Unsuccessful people have a certain common trait. They must have a valid excuse to explain their failure. Some of these excuses are clever, and a few can be justified by the facts. However, there is no end to making excuses, and none of them will get you where you want to go.
A character analyzer made a list of the most common excuses. As you read the list, examine yourself carefully and identify which of these excuses you use.
1. IF I didn’t have a wife and child…
2. IF I was diligent enough…
3. IF I had money…
4. IF I had a good education…
5. IF I could find a job…
6. IF I was in good health…
7. IF I had the time…
8. IF the timing had been better…
9. IF other people understood me…
10. IF my circumstances were different…
11. IF I lived my life all over again…
12. IF I wasn’t afraid of what others might say…
13. IF I was given a chance…
14. IF I had a chance now…
15. IF the others didn’t have a grudge against me…
16. IF there were no obstacles to stop me…
17. IF I was a little younger…
18. IF I could do what I really want…
19. IF I was born rich…
20. IF I had met the right people…
21. IF I had talents that some people have…
22. IF I had the courage to act assertively…
23. IF I had taken advantage of past opportunities…
24. IF people didn’t get on my nerves…
25. IF I didn’t have to take care of the house and the kids…
26. IF I could save some money…
27. IF the boss appreciated me…
28. IF there was someone to help me…
29. IF my family understood me…
30. IF I lived in a big city…
31. IF I had just started everything…
32. IF I was free…
33. IF I had some people’s personality…
34. IF I wasn’t so fat…
35. IF my abilities were known…
36. IF I had an “opportunity”…
37. IF I got rid of these debts…
38. IF I hadn’t failed…
39. IF I knew how to do it…
40. IF not everyone turned against me…
41. IF I didn’t have so much to worry about…
42. IF I had married the right person…
43. IF people weren’t so stupid…
44. IF my family wasn’t so extravagant…
45. IF I was confident…
46. IF luck wasn’t against me…
47. IF I wasn’t born under the wrong star…
48. IF I didn’t have to work so hard…
49. IF this wasn’t what’s going to happen…
50. IF I hadn’t lost my money…
51. IF I lived in another neighborhood…
52. IF I didn’t have such a “past”…
53. IF I had my own business…
54. IF other people listened to me…
55. IF*** and this is the most important of all… if I had the courage to see myself as I am, I would find out what was wrong and correct it. Then I have the opportunity to benefit from my mistakes and learn from my experiences with others; because I know there is something wrong with me; If it wasn’t, I’d be where I want to be right now if I spent more time analyzing my weaknesses and less time finding excuses.
Making excuses to explain failure is fun for everyone. It is as old as the human race and too dangerous for success! Why do people cling to their excuses? The answer is obvious. They defend their excuses; because they create them themselves! Man’s excuse is a product of his own imagination. It is human nature to defend one’s own invention.
Napoleon Hill – “Think And Grow Rich”
