boring. You could be one of those people who have the same stance. But have you really thought on it? Do you really think someone who fulfills their promises is boring? A responsible person is someone who can be trusted and is therefore appreciable. My brain does not compile data on how someone who drinks and drives, who is not responsible for others’ safety can be exciting. Children who do not take care of their elderly parent are not exciting. They are running from their duties.

Being responsible and having a joy filled, youthful attitude are two different things. While sometimes people tend to think being responsible prevents them from enjoying life’s moments, this is not at all true. Only when responsibilities are fulfilled, can it lead to those smaller moments that bring a smile on a face. People who fulfill their responsibilities can still have fun.

A person can truly be an adult when they can be held accountable for their responsibilities and when they fulfill their life commitments whether that be in relationships, friendship, marriage or at work. If the concern is happiness, it can be achieved easily by enjoying little things rather than taking responsibilities as burdens. After all, happiness does not get delivered in your mailbox. You have to learn to smile at every little thing happening in your life.

Many great people are the source of inspiration for youths across the world, and these people are the ones who fulfilled their responsibilities. Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. are still alive in the hearts of millions because they knew their commitments, their responsibilities and their duties. They were smart and appreciated. They were not boring. They were rebels. They were the change makers.

People who commit to their duties are interesting. Those who run from them are dull. Those who step out of their comfort zone are interesting. Those who do not take risks are dull. Well informed people are exciting. Outdated people are dull. Those who come on time are interesting. Those who make you wait for hours are dull. Standing out and leading peers is memorable. Making fun of those who do is dull. Change is interesting. It is inevitable. Avoiding change is dull.

So, get in the gears, perform your duties to the best of your ability, try not to procrastinate, earn trust from friends, give yourself some power and be exciting. After all, like King said, “The time is always right to do what is right.”