Photo credit thenext28days. No changes made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode
Excuses are a funny thing. They make you believe in your imaginary limitations and get you validation from listeners who chime in with excuses of their own. In one pass, excuses make you and everyone at the table weaker. Kill your weakness. Do not give it a voice.
When an acquaintance gives me an excuse, I nod and say some words about how hard their situation must be. But if you’re my friend, I’ll challenge you and call bullshit every time. I won’t let friends talk their way into mediocrity or use me to validate their ticket in the insecurity parking garage.
My favorite is “I don’t have time for…” The truth is that we all have the same amount of time but we make time for the things we care about. I only make time for what I consider priorities. It would be cool to learn Spanish, but it’s not actually a priority so I don’t even make the attempt.
The beauty of this philosophy is that it frees you from all feelings of jealousy.
When I meet somebody who has sailed around the world or gotten her doctorate, I can genuinely smile and congratulate that person without reservation. I’d like to do those things some day, but they aren’t priorities for me right now. So I simply feel happy for that person.
If you adopt this philosophy and really try to live it, you’ll make everyone around you stronger. You’ll become a doer and an encourager rather than a procrastinating complainer.
Your to-do list:
· Sort your wants and your needs into two piles. Discard the wants and begin chasing the needs—these are your priorities
· Be ruthless about what your priorities are and take immediate positive action to achieve them.
· When you catch yourself making an excuse, open an internal investigation and see whether it’s legitimate or if you’re allowing weakness into your life.
When an acquaintance gives me an excuse, I nod and say some words about how hard their situation must be. But if you’re my friend, I’ll challenge you and call bullshit every time. I won’t let friends talk their way into mediocrity or use me to validate their ticket in the insecurity parking garage.
My favorite is “I don’t have time for…” The truth is that we all have the same amount of time but we make time for the things we care about. I only make time for what I consider priorities. It would be cool to learn Spanish, but it’s not actually a priority so I don’t even make the attempt.
The beauty of this philosophy is that it frees you from all feelings of jealousy.
When I meet somebody who has sailed around the world or gotten her doctorate, I can genuinely smile and congratulate that person without reservation. I’d like to do those things some day, but they aren’t priorities for me right now. So I simply feel happy for that person.
If you adopt this philosophy and really try to live it, you’ll make everyone around you stronger. You’ll become a doer and an encourager rather than a procrastinating complainer.
Your to-do list:
· Sort your wants and your needs into two piles. Discard the wants and begin chasing the needs—these are your priorities
· Be ruthless about what your priorities are and take immediate positive action to achieve them.
· When you catch yourself making an excuse, open an internal investigation and see whether it’s legitimate or if you’re allowing weakness into your life.