No More Excuses

My Aunt Tomoko is 76 years old. She lives in Tokyo, Japan. Last week, my Aunt asked for help translating a story from Japanese to English. You see, she is taking English lessons. Her assignment is to tell a story in English, speaking in front of the class.

Why would a 76-year-old bother to learn a new language? Why not?

We come up with a lot of excuses to deprive ourselves of things we want to do or have or be. Our excuses seem rational, but deep down they are masking fear and doubt in our ability to achieve the things we desire.

I’m too old. It is too hard. Now is not the right time. I don’t know where to begin. He wouldn’t like it. I’ll get to it later. It wouldn’t look right. She would judge me. It’s not my job. I don’t want to rock the boat. I’m not good enough. I don’t have time.

Excuses are lies we tell to cover our fear. Excuses justify not taking responsibility for ourselves and our outcomes.

I’ve been putting off a large project and realized I made many of the excuses listed above. I had to ask myself, “What are you afraid of?”

Honestly, I am afraid of failure. I am afraid of rejection. What if the project flops? What if it totally bombs?

The answer: move on to the next project. Learn from this one and improve it for next time. It is not the end of the world.

We learn from flops. We learn from failure. That is how we grow and evolve. To beat the excuses, we must face the fear. Shine a light on it and reduce its power. Stop allowing it to hold us back from our desires and achievements. No more excuses.

If it’s important to us, we will find a way to make it happen. Just like my Aunt Tomoko has done.

What excuse do you need to shine a light on?