You can always find an excuse if you look hard enough. It’s better to outrun those circumstances in your life that seem to set you back.
Author Larry Winters shares a funny illustration in his book, Live The Dream: No More Excuses. A store owner was about lose his business due to slow sales. It’s no wonder when you see his reasons:
- January – People spent all their cash over the holidays.
- February –All the best customers have gone south.
- March – It’s unseasonably cold and too rainy.
- April – Everyone is preoccupied with taxes.
- May –Farmers are distressed by too much rain.
- June –Farmers are distressed by too little rain.
- July – The heat has everyone staying home.
- August – Everyone is away on vacation.
- September – Everyone spent all their money on vacation.
- October – Everyone is waiting for late fall clearance sales.
- November – Everyone is upset over the election results.
- December – Everyone is saving money for the holidays.
What a wasted year!
It’s a silly illustration, but a good example of how we can always see an excuse to why we didn’t do better.
Church Leadership Excuses
I have seen church leaders make excuses for low attendance:
- Attendance always drops in the summer.
- In the winter, it’s too cold to get out or it’s flu season.
- Play-offs, prom weekend … one thing after another.
We slowly become accustomed to a lack of faithful attendance and don’t work hard to make it better. Eventually, the church loses the motivation and energy to overcome the circumstance and figure out ways to engage, reach, and connect with people.
The gospel is too important to make excuses.
Personal Excuses
I’ve also seen this in my own life with personal discipline. Maybe you have too.
- I’ll start tithing after I get a raise.
- I’ll start eating better after the holidays.
- I need to do more walking, but our treadmill is broken.
- If we had more money, we could tighten our budget to make ends meet.
- It’s too difficult to wake up early for a time of prayer and scripture. I just can’t go to sleep at night.
The truth is, I’ve given many of these excuses and find myself giving them even to this day.
Outrun Your Circumstances With Focus
It’s not easy to outrun your circumstance, but winners do. They focus on the most important thing. They take responsibility for their actions and create habits and disciplines that help them succeed.
The first step is noticing when you’re giving an excuse instead of owning the problem or rationalizing. That’s often easier to spot in others than in ourselves.
Stop giving excuses (even when they have truth). Outrun your circumstances and watch your life become more enjoyable!
