Are you living a life of endless excuses? Benjamin Franklin once said ‘’I never knew a man who was good at making excuses who was good at anything else.’’ In life, when you refuse to make excuses, you can actually make something incredible happen in your day. People that will make maximum impact in life make minimum excuses. They understand that excuses don’t get things done. Unproductive people have an excuse for everything. Excuses are invented reasons we create to defend our behavior, to neglect to take a particular kind of action, or simply as a means of negating responsibility.
Listen to them, then correct the action to get things moving FW!
That’s not my job
Truly productive people don’t care about staying within the boundaries of a specific task, especially if they can expand their reach and learn something new. They just do whatever it takes to get things done and plow ahead, analyzing the exact role definitions later.
I’m too old…
Men and women of all ages have achieved great things. Therefore you are never too old or too young to attain your goals and objectives. It might be a little more difficult, which means that you may need to be more persistent, creative and open yourself up to a greater array of experiences and opportunities. Alternatively, your age could actually work to your advantage. It just depends on your perspective and your ability to think flexibly about your circumstances.
I don’t have “the thing” I need to get “that” done
There’s always going to be something missing if you don’t want to get something done, and if you tell yourself often enough it can become absolutely essential that you have it before you even think about getting started.
I have more planning to do!
Some people love planning, and while some planning it’s mandatory in others, can also be a wonderful roadblock in any process that requires us to actually achieve something. The good part about the planning process as an excuse is that you can also rely on some other excuses in this list in the same breath like “haven’t got time” and “Person X hasn’t done what they said”.
I’m not good or smart enough for that
I am not good enough is a common excuse for almost anything. This excuse is universal. Of course, it may take different shapes like “I’m not ready” or “I am not prepared”, but it’s still the same. I am not good enough to start a business. I am not good enough to apply for that job. I am not good enough to ask her out.
I don’t know how to do it.
You’re responsible for your own education. If you find it deficient in some area, educate yourself into proficiency. Never whine about your lack of skills or your weak education. Never use a lack of know-how as an excuse for not being able to achieve a goal. It surely won’t help moving FW. If you don’t know how, learn how. The next time you feel inclined to say “I don’t know how,” say instead, “I’m learning how.” At least have the sense to Google “how to X.” The information you need to get started is already at your fingertips.
I’m Too Busy with X to do Y
While being busy sometimes is normal, being busy all the time is simply code word for either “not interested” or simply a means of not being able to manage your life correctly because you’re lazy. When dealing with relationships, if this excuse becomes a habit, you should rethink if you’re really a part of the other party’s future.
It’s a “Work In Progress”
According to the Urban Dictionary, a “work in progress” means “Something that is being progressively modified, and improved over time. Most usually used to suggest that it’s happening at a rate more slowly than desired.” However, if the rate becomes a constant too slow to notice any improvement at all, you know things are not going to get done at all.
That’s Just How I Am
These words have even been prefaced by, “I can’t help it…”. In other words, one might be saying, “I don’t have the motivation to change this aspect of myself. This is a personal growth related excuse, for those who feel that drinking heavily and listening to music is more productive than reading non-fiction or learning new skills.
I Don’t Know the Right People
This is a good roadblock in a connected world, because not knowing people can be a deal breaker. However, the right people may not even know you are the right person as well.
I Don’t Have Permission
This is good if your important and meaningful task is inside a corporate context. There’s always somebody from whom you can say you need permission. I need to run it past “Tom” or “Jane”.
Of course, they don’t know this yet and you haven’t spoken to them, but that’s OK because you are impeded from doing anything until somebody gives you permission to get started.
People Said It Wouldn’t Work
Connected with the one above, this is where someone who cares has proactively expressed an opinion about your hair-brained scheme.
“You can’t renovate a house, you don’t know what you’re doing!”
“You shouldn’t go into business, you don’t know the first thing about it”
See how compelling these are?
