excuses, excuses, excuses

Our business is slowing down a bit and about a month ago I laid off some one who’d been here for three years. He came in late most of the time, took sick leave and vacation days to go to Disneyland with his wife and three children. I offered him part time work and suggested he find another job. He found a new job and I gave him two projects to work on and each time one of them was due he had little time to work on it at home. He came in today to show progress on his work. The work was still incomplete. I was prompted to write a blog.

Not surprisingly he told me he has little interest in working and has no motivation to work, even though he has a family, lives in a two bedroom apartment and drives a clunker car. Yet he can’t seem to take time to earn money he needs to survive. This man needs to know that his life style is interfering with what he has to do.

Life is doing what you want and need to do. It’s about doing things, not planning to do things. Many of us when working on developing ourselves spend a lot of time planning, reading, thinking and worrying. Procrastination…nothing gets done and you stay the way you are, with all kinds of plans and ideas about what you will do someday. If you are going to try reaching your potential, it will require not only study and planning, but DOING!

Do you want to meditate? Meditate. Do you need to meet people? Well, then meet people. Write a novel? Start writing. Don't think about it. Don't find reasons not to do these things. Because you never will. You'll never find the "perfect" thing or timing. And don't tell me or yourself you don't have the time, the money or the skills.
You don't have time? The best excuse for anybody, isn't it? Find the time. Skip the TV shows, skip the spy or romance novel, and skip the outing with your friends. Just do what it is you have always wanted to do. Find an excuse to do it, not to avoid doing it. Do a little or a lot. Just get started.

Are you a great procrastinator? Join the club. I make lists and start doing what I can. Sometimes, I choose the easiest and get into the flow of things. Other times, I just choose the nastiest and hardest, just to get them out of the way.

Everyone has reasons for not doing what should be done. Put the excuses aside and do something. Instead of making excuses, take action on your plans.