(ThyBlackMan.com) What’s the reason you have for not going for “it” – your most authentic dream? Whatever “it” is in your life or career, most people have a reason it hasn’t happened yet. But if you look behind the reasons, you might just discover they could be reclassified as excuses. Now, I’m not trying to beat you up about your excuses. I want to help you break free of them so you can go to the next level. In fact, I’m inspired to write this column because I discovered I have a few excuses of my own. Up until recently, I called them “reasons.” Whatever you want to call them, they’re in the way. And you are the only one who can demand they go.
So what’s your excuse? Is it a lack of time? Money? Is it someone in your life you feel holds you back? Is the dream just too hard? Too complicated? Too much of a commitment? Maybe your excuse is a lack of education or experience or a mentor. Or perhaps if you just had more contacts or more friends or fewer obligations or weighed less or were younger or older or …
You get my point. Excuses allow us to justify our lack of progress. They can even bring you sympathy from others. They let you off the hook. But the truth is, when there is something you were meant to do, you’ll never truly be “off the hook.” You must do it, which means you must let go of your excuses. That
means facing your fear. That’s what this is really all about. What really holds you back is fear – whether it is fear of success, and all the expectations that come with it, or fear of failure and all the disappointment or embarrassment that comes with it. Your fear might not be success or failure. It might be rejection or not being good enough.
Whatever your fear, the good news is you can muster the courage to conquer it. Choose to let go of all excuses for why you cannot have what you want in life. Coach yourself with these four excuse-shattering questions:
1. What’s my excuse?
2. What does this excuse give me permission to do (or not do)?
3. If I could no longer use this excuse, what would I have to do instead?
4. Why don’t I just do that now?
When you drop your excuses, you discover that the bottom line is you can pursue your dreams – or not. You can live life fully or you can live it small. Living fully takes courage. Courage is a choice. The choice is yours.
My challenge
Drop all excuses. Choose courage instead.