Never Tolerate Excuses (At Least Not From Yourself!)
August 1, 2008
I have a small plaque on my desk that has three words in tall bold black letters: NEVER TOLERATE EXCUSES. It's an angry looking sign, and it should be - because once you allow yourself to get in the habit of tolerating excuses, it's all over.
I'm not talking about the excuses other people give us. You can't control their behavior, so don't even worry about it. I'm talking about you and me, and the excuses we give ourselves for why we aren't taking the actions we know we should be. We even have a special name for these excuses, so we'll feel better about making them: we call them "reasons."
Let me give you a few examples of common "reasons" we use when faced with challenging situations:
"I don't have the time for that ..."
"I don't have the money for that ..."
"I don't have the skills for that ..."
"I don't have enough willpower for that ..."
We use reasons like these all the time to explain why we're not making the changes in our lives that we need to. They sound valid enough - we're all pressed for time and money, and there's only so much talent to go around, right?
Wrong. These reasons have one major thing in common - they are all conspicuously missing the statement that puts the responsibility on us. Our excuses avoid dealing with the fact that we have the power to change things (and neatly absolves us of any guilty feelings for not stepping up and demanding more from ourselves).
Let's see what these "reasons" would look like if we really told the whole truth:
"I don't have the time for that because I haven't been willing to make a priority of making better use of my time."
"I don't have the money for that because I haven't been willing to make a priority of making better use of my money."
"I don't have the skills for that because I haven't been willing to make a priority of working hard to increase my skills."
"I don't have enough willpower for that because I haven't been willing to make a priority of developing real discipline."
Ouch! When you put it that way, it stings, doesn't it? It sure does when I have to talk that way to myself! The truth is that we use excuses to get ourselves out of the hard work of self-discipline or of thinking hard enough to find an answer to our problem.
If you want to get all you can out of your life, you have to decide to NEVER TOLERATE EXCUSES from yourself. You have to decide to develop the discipline. You have to decide to think hard enough to find the answer. And unless you're willing to do this, you're going to live out the rest of your days bellyaching about how tough you have it and how much the deck is stacked against you.
Only you can take control of your life. And only you can stop tolerating the excuses that you've been letting hold you back from the life you dream of.
Do This Now!
- Get a pen and paper and write down three things you really want to do but you feel like you don't have the time/money/talent/whatever to pull it off.
- Identify Your Excuse - What are you doing (or not doing) that is allowing this problem to exist in the first place?
- Plan and Strike - What are you going to do to blow these excuses out of the water? Figure it out and get to it - NOW!
Rapid Results Coach Dave Navarro takes you through how to get anything you want - much, much faster. Learn can't-miss techniques for motivation, follow-through, and business tactics at http://www.davenavarro.com/wealthblog
Procrastination Help for Negative Emotions
Our emotions can often betray us. Even when things seem to be going well, something upsets us, and our goals and plans go out the window. Life is like that, at times, and we have no control over it.We become stopped - but do we have to be? Here are s...
Got a Big But
What is preventing you from doing what you need to do? What is stopping you from saying what you need to say?
What needs to happen before you can summon up the courage or find the mindset to do it or say it so that you can be done with it.The probl...
FTC Fails Miserably to Curb SPAM
Every so often a Government Agency is so blatant in its shear and utter incompetence and waste of taxpayers money that it wins a prize. The Federal Trade Commission always seems to be at the top of my list. Perhaps you have considered such a list in ...
Motivation: Changing Can Be a 4 Step Process
We can settle for the way things are and survive or we can pay conscious attention to making changes and learn how to thrive.4 steps to making changesI call this one the 4 Ds of change.Decide that something has to change. This is when you take the "n...
Anti Spam Filters - Stop Making Excuses and Stop this Junk eMail
It is high time to stop making excuses and stop this junk email. Make use of anti spam filters to prevent the junk mails from reaching your inbox. In order to keep your mailbox free of spam mails, a little knowledge on the various anti spam filters a...
The Discipline of Self-Discipline
First you establish your goals, and then you enforce a strict set of
disciplines necessary to cross the finish line of achievement. Every
act of self-discipline moves you toward your goals, and every
exception takes you off course.You may be tempted ...
The 2006 International Queen of Procrastination
Look out; I'm in one of those moods.If you're feeling precious or a bit fragile, you may want to read this later.Or never.I have a friend (surprising, I know).To call her a bit of a procrastinator would be like calling Tiger Woods a bit of a golfer.I...
The First Step
Today is an anniversary of sorts for me. Three years ago today, I publicly launched Tomorrows Edge after years of getting ready, talking about how I was someday going to do it, and researching everything but advertising! It was a huge first step in...
Motivation; 7 Musings on Motivation
1. Most of us are motivated by one of two things - inspiration or desperation. Most successful people choose inspiration as their motivation.2. Theres always a way, if youre committed. - Tony Robbins. The question then becomes, Are you committed? Bec...
The Price of Success.
* Warning:
Okay, so I've taken a blunt pill.
A big one.
If you're feeling a little emotionally fragile, you may want to read this one later.
Or never.
Don't say you weren't warned.As a bloke who is constantly dealing with people who want to create po...