Quit Making Excuses and Start Living Now! By Debra Wier At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Some people believe that negative thoughts are the biggest roadblock to positive thinking. However, that’s not entirely true. The greatest enemy of positive thinking is making excuses. On the surface, excuses appear harmless. If you stop to think about it, excuses can be quite harmful as they can prevent us from growing and achieving our desires.

When you make an excuse, you are usually allowing fear to dictate your choices. I am not saying you should do things that you don’t want to do. What I am saying is not to let your fear of something prevent you from doing something else you would really enjoy. For instance, when we fear things such as crowds, flying, or public speaking, we make excuses as to why we can’t attend an event, go on a trip, or take that new job. By not conquering these fears, we deprive ourselves of many great experiences. We begin making excuses and soon, we don’t even realize we’re doing it.

Excuses can make becoming a positive thinker very difficult. If you are someone who is accustomed to making excuses, then you will have a hard time becoming a positive thinker unless you stop making excuses.

Excuses can make you believe you are doing something positive when you are not. An excuse is just a negative thought in disguise. If your excuses are preventing you from living the life you truly desire, how can this be positive?

How many of these excuses have you used?

• I don’t have enough time
• I’m too old
• It would take too long
• I’m too young
• I’m too fat
• I don’t like crowds
• I’m afraid to fly
• I don’t look good in a bathing suit
• I don’t have enough money
• I don’t have anything to wear
• I don’t want to get hurt
• I don’t have the right connections
• Blah, blah, blah

The list goes on. Don’t wait for some specific thing to happen before you begin living your life. I remember once telling my Mother that I didn’t like to go swimming anymore because I didn’t like the way I looked in my bathing suit. “Don’t be silly,” she replied. “Life is too short to let it pass you by. Now go and put on your bathing suit and get outside and enjoy the pool.” That was great advice. So make the time, put on that bathing suit, and take that vacation. Life isn’t a dress rehearsal.

Conquer your fears! Phil Keoghan, host of The Amazing Race, has an excellent and very inspiring book titled NOW – No Opportunity Wasted. It begins when Phil is 19 years old and narrowly escapes the jaws of death while diving inside a sunken shipwreck. After being given a second chance at life, Phil was committed to living every day to the fullest and never letting an opportunity pass him by.

The book is co-authored by wordsmith Warren Berger, who tells Phil’s story in a relatable and entertaining manner. An entire chapter is devoted to getting rid of excuses and another to facing your fears. I highly recommend this empowering book.

What about the excuses you give others? If you have fallen into this pattern, then stop. Assume responsibility and just tell the truth.

In order to get what you want out of life you have to get rid of the excuses. Think about why you are making a particular excuse. What do you fear and what benefit does this excuse have?

Benjamin Franklin said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Since we improve at whatever we practice, this makes sense.

You can be good at making excuses or good at something more rewarding. The choice is yours.

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