Is Your “Why” Your Excuse?

I’m lying in bed. My throat is dry. I feel dehydrated.

I could really use a glass of water.

But I feel like I’m too dehydrated to get up. I’ll just close my eyes and go back to sleep.

We all do that.

We all use the reason we should do something as the reason NOT to do it.

I should get in shape first… then I can start working out.

I will pay off all these bills… then I can start saving.

I feel lonely… I’ll wait until I feel better before I go on a date.

But it never works like that.

We all make excuses. We’ve learned a strategy to avoid mistakes. We’ve learned how to put things off. The ultimate procrastination strategy is using what you want as the REASON to NOT get it.

Come up with a reason not to do something and you kill action before it’s born. Come up with enough reasons not to take action and you will die.

Less action equals atrophy.

Less action leads to no action.

No action leads to death.

It takes energy to create energy. It’s the tiny little actions that move you toward your goals. A tiny action now leads to another action and another. Each action compounds and grows. Pretty soon you are doing so much that people can’t understand how you could get so much done. How can you be so healthy? How can you be doing so well financially? How can you be in so many good relationships?

Then people judge the energy you’ve created based on the zero energy they are stuck in. They say: “Sure it’s easy for you… look at the kind of shape you’re in.” Or: “Of course you can do it; look at all the money you’ve got.”

But the avalanche always starts as a snowball. You don’t need to be an avalanche. Just be a snowball that rolls a little. Roll a little and watch what happens.

Things don’t improve on their own. Leave them alone and they get worse.

You don’t have to water the weeds. You don’t have to work to get fat. It takes zero effort to destroy a relationship.

Do nothing long enough and you will want to kill yourself. Wanting to kill yourself is your bodies way of telling you you are ALREADY killing yourself. You kill yourself a little at a time every time you decide not to take action.

Start now.

A year ago I didn’t want to write. I didn’t like writing because I sucked at it.

But I wrote anyway.

Today I suck less.

And you just read my 50th post.