My Reality Check Bounced! - Jason Ryan Dorsey [57]
To get somewhere more fulfilling than where you are now, you will have to let go of the excuses that hold you back. Here’s the terrific news: You chose to create your excuses, so you can choose to get rid of them.
Start by admitting your top three excuses—or the ones closest to them. Read what the excuse says about you and what you must do to get it out of your life. Once you have taken these steps, you will be primed to handle whatever twists and turns invariably come your way.
SEVEN EXCUSES TO ELIMINATE TODAY
1. The Age Excuse
When you hide behind your age, your time on earth quickly becomes more than just a number. You show that you attack an unhealthy expectation of opportunity, achievement, progress, or status to that one number. Maybe you are telling yourself that you should be more successful? Maybe you are telling yourself that success is only possible for older people? Maybe you are telling yourself that you’re the wrong age for your ambitions? Whatever your age hang up, you must get rid of it, if you want to live your dreams at any age. Give up trying to change the past. Give up trying to predict the future. Blow out your birthday candles, roll up your sleeves, and put yourself on a path to live like you mean it!
Typical Defeatist Declaration: No one will want to marry me—I’m too old.
From the X-Cuse Files
Julie turned thirty-six recently. It was a sad day for her because she thinks she is now officially too old to get married and raise a family. As a result she’s started dating loads of losers—in a twisted way of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy—and her spirit is only getting lower. As long as she thinks her age determines her marriage options, she won’t have the choice to build the family she’s always wanted.
Moving Beyond the Age Excuse
Step 1: Recognize that there is no right age to succeed, only right now. The key is don’t use your age as an excuse to keep from trying. Focus on succeeding in the present.
Step 2: Interview two people you think are successful, who also began their journey or reached their success at your current age. Find out how they used their age to their advantage. See what they can share with you to help you do the same.
Step 3: Write down three reasons why your age makes you uniquely suited for the success you desire. Carry this list in your wallet or purse.
Step 4: Take a baby step past your age insecurity by refusing to use your age as an excuse for two weeks. Ask a friend whom you trust to point out whenever you use your age as an excuse. When you catch yourself doing this, immediately tell yourself two reasons why your age is actually an advantage. Notice how you feel about your age at the end of the two weeks.
Step 5: Take a big leap past your age excuse by putting yourself in the path of success now. Apply for three jobs that fit what you want. Volunteer for a charity that stretches you toward your vision of success. If you’re like Julie, don’t accept that age has anything to do with finding Mr. Right. Instead, raise your standards and see what kind of potential spouse that attracts!
2. The Education (or Lack of) Excuse
Depending on your Future Picture, formal education may be a prerequisite for living your dream. If you want to be a plastic surgeon, for example, you need a medical degree. For other paths, however—such as becoming a best-selling author, award-winning graphic designer, or starting your own school-reform movement—what you need more than a degree is a willingness to learn, work hard, and ask for help so you can pave your own path. Usually a lack of education doesn’t ultimately keep people from their dreams, but rather a lack of desire to do what it takes to make that path.
Typical Defeatist Declaration: I don’t have the right degree to do what I really want.
From the X-Cuse Files:
Gladys knows how to style hair. She went to beauty school and graduated at the top of her class. For the last nine years, she’s built a loyal following of clients styling hair at a small salon on the outskirts of