Do You Suffer From Excusitis?
Wait, let me explain why I didn’t do what I wanted to do.'
I have no formal education, my health is not good enough, I had a bad childhood, I am too shy to talk to people, I am too short, I am too tall, I am never a lucky person, I am too old now, I am too young, I am not intelligent enough, or I don't know how to advertise – these are all common symptoms of the failure disease = excusitis.
So what is excusitis?
Well, it's a mental state of mind that many of people suffer from – People make excuses for why their life sucks. There is no ethical shortcut to success and glory, you have to bust your ass for it. Did you know that Colonel Sanders was collecting social security checks and was in his 60's when he came up with the idea for Kentucky Fried Chicken? Did you also know that he got 1000 no's before someone agreed to finance his idea?
Talk about persistence. The Colonel didn't make excuses for why he couldn't do it, he just found a way. If you make excuses for why you aren't getting what you want in life, then you won't be successful. Success is a journey and a process, and you must fall in love with finding a way no matter what. So what can you do when you find yourself making excuses?
- Ask great questions
The difference between those that are successful and those that aren't is all in the questions they ask. Next time you find yourself in a situation where it seems like an impossible challenge, ask yourself this question; How can I solve this problem? By asking a question like this, your brain tries to think of ways to solve the problem. Figuring out 'How' to do something is the easy part. Chances are that someone has already done what you want to do, so pick up a book.
- Know your WHY
Why do you want to be successful? Why must you achieve this goal? Why is this important to you? 'Why' is one of the most powerful words in the English dictionary. If you understand your 'why', you can build on your motivation and hunger for success. Here's a great example: Why does Peter wants to own a business that does 2 million in revenue every year? If Peter can hit 2 million per year in his consulting business, he would have more money to take his family on luxury vacations 10 weeks of the year, buy that dream house he always wanted and create some financial leverage in his life. In order for Peter to achieve these goals, he can't let excuses take control. He must take control of his decisions.
- Be selective about who you spend your time with
There is saying that I love: 'You are the sum average of the top 5 people you associate with'. If you hang around people that make excuses and complain about life's challenges you will be negatively affected. If you truly care about where you end up in life, associate yourself with those that inspire you to do more and make a difference in the world. A friend of mine once said that the only reason why her husband won't get a raise was because he was worried about what others would think of him if he got a promotion. To that I said, if he is hanging around with those colleagues that would think little of him for earning his way to a promotion, then unfortunately, he is hanging around the wrong people. You can't let others control your life.
- Move fast and be flexible
If something doesn't work or you get a result that you weren't expecting, be prepared to move quickly and change your approach. You need to think of yourself as water. What does water do when it meets an obstruction? It flows around it. Not only does water flow around the object, it also increases its velocity. Move fast, be flexible and change your approach to get around life's obstacles.
- Believe in yourself
This one is huge! None of the above will work unless you truly believe you can do it. Limiting thoughts equal limited results. Think big, keep inspiring yourself and use every positive influence around you as leverage in your life.
Be honest with yourself. If you have time to be on Facebook and read blogs, then you have time to some advertising. If you have time to sit in a restaurant and wait for the waiter to come over, take your order, bring you bread, forget about you, then finally bring your meal... then you probably had time to use your phone to chat with some prospects! Stop making excuses and start being honest with yourself. Stop blaming others for your deficiencies, because you are the maker of your own reality, and you are stronger than you think!
