There are a thousand excuses for failure but never a good reason." — Mark Twain.
Heartaches, trauma, bad hand, mistakes, flaws, disabilities, ugly past, go on, name them...
At a point in my young life, I began to realize that I was very quick to place blame on certain situations and circumstances that kind of hindered or prevented me from doing the things I was supposed to do.
I was actively looking for excuses around me and "inside me".
I was eager to point accusing fingers.
I didn't want to fail or fall all alone.
I didn't want people to see me as weak, so I used excuses as a cushion.
Whether it was ill health, bad weather, an inexperienced teacher, wrong friends, or some spiritual issue.
I hunted for excuses. And you know what? I always found excuses. I was never short of getting excuses.
Then I began to grow.
I read more books and started to do a thorough and sincere study of my life. That was when I discovered that I was only short-changing myself by always looking for excuses.
We know, it's natural and normal for human beings to have limitations of all sorts, things that will naturally stand as excuses.
From our ill health to location, where we were born, country, societal status, educational opportunities, and so on.
And if you read Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Outliers [you know, I never really got myself to finish reading that book, because I think I didn't agree with most of the things he said in it, or maybe I just have to finish reading it. You can download it here], you will find out, from that book that the environment of a person plays a very significant role in how great he or she becomes.
True, very true, however, some people did not have the privilege of existing in the 'right' environment and went ahead to become superstars, because the only determinant to becoming great is not just your physical environment, but your "internal environment", your state of mind.
Don't get me wrong, your physical environment, where you stay, the friends you keep, the things you watch and read, and all that, all have a serious role to play in your life but what really, really, really matters most is how your internal environment is conditioned.
Folks who are always looking for one excuse or the other are people who have weak and shallow minds.
They will look for the excuse of lack of money, bad parenting, and other excuses to make their failures acceptable to them and the community.
I am here to let you know that you have got no excuses. Whatsoever.
About a year ago, I read a book by Brian Tracy [famous author and speaker], titled "THE POWER OF SELF-DISCIPLINE, NO EXCUSES" And I enjoyed every chapter of that book.
It's a practical book that addressed one big issue that has kept many in one place.
As human beings in a tough world, it's so easy to settle for the status quo and feel comfortable with present levels of achievements. We find it difficult, really difficult to go the extra - extra mile.
More than 90% of human beings will never put in the discipline and effort needed to become great.
This indiscipline that exists among the larger population of human beings is what creates allowance at the top.
So, the very few [the top ‘%’] who actually work hard and do what it takes to become great will shine so bright.
"Self-discipline is the ability to do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not." — Elbert Hubbard.
You Can If You Want To!
Very few people start off with many advantages.
Many of them did not even have what we may call a “good education” by society's standards, but they went ahead to become so great that those who had a lot of advantages come to learn from their lives.
There seems to exist a strong relationship between self-discipline and excuses.
"Discipline is what you must have to resist the lure of excuses." Brian Tracy.
It's the discipline that you have cultured in your soul that will correct you when you try pointing accusing fingers at excuses in your life.
You dare not say it's because your parents didn't take you to the best schools that's why you are not doing well. Or because you grew up on the other side of town — or you are not “six feet tall…”
You dare not...
When you begin to practice the art of discipline, you will discover that it becomes impossible for you to accommodate excuses in your life because the energy of discipline obliterates any forms of excuses in a man's life.
Self-discipline will transform every area of your life — your health, finances, relationships, and spiritual life — every area of your life.
This is the singular reason why some people are better than others.
They have risen above excuses on the wings of self-discipline.
You can also rise above, it just depends on you making the decision today. The decision to follow the part of self-discipline and live above excuses.
As we enter into a new month, I encourage you to resolve in your heart that in this month you will be more disciplined, with your time [and other resources], so that you can do the things that contribute to your greatness as a person.
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Writing Quote Of The Week
There was a moment when I changed from an amateur to a professional. I assumed the burden of a profession, which is to write even when you don’t want to, don’t much like what you’re writing, and aren’t writing particularly well. — Agatha Christie.