No Excuses

"The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other person finds an excuse."

This quote has been floating around in my head for the past few weeks and it is something that I put up in my office so that I can see it everyday and be reminded because sometimes it seems that all there is are excuses to why something cannot be done, or why this can't happen right now and to me it can get very frustrating because I know there is a way to get things done and help people but not everybody thinks and acts like me.  There are alot of lazy and selfish people out there and for that reason it is very easy to make an excuse but I won't and don't make that excuse, a barrier, not an excuse.  The barrier can be taken down but excuses take you down.  The way the world treats some people leaves them feeling that these barriers are indeed excuses and facts of the matter but from what I see, if there is a will then there is most definitely a way to do things it might take more work and not everybody is willing to do that but for sure when people do not have food on the table or warmth in their homes they will do just about anything to survive, there are no excuses then.   

William Arthur Ward said that "It is wise to direct your anger towards problems - not people, to focus your energies on answers - not excuses."  I am a solution thinker and have been for as long as I have been sober, of course there are bad days where I see more problems than solutions, but more good than bad by far.  In my profession it seems that there are very few people who think in terms of solutions as it seems that people burn out very quickly and find it easy to be negative and think in terms of excuses to why this cannot happen.  Luckily I have a boss and people in my life that also think in terms of solutions to keep me motivated even when certain areas can seem so hopeless.  Hopelessness pisses me off because I have been there and today, I cannot believe that I felt that way at one time, it is amazing how much chemicals can change the way a person thinks, feels, and views the world.  I don't allow the word can't in my conversations as it is a major pet peeve and to me says alot about a person, how they feel, think, and ultimately how they will act.  A survivor finds a way...period. 

Benjamin Franklin said that "He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else."  I agree with that statement through and through.  People that make excuses come across very ungrateful and sad.  There is a movie about the man that sawed his own arm off in order to survive...he could have used plenty of excuses but thought in terms of solutions in order to live on and I can't get up and go for a run this morning, or I can't work some overtime this week, or I cannot go the extra mile for someone who is struggling to do it themselves....yeah right.  I am capable of just about anything and if I am willing to work at it I will find a way.  I stopped several addictions to several powerful chemicals, I changed my whole entire lifestyle, I chased my dream even with the many odds against me and now I am living that dream with more letters next to my name than I can count and I say all this because I am not the brightest bulb or the most gifted but I didn't make any excuses for the way that my life goes because I have a certain amount of control over what I do, say, think, feel, and act and because I wanted me dream to happen- I found a way to make it happen and I am getting very good at it too.  Because I don't make excuses I can find a way to help not just myself but others.  Every vice has its excuse ready, whether that vice be laziness, chemical addictions, lust, greed, hate, anger, or envy.

Edward Murrow stated that "Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts."  I am damn sure not going to live in excuse or regret and I hope that you do not either..you only live once....