It's always interesting to hear people's reasons for not working out. Not that I am an exception to that statement, I think at one point or another I've used every excuse in the book, and I still fight that inclination. I was talking to a friend a while ago about something totally different, but the topic of excuses came up, and reasons why people don't do things they want to, or should do. She didn't call it an excuse, however. She called it a hurdle. Over the past few days, I've thought a lot about her words, and how a mind set change as simple as the verbiage you use, can make a tremendous difference!
An excuse is something that keeps you from doing something you want to do, or you should do. It's usually something that seems impossible to break through. A hurdle is something you jump over to get where you are going. It's more difficult than a simple straight path and requires more effort, but it's still possible to get over. Hurdles can vary in size. Some are very small and you can get over them with a small hop. Others are more like huge brick walls that require scaling. Regardless of the size, it's still a hurdle, not an excuse.
One thing I realized the other day, is that the larger hurdles, especially, are MUCH easier to get over if you know what they are. If you name them. Finding out exactly what that hurdle is requires active problem solving. It takes more than just sitting and looking at the hurdle. You can't get over it if all you do is think about it. It takes trying to jump over it, maybe even falling back to the ground with a few bumps and bruises to figure out what it is. But each time you smack into it and fall down again, you're closer to breaking through that hurdle. Once you figure out exactly what it is you will know exactly what's required to conquer it. Now, granted, you might not figure out what it is until after you get over it, and look back in hindsight, but even then, you can still use that knowledge to overcome hurdles you'll face in the future.
Hurdles, like taxes and change, will always be present, no matter what you're working towards. There is never a perfect circumstance to get something done. Whatever is preventing you from doing what you want to do now, will still be there next week, next month, and next year. If anything the longer you wait to start something, the more hurdles you'll have to overcome. What's keeping you?
