I recently read this quote , "If you really want to do something your will find a way. If you don't, you will find an excuse." Since I stumbled across this quote I have been amazed by how often it has applied to myself, my children, my friends, and my clients. In assessing this phenomenon I have discovered that people don't even realize when they are making excuses. For example, the salesman who says, "My sales are down because the market is down." He is finding an excuse rather than looking for a way to increase his sales, thus his sales will probably stay down until he feels the market is back up or realizes he is making an excuse. What is unfortunate is that he probably doesn't even realize that he is finding an excuse rather than finding a way.

What do you find yourself saying or doing? If a new idea is presented to you do you think, "How can we make this happen?" Or do you say, "We can't do that because ___ ."

I remember watching the movie Apollo 13 and being struck with the tenacity of the NASA crew in finding a way to get their crippled spacecraft home. If they had been stuck in making excuses rather than finding a way, those astronauts would have lost their lives and impacted the space industry for years to come. In many ways, everyday, people lose their lives to the excuses they make for not pursuing their dreams, not making their plans, not living up to their potential, and not waking up to life.

Start paying attention to your thought pattern today. The next time you are presented with an idea or a plan notice your immediate reaction. Do you start making excuses or thinking about how to make it happen? If you find yourself making excuses, quickly shift your thinking to finding a way. Continue practicing this new way of thinking and soon it will become your habit. Who knows what may open up in your life once you stop finding excuses and start finding a way! Repeat 3 times, "If you really want to do something your will find a way. If you don't, you will find an excuse."

NOTE: Finding an excuse is not the same as being stuck. Often times people want to do things and want to find a way, but simply feel stuck. That's where coaching comes in. Coaching is finding a way. Coaching can help by digging deep to discover where your energy is blocked or tangled, what your true motivation is, how to leverage what is working, offer you new insights, and help you to create an action plan to move you forward toward your dreams!