Best Job Ever!

Chapter 5Career ExcusesAll the Reasons You Don't Have Your Best Job Ever!

He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.

—Benjamin Franklin

I can't

I won't be able to

I wish I could

But it just isn't possible

Because …

So I could never

Because …

1. I don't have the right education
2. I don't have the right network or connections
3. I have kids, a spouse, and a mortgage
4. I am too old
5. I am too fat
6. I'm not smart enough
7. I don't have enough time
8. It's too late for me
9. I don't have enough money
10. I don't want to fail
11. It won't work
12. I need more time to plan
13. I'm too good looking … What?

(Yes, I did have a client who told me he didn't get promotions because he was too good looking. He explained that his dashing looks made others feel insecure about themselves and he could see why they wouldn't want to be around him. That is why he was never promoted. I was so dumbfounded I could do nothing but agree with him.)

“But, I Have Good Reasons for Excuses.”

Excuses are nothing more than rationalizations we tell ourselves about ourselves, others, events, and circumstances. It lets us pass the responsibility off and disperse the blame to anyone other than ourselves.

Why Do We Make Excuses?

There are as many excuses as there are people. Yet, I have discovered there are really eight reasons why we make excuses.

1. We are afraid we are going to fail.
2. We are afraid we will look dumb or get embarrassed.
3. We are afraid of change.
4. We don't like change, uncertainty, and not knowing what is going ...