Excuses are Like Opinions, & Opinions are Like...

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

~Arthur Ashe

How many times have you wanted to do something (running or otherwise), but didn’t because you weren’t ready to start today or didn’t have all of the tools/knowledge you’d need to get the job done or because the something just seemed to be too much?

You don’t have to publicly shame yourself today, but it’s worth thinking about all of the times we’ve made excuses to stop us from taking action towards our goals/dreams/desires.

Actions Trump Excuses. Every. Single. Time.

Since I talked to Gary Stotler for the podcast a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about some of the parts of his journey.

Remember how he said it took him 18 months to take his first running steps?

18 fricking months! Are you kidding me?

When he got started on his mission to turn his health around, he didn’t waste time making excuses.

No. More. Excuses.

Gary started where he was. He couldn’t run yet, so he walked. And he walked. And he worked on his diet. And eventually the pounds started to come off.

He used what he had. He was in sales, and he had access to books about selling. He devoured those books and realized that many of the lessons about selling and self-improvement directly translated to the things he needed to do in order to lose weight and eventually become an ultra marathoner. And he also had a salsa dish…

He did what he could. At first, that might have only been a loop around the block. But eventually it was two loops. And he kept making small progress toward his bigger goals until those goals simply became stepping stones to even bigger goals.

At any point along they way, he could have let excuses creep in.

But he didn’t.

Was it easy? Hell no!

But was it worth it? I think so.

Stop Making Excuses

You may not have a couple of hundred pounds to lose like Gary did, but we’ve all got big goals that we want to achieve someday.

Maybe it’s quitting your job so you can stay home with your kids.
Maybe it’s running a marathon in every state.
Maybe it’s running a 10k.

Here’s the thing:

Whatever your big goals are, you will never achieve them if you keep waiting for the right time, the right situation, and a clearly defined path to success to get started.

All of those things are excuses you’re making up to prevent you from taking action.

Start where you are.

Use what you have.

Do what you can.

And if you do those three things, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.

What Excuses Can You Eliminate That are Preventing You From Taking Action Toward Your Big Goals?