There are many excuses that we fail to notice, be that due to circumstances, being part of a broader group that also happens to believe in the same ones, or simply being seemingly naive.
And while not all of them can be that easily detected and erased, there are some that beg to be questioned and eventually thrown out of our vague rhetoric. If you recognize some of them being listed here, please, feel free to blush.
Now kidding aside… Wanting to change things in your life can be a slippery slope for you have you fail to recognize some of the most common excuses many of us make. And for the most part, just as I mentioned before, we are being quite OK with them, sometimes even overlooking intentionally if I dare saying. Excuses tightly connected with starting with something, excuses in the lines of trying to change things in order to succeed, excuses, in short.
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1. It’s always the next Monday
Procrastination has taken a whole new level of play when Monday is being concerned. “Start now? -No can do. I’m starting Monday.”
I mean how many times have you heard this? Or better yet, how many times have you said it?Some may be surprised to hear, but many scenarios do not care whether it is Monday or Thursday or whatever day for that matter.
We are being led to believe that managing our time in sync with set dates is something other than pure procrastination. Well, it’s not, in short.The first of the month, Monday, January… These aren’t times where you are bound to start; these can also be times when you thrive at your game; in whatever that is.
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2. Waiting for the perfect moment
The line above sounds like waiting for some imaginary character. Or like a line of flowery prose right out of a novel. Well, tell you what; it looks just the same in real life.
We procrastinate on the grounds of not yet being ready. We delay things for the sake of creating our perfect approach, perfect strategy, perfect circumstances. And as it happens to be, perfect never comes. So we are bound to perpetually rinse and repeat. Over and over.
Forget about waiting for the perfect situation; go with what you already have up your sleeve.
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3. Others are not doing it
So what? Following the herd only invites mediocrity. And it invites it for good. You are not others, and others are not you. And they never will, have you decide to do things differently. If you ask successful people whether their goal is to be like everyone else, nine out of ten will be offended. It’s not rude to like to separate yourself from the majority – it’s called ambition.
You want to invest into things, how do you think the epilog will turn out? If you want different results from what most people get, then be prepared to think anew, to do anew. You like to be different in terms of results? You better be prepared to be different in terms of action and practice.
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4. I never could, so it’s OK that I fail now as well
Nope. Past experiences has nothing to do with what is about to happen. Most of us think that whatever happened to us in the past is an indicator of everything the future holds for us. Long story short, that’s a no.
If your potential is, in any way, limited to what you have achieved so far, then the logic would be to quit the game since there is no point continuing knowing that you can do only so much. But it’s not. You see, we let our past experiences shape our present mindset, to undermine our efforts by placing doubt, making lack of confidence, a voice full of skepticism even.
Here is something that will make you understand what I’m talking about:
– Abraham Lincoln –
- Age 7 – worked to support family after they were forced out of their home
- Age 9 – mother died
- Age 22- failed in business
- Age 23- defeated for legislature and couldn’t get into law school
- Age 24- declared bankruptcy and spent 17 years paying off owned to friends
- Age 25- defeated for legislature again
- Age 26- while engaged to be married his fiance died
- Age 27- had a nervous breakdown and spent the next six months in bed
- Age 29- defeated in becoming the speaker of the state legislature
- Age 31- defeated in becoming elector
- Age 34- defeated for Congress
- Age 37- defeated for Congress again
- Age 39- defeated for Congress yet again
- Age 40- rejected for the job of Land officer in Home state
- Age 45- defeated for senate
- Age 47- defeated for Vice-President – got less than 100 votes
- Age 49- defeated for senate again
- Age 51- ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
What we are about to do is not in any way connected with what we already did.
We may fail ninety nine times and go for big success in the one hundredth. -
5. It’s OK to complain from time to time
Not only does complaining take the time away from actually doing something, it gives us the feeling we are indeed working on our problem, giving us that self-delusional feeling that it’s equivalent to taking control of our lives.
And once you start complaining it creates a domino effect, an avalanche if you will. Tell you what, there are two kinds of people in life – ones who say I can and others who say I can’t. The thing is, they are both right.
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So instead of allowing yourself to complain occasionally, which make no mistake will spread like a wild fire, snap yourself out of it the moment you start. Complaining only changes your attitude and transforms you from leader, someone who is in charge with his own life, to victim.
- Instead of thinking how your dress doesn’t fit, and you will look terrible on the wedding you are attending to next weekend, you can take action and learn how to lose 10 pounds in 1 week – even if you fail, you’ll be doing something, taking control of your own life. Remember, complaining takes you nowhere!
The same goes for lacking energy, not getting along with your friends, postponing on your career switch, enduring a difficult relationship. Catch yourself when you start to make excuses, and see what is really going on – more often than not, it is lethargy, fear, uncertainty, or all of them combined.
Over time, focusing on various different aspects of life, we lose the grip on objectivity. And so it happens that we enter into a perpetual habit pattern that is hard to recognize, yet alone erase. However, knowing these five common excuses that we tend to overlook, you will be steps ahead. There is no limitation than the one we put onto ourselves. Remember that.
Image credit: By Shahbaz Hussain.