And oftentimes excusing of a fault Doth make the fault the worser by th’excuse. _William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

Resist the urge to make excuses that keep you from your dreams. Don't make excuses.  Make things happen!

Would you feel as comfortable offering your excuses to your employer as you are offering them to yourself?  Probably not.Why? Because your employer is unlikely to buy them and is very likely to see through them.  We don't want our excuses exposed so we're careful where we proffer them.  Somehow, they are quite acceptable to give to ourselves. We think they are safety hidden.

Now, does this make sense?  Sure.  We like to feel we can get away with things, don't we?  Let ourselves off the hook. Relieve the pressure.  Have some downtime.  So, what's wrong with this picture?
 

Folks make 'pie-in-the-sky' goals.  In a burst of enthusiasm,
commitment to unrealistic goals seems possible.  Take off the
rose-colored glasses.

Make goals that cause you to stretch but not goals that cause you to over-extend.   There is a huge difference between these two. Stretch feels good, you know that you can do it and you know it is good for you. Over-extension causes stress, fear and exhaustion.

Stretch increases your capacity slowly.  You can sustain your gains. Over-extension can cause frustration, resentment and...excuses.

PROMISE WHAT YOU ARE WILLING TO DELIVER

Ever made a promise that you knew as you spoke you were going
to have a problem delivering?  Sure you have.  Why did you do it? There are good reasons for doing so:  You want to help someone in need.  You want to work towards a promotion.  You want someone to like you more, approve of you, accept you.Good reasons.

What happens when you cannot or do not deliver?  All those good reasons are not only negated but you may have lost the confidence of the folks you wished to serve, please or help. Not very wise.

What about the promises you make to yourself?  You count.  In fact, you count the most.  Why?  Because you have to live with you every second. Personally, I believe that the greatest contributor to lack of self-confidence lies in our failure to keep our promises to ourselves.

Goal achievement is rooted in keeping your promises to yourself. Don't let yourself down. You'll soon find that you are able to keep your careful promises to others easily.

PROMISE NOT TO CUDDLE UP WITH YOUR APOLOGIES

It's also easy to be on friendly terms with our excuses.  We condition ourselves to play it safe.  We limit our adventures, discoveries, interests and risks.  When we were children, this was usually not an issue.  We simply 'went for it'.

No, I'm not suggesting throwing caution to the wind.  Simply look at what holds you back.  Is it that you are unwilling to experience even the slightest bit of discomfort or pain?  Now, there's a conundrum.  Is it possible to experience change without a little discomfort?  That only happens when you change from dress shoes to bedroom slippers, or, some kind person provides you with clean Huggies!

Some folks think that the safe way is to do nothing.  Great! Do you want the results that choosing to do nothing produces? If so, you are choosing wisely.  If not, choose again.  Even a decision to not take action is still taking an action.  Be sure it makes sense for you.

Do you think that cuddling up with your apologies protects your ego? Nothing ventured, nothing risked = safety? Not so.It's never too late to try something new.  Think you're too old?  Think of Grandma Moses.  Think folks will laugh?  Who cares?  Think of the value of laughter to them and proceed.<g> Think you would fall on your face?  So what?  It's good exercise to pick yourself up and get going again.

Resist the urge to make excuses that keep you from your dreams. Don't make excuses.  Make things happen!
 

(c)  Rhoberta Shaler, PhD,  San Diego, CA..  All rights reserved worldwide. Keynote speaker, Author, Coach & Facilitator, Dr. Rhoberta Shaler offers ezines, free articles, and practical wisdom to help businesses prosper and people flourish at http://www.OptimizeLifeNow.com. Join her Optimize! Community, tune in to Optimize! Radio, buy books & CD's to shift your life from acceptable to exceptional.