Excuses are like something something...

I’ve thought about posting more about myself on my blogger profile, but I think that is a pointless idea.  It all narrows down to blame.  Successful people don’t worry about blame.  The assignment of blame is the least important thing to them.  All the other people in the world make sure the blame doesn’t rest on them. 

Now, let us break down the difference between the two ideas.  If you are successful, then 1) A problem happens, 2) identify the problem 3) determine a solution for the problem 4) determine what caused the problem 5) act on part 4.   If you are part of the rest of the world, then your flow chart is…  1) a problem happens, 2) blame someone else, 3) blame society 4) blame some other external aspect 5) identify the problem, 6) determine where the blame should be placed 7) place the blame 8) move on.

Note that in both examples, things start the same.  Something happens.  In the first problem with the successful person, the goal is solving the problem.  In the second example, solving the problem becomes secondary as soon as the proposed solution doesn’t work. 

Now that we’ve looked at the process, let’s examine common things to that people blame. 

The economy:  For being blamed so often, the economy is a giant nebulous thing that is hard to pin down.  In fact, the problem is so vague that the problem becomes indefensible.  It is that vagueness that makes blaming “the economy” so popular.  In this situation, the real truth is this: the economy in my job sector/city/state is bad, and I refuse to go where the jobs are.  If you are looking for a job in Detroit, then good luck to you.  But if you drive down I-40 in Amarillo, Texas, you’ll find almost every building you see has a “we’re hiring sign” on it.  So if the economy is bad in your area, pack up and move.  In the end, blaming the economy is just another of the overly vague excuses people use to excuse their failure.

The man.  Point of fact: the isn’t even aware you exist.  And if by the man, you mean the police then you need to quit breaking the law.  There is no reason to move into the illegal realm when there is plenty of opportunity in the legal one. 

No money: now this one can be fixed.  First, start getting your spending under control.  Work off a written budget and identify and remove wasteful spending.  If cable TV is getting in the way of your goals, get rid of cable TV.  $100 a month can lead a long way to getting your finances under control.  Secondly, examine what you need the money for.  If you have a generic nebulous idea, then form that idea into something solid.  Search the internet for prototyping tools and try to build your idea without spending a dime to see if it works.  I’d guess most of the time people say they need money, they really don’t have a solid idea.  By the time you apply money to your idea, you should already have a general idea and something concrete to start working on. 

There are others, but I think I will cross those later.  And to invalidate all your excuses, here’s a video of a kid with down syndrome getting into college.