Share the credit, take the blame

About 10 years ago, I had a martial arts instructor give me this advice that will stay with me for the rest of my life: Share the credit, take the blame. This simple statement, when applied to our daily lives, keeps us accountable. If we did something like show up to class late, it was our job to take responsibility. Nobody wanted to hear about the wreck on the highway or how it was someone else's fault. We just said "it was poor planning on my part" and moved on.

This month's life skill for HALO is Accountability: The act of being responsible for one’s actions.

For HALO youth, this is especially important. We recently had a young lady take her first step to achieving her dream of becoming a lawyer by accepting an Apprenticeship at Krigel and Krigel law firm in Kansas City. During her training at the HALO Center that prepared her for this endeavor, she learned that is imperative that she learns to be over prepared and willing to take full responsibility for her actions in the workplace. If she shows her strong desire to be in that profession, openness to constructive criticism, and tenacious work ethic, this position could lead to a brighter future. The possibilities are endless.

It takes courage to be held accountable. We set goals and have self-discipline toward those goals. When we step back and to held accountable to those goals it can be ugly at times, especially when someone else is involved. But facing that ugly is what leads us to growth and success.  There are always ways to improve or drop our little self-protective excuses we make every day for our short comings or laziness. 

I believe we may all learn from our youth who are so committed to their dreams and willing to be held accountable. This spirit drives them through adversity and on to the lives they deserve.

If you are interested in learning more about our Apprenticeship Program and how you or your business may get involved, email chelseaherzberg@haloworldwide.org

"Many people have the wrong idea of happiness. It is not obtained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose." Helen Keller

8 years old with many layers

This week, Chelsea Herzberg, HALO Center Director shares a story about a talented youth in the Kansas City Center.

8 year old Dakota unknowingly quoted a famous artist. In an interview, artist Robert Rauschenberg was asked, "How do you know when you are finished with a painting?" and Rauschenberg replied, "When I sell it". Dakota was sharing with HALO Center volunteer, Heidi Wetzel, about the different layers on his painting. Heidi asked Dakota how he would know when he was finished with his piece. Dakota simply replied, "When I give it away." We've got a young artist on our hands!

Dakota also impresses with his vocabulary and intention. When asked about his self-portrait, Dakota went into deep detail about why he chose to layer different colors and why he chose the colors he did. You can see bits of blonde hair poking out above brownish-purple paint; Dakota spent a lot of time adding detail to his shirt, face and hair. Upon what appeared to be a nearly finished piece, Dakota mixed together red, blue and a touch of black and applied as a top layer over his face and shirt.

Layers return in another work of art done by Dakota. In this piece (a quilt block to be added together with many other HALO Center youth's blocks to create a community art piece that will be displayed throughout Kansas City) Dakota uses black material to symbolize mountains, brown for buildings that make up the cityscape and blue and purple to represent the people living within the city.Dakota has chosen to lay a striped piece of cloth on top to signify how the community quilt will ultimately bring the city together.

Robert Rauschenberg started his art career here in Kanas City at the Art Institute in 1947. Throughout his life, Rauschenberg was able to live in or travel to Paris, North Carolina, New York, Rome, Florence, France, India, China… to name a few. It is inspiring to see how art can transform your life. We can’t wait to see how it will continue to transform the life of young Dakota and many other homeless, foster and at-risk youth in Kansas City.