Shameless Pride Making Sense of the World Around Us
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In today’s society, there is a clear divide between the motivated and those content with an average life path.
The average person is almost always weak-minded and takes what he can get. They avoid “rocking the boat” and taking risks.
“GOOD ENOUGH” is the goal.
Pessimistic due to their life choices; these people will always try to dampen your mood and spirits.
They are also chronic excuse makers – lies told to themselves to justify their regrettable life choices.
We all make excuses here and there – there is no denying that. However, chronic excuse makers rarely take responsibility for their actions and instead chose to blame everyone else for their lack of success. They also seldom feel genuine happiness towards successful people, even friends and family.
I could rattle off 100 excuses that are commonplace today. Instead, I chose to focus on 5 that you will hear almost daily.
If you are someone who finds themselves using these phrases – STOP TODAY!
Excuses make you feel better in the moment, but they don’t do any good in the long-run.
1. I’m too busy
Being too busy for something is a lie. Busy is the new lazy. It’s a poor attempt at a cop-out, especially when it comes to something you keep putting off time and time again.
“I’m too busy” is used to dismiss someone’s attempt to get you to do something. It is a slap in the face, because most people are in fact busy. When you tell yourself you are too lazy – you are re-affirming your fear of failing.
Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. It is up to us to structure our life in a way that a) minimizes stress b) maximizes productivity c) allows for randomness and down time.
Focus and make it happen. Loose the excuses, and become accountable for your time. Work on your time management skills to eliminated or enhanced daily tasks to create more time. Relationships, health, and happiness should be the top priorities in your lives.
It might be easier for SOME people, but it’s still possible for EVERYONE to find extra time.
2. It’s not the right time, I’ll do it later
You tell yourself that it is okay to put it off today, because it will be easier/cheaper/better in the future. The problem is that you rarely do it in the future, as you will most likely be more busy (and have more excuses) then.
There will never be a perfect time. We can all come up with countless excuses on why tomorrow will be a “better” time to do something.
Yet, time is not guaranteed. A whole host of bad things could happen to you at any given point. Despite what you may think – you are not assured a long, healthy life. Go look in the obituaries of your local paper if you don’t believe me.
So why wait?
Ultimate happiness is enjoying the moment – a mix of regimented tasks (working, eating, sleeping) and spontaneous activities (travel, experiences).
Never focus too much on the regimented and not enough on the spontaneous. Instead, take the risk and go after what you want TODAY.
There will never be a perfect time.
3. “I wish, but…”
I wish, but I have a mortgage.
I wish, but I just had a baby
I wish, but these student loans are killing me.
This excuse is a way to feel better about your inaction. Your goal is to make others pity you by acting like you are stuck in a hopeless position.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Start building a step-by-step plan of action that is manageable and not overwhelming.
Stop wishing.
4. It must be nice, I wish I was in your shoes
Whenever someone drops “it must be nice,” you can feel the jealousy and envy oozing from them, as if you should feel sorry for living a life full of excitement and happiness.
“Ya asswipe, it is nice.”
Never use this line. It reeks of envy and you look petty for it.
You’ll hear this loaded phrase when you mention you do something “above average” – such as buy something nice, travel somewhere, etc.
It is the ultimate “woe is me” jab from someone who is unhappy with their life.
You didn’t follow the script that every other forgettable person usually does, so they try to make you feel guilty for reaping the rewards.
You feel scolded for the hard work, the long hours, the effort you put in to afford yourself such opportunities.
Everyone has the opportunity to choose the life they live – it comes down to the choices you make every day and how you choose to structure your life.
5. “I don’t know how”
This excuse stems from 4 realities:
- A lack of confidence
- A lack of work ethic
- A lack of discipline
- A lack of tenacity
Think of some of the successful people you are familiar with.
Do you think they woke up one day and knew what they were doing?
No. They busted their ass for a long time. They studied everything they could get their hands on, and they learned through mistakes; specifically trial and error.
Here are just a few examples:
- Bill Gates first business completely failed.
- Ben Franklin’s family was so poor, they had to pull him out of school at age 10.
- Stephen King’s first novel was rejected by 30 publishers.
- Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before figuring out the light bulb.
The free resources at your fingertips are the envy of all who have lived before us. Google can give you almost everything you need within seconds.
You must learn discipline and how to self-educate. You also need to eradicate the excuses from your life.
Anything short of this is pure laziness.
There is no place in today’s information era for “I don’t know how.”
When we want something, we do what it takes. It’s that simple. When we want it, we don’t let excuses get in the way. Life is too short to avoid risks and play it safe.
Don’t let excuses hurt your success.
Ask yourself the tough questions:
- What is your purpose in life?
- Are you happy with all your life, or are your excuses just the crutches you use to navigate through a sorry excuse for a life?
- Do you want to be like everyone else who sells out their dreams to conform to society?
- Do you want success as much as you want to sleep?
Define your grind.
Until next time.
-Axel Page
Do you have excuses that you hear all the time?
Are excuses hurting your success?
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