One of the things that most of us in the civilised world have in common is our amazing ability to put off doing the things we want to do even though we have no real excuse to not be doing them now. How many time have you either said yourself, or heard somebody else say something that starts with "one day I'm going to..."? They might say they want to go back to college, visit a different part of the world, start their own business, move to a different part of the country, go on a diet, quit smoking, take driving lessons or back-pack around the world. Whether the goal's a major life-changing venture or something relatively insignificant doesn't appear to make any difference - we still tend to make excuses that stop us from doing whatever it is we want to do. - I don't have enough money
- I need to wait until the children have started school
- I need to wait until the children have left home
- I'm too old
- I'm not old enough
- I have to concentrate on my career first
- It wouldn't suit my significant other
- I can't get the time off of work
- I need to stick with the things I know are safe
- I've nobody to do it with
- I'll do it next week/month/year (never)
That list of excuses isn't exhaustive - just those I've personally heard could easily cover several pages. I've used several myself in the past but I've learned over time that if you really want to do something then talking or dreaming about it isn't going to bring it to you - you have to actually go and do it! From my own experience and through talking to others who have been through the same, I know that the only real reasons for not doing the things you want to do are fear and laziness. Sounds shocking doesn't it? But unfortunately it's true. Fear of the unknown is very real and keeps throwing up questions: - What if I become ill while I'm in some third world country during my round-the-world travels?
- What will I be able to leave my children if I sell my house and buy the yacht I've always dreamed of sailing around the world in?
- How can I be sure I'll enjoy living in a foreign country once I've sold my house and bought a villa out there?
- How will I be able to get a job at my age if it all goes wrong and I have to come back?
- If I lose all this weight, how will I get rid of the sagging skin I'll be left with?
- How will the children cope with a new school and making new friends if we move to a different part of the country?
I'm not saying that any of those fears are groundless; it's perfectly natural for these kind of thoughts to go through our minds. The problem starts when the thoughts alone are enough to put us off long before we get to the point of sitting down and solving them. Next time you find yourself wanting to do something but are fearful of the consequences, ask yourself the following: - Why do I want to do this?
- What's the worse thing that could happen?
- What's the best thing that could happen?
- Is the best thing so good that it's worth taking the chance on the worse thing happening?
Those who are most likely to take risks and spend their lives doing the things they want to do without letting excuses get in their way are those who surround themselves with people with positive attitudes. People who will support them in their decisions, and maybe even give them that extra push they need to actually get out there and realise their dreams. As Winston Churchill said, the pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity while the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. What do you see? ~~+~~+~~ |
