We all have a friend, family member, or loved one who seems to weasel their way out of every personal responsibility via the “excuse exit”.
The excuse exit opens the door for a person to escape quickly with little or no accountability.
We all have this tendency at times-- to look for easy outs. So, before any of you have a chance to make an excuse to stop reading this, let’s dive in…
Rich was an awkward kid. He worked hard to fit in with his classmates, but a lack of athletic ability and an eye patch to go along with it made for a tough childhood. When Rich was in 5th grade, he stumbled upon swimming.
It was at this time that he realized that through swimming, he could close the gap between himself and others by outworking them. For the next 10 years of his life, this "secret" served him well. Rich graduated at the top of his class and received a full ride to swim and study at Stanford University.
The next 10 years of his life however would not be so pleasant. In college, Rich found his way into alcohol and drugs. Like many, this wasn’t a free fall, but a slow and painful stumble downhill. It was a slide that left him alone, broke, and 50 pounds overweight.
It was at this time that Rich, much like David Goggins and others before them, made a decision.
That decision was to stop making excuses.
How?
The best-selling author, speaker, and ex-Navy Seal Jocko Willink explains excuses in a simple but profound way when he says, “They are all lies. Every single excuse is a lie.”
He’s not wrong.
When we say we don’t have time it is a lie. When we say we are too old, too busy, too scared, too embarrassed, it is all a lie. Instead, what is really going on is that we don’t want to go through the pain of facing the truth.
Excuses give us exits or, at the very least, help us bypass the truth. It is only when we are honest with ourselves that we realize this. Therefore, the key to stopping excuses is to seek and pursue the truth.
Rich Roll Today
Today, Rich Roll is one of the world’s most famous ultra-endurance athletes and, at the age of 55, is 20 years sober. He’s also a father to four, husband, and a bestselling author. He has one of the most downloaded podcasts in the world.
In one of those podcasts, Rich was asked how he did it. His answer was that he stopped listening to the lies and misguided beliefs that he now calls excuses.
What to do instead?
Seek the truth from within and avoid all exits.
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