EXCUSES, EXCUSES

 Excuses, Excuses

 

"Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to,

when all they need is one reason why they can."

Willis R. Whitney

1868-1958

Chemist

 

Success-minded people must avoid this pitfall with all they have in them. It is the pitfall of making excuses. The great botanist and educator George Washington Carver (1864-1943) once said, "Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses." None of us want to find ourselves in that number.

We have talked before that we all make mistakes, bad choices, or just plain screw-ups. I would love to say it never happens, but it does – often. Even in times of failure, the key to success is to own up to it and make no excuses for your actions. We can always find a reason why something went wrong, or we fell in some way, and some of those reasons can be pretty good. However, you will never recover and get back on track with an excuse. An old analogy says that making excuses is like making sausage – it is the skin of the truth stuffed with the meat of a lie.

Successful people learn that excuse-making never solves the problem, and therefore you never move on. I have seen people stuck in the same spot emotionally just because they hold on to an excuse. We must own up to our mistakes, confess when we are wrong, do what is needed to make it right, and move on. That is known as the responsible thing to do.  It is the right thing to do.

Businessman James Cash Penney (J.C. Penney)(1875-1971) said, "I do not believe in excuses. I believe in hard work as the prime solvent of life's problems." The only way to correct a wrong is to do what is right. For the responsible person of integrity, there will always be forgiveness, a willingness to move on when confession is made, and a pure heart to take full responsibility for our actions. Telling others excuses are as bad as lying to them, and no one likes to be lied to. The 17^th Century clergyman and historian Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) was correct when he said, "Bad excuses are worse than none." 

We must strive to be people of honor. There are no excuses, not hiding from responsibility for our actions; we face our faults head-on and make them right again. That is a great power.

 

You can learn more about Personal Development from the author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey. To get his books, training material, or book him to speak to your church, business, or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   

© 2021 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this material may be reprinted or published without the written permission of the author.