Life is a rich bed of opportunity – and that is utterly brilliant. But it is also ripe for the most amazing excuses.
Excuses are those little stories we tell ourselves and others to get out of doing something – either something we don’t actually want to do, or something we know we should do but lack the oomph to take the necessary action.
Lack of oomph is a serious condition. It can be categorized by fear of change, low self-esteem, motivation or will-power, and many more things besides. Lack of oomph prevents us from doing something we really need to do, something that would be of great benefit – and to try to justify that, out comes the excuse!
Here is the scenario….
Someone is desperately miserable. Every day, dragging themselves into work feels like their life is just slipping away, wasted, pointless. They feel trapped and yearn for some way out. They have tried the usual things – looked at job adverts, complained to friends and family about their plight, even gone as far as searching ‘how to change my career’ on Google! But they don’t know what they want to do – and even if they did, have no idea how to go about it.
Finally, they find an answer. A career coach has told them exactly how to do all the things they are trying to achieve – the goal that they have been bumbling around blindly is suddenly within easy reach. Of course, there are many people who now look at life’s opportunities and grab that chance with both hands – they get results and sail off into the sunset happy in a new job. But not everyone does…
There’s the answer to the problem right there in front of them. Instead of grabbing it with both hands, they lose oomph and use their energy thinking up excuses instead.
It’s too expensive.
I don’t have time right now.
I’m not sure my partner will agree.
I’ll need to get back to you.
Now is not the right time.
How do I know these are excuses? Simple. If the person genuinely did not think it was the right solution, they would say:
This is not the solution for me.
I don’t care if you are giving it away for free, there’s no way this will benefit me.
There is no chance this is going to work for me – you must be out of your mind!
This is because deep down, the person knows it will be beneficial, it will work for them and it is the best solution they have in achieving their goal, instead of being stuck in a job they hate.
How to move beyond the top 2 excuses
Let’s address the top 2 excuses to move beyond it and find a happy career.
Money
Coaching is an investment. It is not a free service and at first glance it can feel expensive. This is because we are not used to spending money on ourselves in this way. Or are we?
Most of us go on holiday and think nothing of spending a good chunk of money to relax for one or two weeks. What did your last holiday cost? How long did the impact of that investment last when you returned? I know that the feeling of total relaxation left me almost the moment we landed and had to navigate passport control and baggage reclaim!
So, for the same as a holiday, you could invest in a life-changing career transformation that brings happiness long into the future. You tell me, what is the better investment if you are stuck in a job that makes you miserable?
Time
Everyone gets the same amount of time – there is only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. The difference is how we use our time and what we prioritise.
If you don’t have the time right now, what is taking up that time? Is it just a genuinely busy couple of weeks or are you always going to be this busy? In other words, what is the priority placed on your time?
It is easy to use time as an excuse. I’m equally guilty of doing so. I will tell someone “I’m too busy to do that right now.” But what I am really saying is “That is not how I am prioritising my time right now!” because trust me, if a member of my family were to need me in an emergency – I’d suddenly have all the time in the world!
If you are not prioritising spending time on achieving the goal to find a job that makes you happy, what is it that is so much more important? If now is not the right time, when will be?
Both money and time are an investment. As coaches, we understand this completely. But we also understand that excuses are made because someone is trying to justify to themselves why they are not worth investing in.
You are worth investing in. You deserve to be happy and fulfill your goals.
The winner of the best excuse goes to….
Whatever excuse you are about to make right now for justifying to yourself why you are not able to click a simple link to learn more about coaching.
What’s your excuse?
#LiveDaringDreams
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