Continuing my series on motivational topics, here are a few more backwards-ass suggestions for people delivering motivational material, often written off as smug/pompous/dishonest ‘idiots’ by an increasingly cynical and downtrodden public:
I’m not good enough
Yeah, that is a great excuse. Nice, vague, covers all angles. Of course you are, and if you are not, then you need to break your goal into manageable chunks and take it one step at a time. There are times when you can only spend ten minutes a day on your goal, whatever that happens to be, You owe it to yourself to have no regrets later.
I’m too fat
From experience, you probably got fat because you neglected yourself in favour of other people, or some imaginary idea that being a good citizen involved tasting every product that was advertised to you. How often have you watched an advert and wondered how the very slim model possibly gets away with eating pizza/chocolate/take out food etc? Every item you eat and every choice that you make is causing the problem. I am more aware than most that speaking up for yourself, sleeping sufficiently, taking time for your health, relaxing is considerably more difficult and seems like less of a priority than whatever else you are doing, whether that is work or other people. Although it seems easier to shut up and eat something before rushing headlong towards your next appointment, you really need to get selfish to solve that issue. Some people need to be rejected, some tasks need to be postponed and you need to stop hearing the insults that are preventing you from getting your romantic/professional/alternative goals fulfilled. It is too easy to assume that you will lose weight and your life will change. It won’t, so you might as well get on with it before you are sitting in a chair wondering where your life went and why you didn’t do whatever it is that you wanted to do. Most people would rather deal with a fat, considerate and thoughtful person than a selfish, thoughtless go-ahead bore. If they can’t manage it, they aren’t worth your time anyway.
I’m too old
This situation is unlikely to change so either you disregard this thought, or take up dominoes instead of whatever you were planning to do.
I don’t have enough money
As I have mentioned in previous posts, this is a question of using your imagination to rethink your plans. I have not come across an idea yet that could not have been off the ground cheaper and faster.
I don’t have time
Either your aim is not important to you, in which case why are you even thinking about it, or it is, and you will make time. This is the most lame excuse of the lot. Again it is a question of breaking down your plan into manageable chunks.
People like me don’t get to do that
Inadequacy is a boring excuse. You are adequate. Start from there.
They won’t listen to me anyway
Yeah, people are often assholes. It is time you stopped listening to them. Get rid of them and do your own thing.
It’s too big a risk
Compared with finding yourself in a care home with no visitors? If you rethink your plans, you will come up with a way of reducing your risk to a manageable level. If your priority is reducing risk, you need to take this into account and change your plans accordingly.
What if?
Yeah, you will be saying this a lot if you don’t do something about developing your life the way you want it.
It’s alright for him/her – He/she is better/more handsome/more intelligent/has contacts/more education than I do
They started out earlier than you. So what?
That stuff only applies to America
While I concur that they are obsessed with money, self-development is not really about money. I don’t plan to charge for anything I do until I have a sufficiently solid core from which to radiate. This takes time. There are many ways to build your little castle in the air. It is really up to you how you go about marketing and developing your particular product. You do not have to turn into a brainwashed clone to engage in personal growth.
He/she is a scammer
Yeah this is another good non-specific excuse. It is unclear why it is used so often, when speakers do relatively innocuous things (like selling health food or courses) This is really not a good reason to stop you from doing anything to help yourself.
Hope that helps.