Why excuses are just that! Excuses!

Was speaking to a menopausal relative of mine and her explanation for her behaviour was “it’s not me, it’s the menopause”.

This got me thinking back to my father in my early twenties who was a heavy drinker and horrible at times. “It’s not him, it’s the alcohol”, people used to say.

This got me thinking even further to some of the people I have mentored and the excuses I have heard! 🙄

“It’s my dad, he has always put me down”. “I could do it if only I had a bit of money”. “Everyone else gets a chance but me”. “It’s because of my skin colour”. “The competition was just too hard”.

I know it’s the new age phenomena to be accepting of pretty much everything but an excuse is just that, it is an excuse. I am not saying that the menopause doesn’t cause havoc or that darker people don’t experience racism etc but as an example there are many people who had fathers that put them down who went on to become very successful.

It’s how you see it and how you react to it that counts. Not the making excuses part. You want excuses? OK here we go:

I am from Iran. I couldn’t speak English. I looked like a geek with glasses and was skinny. People used to make fun of me. I have a weak eye and can’t see that well from it. I couldn’t pass any exams, O’levels, A’ Levels and even failed my 2nd year degree. My best friend and uncle died young and this really affected me. My dad was an alcoholic and a gambler. We lost our house. I have skin and arthritic issues. I was fired from my first job and told I would amount to nothing. Need I go on?

We all have a sob story and we all have things we can see as excuses. The question is, which one of us sees waaaay beyond that and has goals and ambitions that NOTHING will stop us from achieving? Are you a moaner or a doer?