{"id":37836,"date":"2021-05-28T17:33:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T21:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=37836"},"modified":"2021-06-14T09:10:50","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T13:10:50","slug":"stop-making-excuses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/stop-making-excuses\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Making Excuses: How to Cure Excusitis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Have you ever wondered what makes some people succeed in life and others fall behind? What do successful people do differently?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unsuccessful people have a tendency to make excuses about why things haven\u2019t worked out. But if you look at successful people, you&#8217;ll find they may have experienced those same roadblocks, but they don\u2019t dwell on them. They don\u2019t make excuses. The roadblocks weren\u2019t even a factor.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s how you, too, can stop making excuses and start making things happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Disease of Excusitis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In his book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-magic-of-thinking-big-book\/\">The Magic of Thinking Big<\/a><\/em>, author&nbsp;David J. Schwartz calls the tendency to make excuses the \u201c<strong>disease of excusitis<\/strong>.\u201d Like a physical disease, excusitis can get progressively worse. At first, the person might know the excuse is just a convenient lie &#8211; but the more she repeats it, the more she believes it. Soon, she uses that excuse to justify every problem in her life, instead of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/accepting-responsibility\/\">taking responsibility<\/a> and solving the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People tend to make excuses centered around four areas: health, intelligence, age, and luck.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll look at each area in detail, but the pattern is this: people use personal traits they can\u2019t change as excuses for not trying. <strong>To finally<\/strong> <strong>stop making excuses<\/strong>,<strong> invert your attitude:<\/strong> <strong>don\u2019t waste time regretting what you don\u2019t have; instead, make the most of what you <em>do <\/em>have<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A disadvantage with the right attitude will beat an advantage with the wrong attitude.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Health Excusitis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What it is<\/strong>: You surrender to your health woes and use an illness or condition as an excuse to stop reaching for your goals. \u201cI\u2019ve now got this disease &#8211; my life will never be the same.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t have the energy\/health to do what I really want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why this thinking is flawed<\/strong>: There\u2019s no such thing as a perfect human specimen. We all have, or will have, a physical limitation. It\u2019s our attitude about our health that matters. We can dwell on our ailments, falling victim to \u201chealth excusitis,\u201d or we can keep a positive attitude and keep moving toward our goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can imagine someone with heart disease who puts his life on pause and becomes depressed. Contrast this with another person who recently had a pacemaker installed who is bursting with energy and vitality, ready to pursue his dreams, grateful to get a second shot at life. The first person surrendered to health excusitis, while the second person remained optimistic and positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The author shares a story about a golfer friend who had an arm amputated. No one would\u2019ve blamed him if he gave up his sport, but instead he remained positive, upbeat and determined. He worked on perfecting his swing, and others marveled at how he became better than most two-armed golfers. The golfer said, \u201cIt\u2019s my experience that the right attitude and one arm will beat the wrong attitude and two arms every time.\u201d People with an actual disadvantage but the right attitude will always beat someone without the disadvantage but with a bad attitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to Cure Health Excusitis:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Don\u2019t talk about your health issues. <\/strong>The more you talk about a health problem, the worse it seems. The author likens talking about your health woes to putting \u201cfertilizer on weeds.\u201d Plus, discussing your ailments tends to bore people and makes you seem self-centered.<\/li><li><strong>Don\u2019t worry about your health <\/strong><strong><em>excessively<\/em><\/strong>. Worrying about your health doesn\u2019t help anything, and the stress can lead to even more problems.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Be grateful for the health you have.<\/strong> Know that if you\u2019re alive, you are incredibly fortunate.&nbsp;<ul><li>The author, a diabetic himself, talks about a diabetic acquaintance who shunned activity and other people for fear of getting sick or overexerted. Another diabetic friend, on the other hand, viewed the disease as a mere inconvenience, saying, \u201cWhen I take those shots, I just praise the guys who discovered insulin.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Live your life. <\/strong>Enjoy your life and live it to the fullest. The author speaks about a friend with a terminal illness whose philosophy was, \u201cI\u2019m going to live until I die&#8230;I\u2019m not going to get life and death confused.\u201d<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Intelligence Excusitis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What it is: <\/strong>You overestimate the intelligence of others and underestimate your own intelligence. You think you\u2019re not smart enough for a certain career or opportunity. Unlike other forms of excusitis, people with intelligence excusitis often suffer in silence, feeling their perceived inadequacy deep down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you suffer from intelligence excusitis, you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/selling-yourself-short\/\">sell yourself short<\/a> and miss opportunities. You use your perceived lack of smarts as an excuse not to try new things.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why this thinking is flawed<\/strong>: What really matters is not <em>how much <\/em>intelligence you have, but <strong>how you choose to use what intelligence you have<\/strong>. To flesh out this idea:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Knowledge is only potential power<\/strong>. The important thing is how you put that knowledge to use.&nbsp;<ul><li>Einstein was once asked how many feet were in a mile. He replied that he didn\u2019t know or even care to know; he didn\u2019t want to fill his brain with facts he could easily just look up. He felt that the mind was for thinking, not storing facts.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Enthusiasm and interest are vastly more important than your IQ when it comes to success<\/strong>.&nbsp;<ul><li>When asked about which kids should become scientists, a leading physicist said all that matters is that \u201cthe child have a high degree of interest in science.\u201d Sticking with something is more important to success than your IQ, and you can\u2019t stick with something if you\u2019re not interested in it.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>A positive, optimistic and cooperative attitude is more important to success than IQ<\/strong>. Have you ever wondered why some brilliant people are failures? It\u2019s partly because of negative thinking. When a bad attitude guides your thoughts, you tend to contribute little and create nothing.&nbsp;<ul><li>The author mentions a brilliant acquaintance who ended up in a mediocre job with few friends and no spouse. He let fear guide his life; he used his immense brainpower to come up with reasons things <em>wouldn\u2019t<\/em> work. This made him <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/avoiding-responsibility\/\">avoid responsibility<\/a> and relationships. His brain could have been used as a tool for success, but instead it became a tool for self-defeat.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Successful people have creative thinking skills, not necessarily a high IQ<\/strong>. Thinking creatively is more important than knowing facts. Anyone can memorize facts. It takes creative thinking to dream up solutions to problems and generate ideas that will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-make-a-difference-in-the-world\/\">change the world<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In summary, intelligent people with the wrong attitude can fail. Less intelligent people with the right attitude can really succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to Cure Intelligence Excusitis:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Don&#8217;t sell yourself short. Find your own talents. Don\u2019t worry about other people\u2019s intelligence. Remember that <strong>it\u2019s <\/strong><strong><em>how<\/em><\/strong><strong> you use <\/strong><strong><em>your <\/em><\/strong><strong>brain that counts<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Tell yourself daily: <strong>\u201cMy attitude is more important than my intelligence.\u201d<\/strong> Practice exhibiting a positive attitude at home and at work. Look for ways something <em>can<\/em> be done, not why it can\u2019t be done.<\/li><li>Develop<strong> creative thinking<\/strong>. Understand that thinking is more than memorizing facts. Use your brain to <em>create<\/em>. It\u2019s way more valuable to come up with new ideas and find better ways of doing things. Think, <em>am I using my mind to memorize history, or to make history on my own?<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Age Excusitis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What it is<\/strong>: You think you\u2019re too old or too young for a certain job or opportunity. The \u201cold\u201d form is more common, leading people to believe it\u2019s too late for them to try a new challenge. They think they\u2019re washed up and unable to learn new things, so there\u2019s no point in even trying. You can try saying, \u201cYou\u2019re only as old as you feel,\u201d and they\u2019d likely respond, \u201cBut I feel old!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why this thinking is flawed<\/strong>: How old you are isn\u2019t imstop portant. It\u2019s your <em>attitude <\/em>about your age that determines your success.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter how old you are, you still have time left. Many people stay productive into their 70\u2019s. Even if you\u2019re 50, you still have decades left. Are you going to let 20 years go by moaning about your age?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The author\u2019s relative wandered from job to job and never truly found fulfillment. At the age of 45, he decided to go for his long-held dream of becoming a minister, despite his fears of being too old to start something so new and different. He struck forward on this dream, made it happen, and realized he still had decades to spend in this ideal job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once again, an old person with the right attitude will beat a young person with the wrong attitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to Cure Age Excusitis:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>View your present age as a positive<\/strong>. Feel the invigoration of youth. Think \u201cI\u2019m still young,\u201d not \u201cI\u2019m too old.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Compute how much productive time you have left<\/strong>. What age do you think people stop being productive? How much time do <em>you<\/em> have left? It\u2019s likely a very long time. When you realize there are probably decades ahead of you in which to be productive, you\u2019ll stop feeling \u201ctoo old.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Spend future time doing something you love<\/strong>. Stop negative thinking like, \u201cI wasted so much time doing something I hated.\u201d Instead, think positively: \u201cI\u2019m starting now! My best is still to come.\u201d<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For Youth Excusitis:<\/strong> For the people who view being too young as a problem, the answer is similar: youth is a liability only when your attitude is wrong. Gain confidence in your abilities and what you have to offer in any situation. If you can do the job, people won\u2019t care how old you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bad Luck Excusitis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What it is<\/strong>: You think things just don\u2019t go your way, that you\u2019re a victim of bad circumstances. When you look at successful people, you just think they got lucky. You ignore all the hard work and character traits that got them there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why this thinking is flawed<\/strong>: When you suffer from bad luck excusitis, you don\u2019t take into account the hard work that goes into success. You don\u2019t understand that your own mistakes may have created missed opportunities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luck excusitis is a dead end. When you dismiss someone else\u2019s success as merely the result of luck, you don\u2019t discover a solution to your problems. You can\u2019t reproduce someone else\u2019s \u201cluck.\u201d But you <em>can <\/em>learn the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/traits-of-successful-people\/\">habits of successful people<\/a> (hard work, attitude) and emulate them to improve your situation. Isn\u2019t this a more productive way to solve your problems?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The author uses this analogy: suppose General Motors were to reorganize the entire company on the basis of luck, placing names in a hat and randomly drawing for president, vice-president and so on. This would be the world if luck were really the major factor in success. This is ridiculous, right? Rather than luck, people who rise to the top in any organization get there because of attitude, ability, and hard work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to Cure Bad Luck Excusitis:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Take another look at what you consider to be someone\u2019s \u201cgood luck.\u201d You\u2019ll see planning, preparation and practice. Now take another look at someone\u2019s \u201cbad luck.\u201d You\u2019ll likely see mistakes in judgement and other missteps.&nbsp;<ul><li>For example, everyone makes mistakes and has setbacks, but people with \u201cgood luck\u201d learn from their mistakes. People with \u201cbad luck\u201d do not.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Stop wishing for more luck. You can\u2019t change the luck that you get. Instead, <strong>concentrate on what you <\/strong><strong><em>can <\/em><\/strong><strong>control <\/strong>&#8211; developing the qualities of successful people, such as planning, preparation, practice and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-learn-from-mistakes\/\">learning from mistakes<\/a>.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever wondered what makes some people succeed in life and others fall behind? What do successful people do differently? Unsuccessful people have a tendency to make excuses about why things haven\u2019t worked out. But if you look at successful people, you&#8217;ll find they may have experienced those same roadblocks, but they don\u2019t dwell on them. They don\u2019t make excuses. The roadblocks weren\u2019t even a factor.&nbsp; Here&#8217;s how you, too, can stop making excuses and start making things happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":38190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,9,43],"tags":[308],"class_list":["post-37836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motivation","category-psychology","category-self-improvement","tag-the-magic-of-thinking-big","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Stop Making Excuses: How to Cure Excusitis - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"To finally making excuses, you must invert your attitude\u2014don&#039;t waste time regretting what you don\u2019t have. 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