A List Of Excuses For You To Use

Excuses…for some people they are super easy to come up with, for others excuses are a non-starter.

I received an intriguing email this week from a guy who I follow regularly through his website. He is a self-help guru, but not one of those fluffy, new-age gurus. This guy is pretty straightforward in his quest to pull out of those who follow him to be the best that we can be with whatever we are trying to accomplish.

This week’s email from him was about the book from Napoleon Hill, ‘Think and Grow Rich.’ I haven’t personally read this book yet, but I do have it saved on my computer.

In one portion of the book, the author gives us the “Fifty-Five” Famous Alibis by Old man IF. Very successful people don’t make excuses. Successful people don’t have fifty-five ‘IF’s.’ People who achieve all their goals (no matter what the goal; not just financial goals) do whatever it takes to achieve what they want. When I saw this list, I knew I had to write a blog about it.

When I read through this list, I could see some of the ‘IF’s’ that I used to come up with. One in particular that stands out is, “If I only knew how…..” This is big for me because when I started my business, I didn’t have a clue. I got lazy, overwhelmed, and basically procrastinated for 3 years. I became more and more frustrated, apathetic, and downright miserable as I continued to languish in my legal job working for someone else.

Then I came to the realization that everything that I have set out to accomplish in life I accomplished. It may have been hard, I may have had temporary setbacks, but I would not be denied. I accomplished it all. Building a personal training business was not going to be my one permanent failure!!!

People who do not succeed have one distinguishing trait in common. They know all the reasons for failure and have what they believe to be air-tight alibis to explain away their own lack of achievement. They create their own excuses on why they have not succeeded.

A character analyst compiled a list of the most commonly used alibis. As you read the list, examine yourself carefully, and determine how many of these alibis, if any, are your own property. Remember, too, the philosophy presented in this book makes every one of these alibis obsolete.

So without further ado, I present to you the 55 IF’s by Napoleon Hill in his book, ‘Think and Grow Rich.”

IF I didn’t have a wife and family . . .

IF I had enough “pull” . . .

IF I had money . . .

IF I had a good education . . .

IF I could get a job . . .

IF I had good health . . .

IF I only had time . . .

IF times were better . . .

IF other people understood me . . .

IF conditions around me were only different . . .

IF I could live my life over again . . .

IF I did not fear what “THEY” would say . . .

IF I had been given a chance . . .

IF I now had a chance . . .

IF other people didn’t “have it in for me” . . .

IF nothing happens to stop me . . .

IF I were only younger . . .

IF I could only do what I want . . .

IF I had been born rich . . .

IF I could meet “the right people” . . .

IF I had the talent that some people have . . .

IF I dared assert myself . . .

IF I only had embraced past opportunities . . .

IF people didn’t get on my nerves . . .

IF I didn’t have to keep house and look after the children. . .

IF I could save some money . . .

IF the boss only appreciated me . . .

IF I only had somebody to help me . . .

IF my family understood me . . .

IF I lived in a big city . . .

IF I could just get started . . .

IF I were only FREE . . .

IF I had the personality of some people . . .

IF I were not so fat . . .

IF my talents were known . . .

IF I could just get a “break” . . .

IF I could only get out of debt . . .

IF I hadn’t failed . . .

IF I only knew how . . .

IF everybody didn’t oppose me . . .

IF I didn’t have so many worries . . .

IF I could marry the right person . . .

IF people weren’t so dumb . . .

IF my family were not so extravagant . . .

IF I were sure of myself . . .

IF luck were not against me . . .

IF I had not been born under the wrong star . . .

IF it were not true that “what is to be will be” . . .

IF I did not have to work so hard . . .

IF I hadn’t lost my money . . .

IF I lived in a different neighborhood . . .

IF I didn’t have a “past” . . .

IF I only had a business of my own . . .

IF other people would only listen to me . . .

IF (and this is the greatest of them all)… I had the courage to see myself as I really am, I would find out what is wrong with me, and correct it, then I might have a chance to profit from my mistakes and learn something from the experience of others, for I know that there is something WRONG with me, or I would now be where I WOULD HAVE BEEN IF I had spent more time analyzing my weaknesses, and less time building alibis to cover them.

What ‘IF’s’ can you identify with? If you can identify with any of them, it’s time to change your game plan and start moving forward!

Excuses are easy to come up with. It’s time to stop with the excuses and start moving forward!

Onward!