“The problem with smart people is they can come up with a good reason for not doing anything. They are smart enough to find the cracks, to foresee the challenges, and to talk themselves out of the idea. They are experts at justifying their lack of courage or lack of action with an intelligent excuse.
But there will always be reasons to not do something, and this is particularly true of anything worth doing. We value those moments in which we overcame challenge, not those in which we avoided it. Ultimately, action is a choice. The choice to emphasize the reasons for doing it despite the reasons you have for avoiding it.”
James Clear
Quotes about Excuses
“Losers make excuses; winners make progress. Now, how can you tell if your favorite excuse is valid or not? It’s simple. Look around and ask, ‘Is there anyone else who has my same excuse who is successful anyway?’ When you ask this question, if you are honest, you will have to admit that there are thousands and even millions of people who have had it far worse than you have who have gone on to do wonderful things with their lives. And what thousands and millions of others have done, you can do as well—if you try.”
Brian Tracy, via No Excuses! (Page 3)
No Excuses [Book]
Book Overview: Most people think success comes from good luck or enormous talent, but many successful people achieve their accomplishments in a simpler way: through self-discipline. No Excuses! shows you how you can achieve success in all three major areas of your life, including your personal goals, business and money goals, and overall happiness. Each of the 21 chapters in this book shows you how to be more disciplined in one aspect of your life, with end-of-chapter exercises to help you apply the “no excuses” approach to your own life. With these guidelines, you can learn how to be more successful in everything you do –instead of wistfully envying others you think are just “luckier” than you. A little self-discipline goes a long way — so stop making excuses and read this book!
“What is it stopping you? Didn’t get enough sleep? Are you too tired? Do you not have the right gear? Do you not have enough energy? Do you not have enough money? Do you not have enough time? Is it one of these things that is stopping you? Or is the thing that is stopping you, you?”
Jocko Willink, Discipline Equals Freedom (Page 129)
“‘I was just born this way.’ ‘I never learned anything different.’ ‘My parents set a terrible example.’ ‘Everybody else does it.’ What are these? Excuses that people use to justify staying as they are instead of striving to become better. Of course it’s possible to curb our arrogance, control our anger, and be a caring person. How do you think others do it? Certainly their parents weren’t perfect; they didn’t come out of the womb incapable of ego or immune to temptation. They worked on it.”
Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 195)
David Goggins Quote on Preparing Properly For Our Journey and Understanding Our “Why”
“Life is not going to pick us up when we fall. There will be forks in the road, knives in your f*cking back, mountains to climb, and we are only capable of living up to the image we create for ourselves. Prepare yourself!”
David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me
Beyond the Quote (Day 397)
Before you take your car on a road trip, you get the engine checked. It wouldn’t be wise to drive a car that needed an oil change, fluids replenished, and parts replaced. Mostly because a road trip is an adventure and with adventure comes unknown setbacks, challenges, obstacles, etc. Having an unchecked engine would only contribute to the number of issues that might arise. And the goal isn’t to maximize the number of issues—the goal is to minimize them so you can focus your attention elsewhere—say, on the scenery of the drive. Well, your “why” is the engine for the journey of your life.
Read More »David Goggins Quote on Preparing Properly For Our Journey and Understanding Our “Why”“Don’t make excuses. Don’t blame any other person or any other thing. Get control of your ego. Don’t hide your delicate pride from the truth. Take ownership of everything in your world—the good and the bad. Take ownership of your mistakes, take ownership of your shortfalls, take ownership of your problems, and then take ownership of the solutions that will get those problems solved. Take ownership of your mission. Take ownership of your job, of your team, of your future, and take ownership of your life. And lead. Lead. Lead yourself, and your team, and the people in your life; lead them all. To victory.” ~ Jocko Willink, TEDx University of Nevada
