In third place, we have… “I’m just not in the mood” Second place goes to…. “I can’t afford it right now” And the winner is…. Drum roll please…”I don’t have the time!”
Post the holiday we are all carrying a few extra kilos and we know that being fit and healthy is much more than appearance, rather it’s a lifestyle choice. Yet we fail to make that choice. We have a multitude of reasons, each better than the next, however we need to stop making excusing and start working towards our dreams, in this case, being fit and healthy.
Let me give you an example. I put on a few kilos in the last few weeks, and I have some great reasons for doing it. I had to travel to Chennai and to Bangkok, both places with lip smacking food and I was bound to pile on the kilos. I didn’t have time to work out because I was in meetings and workshops all day and I have been busy writing a book, where was the time to eat right or to exercise…?
That was the story, full of resons and reasonable ones at that.
So what could have been done instead? Well I could have gone for a run like one of my co-facilitators did during the lunch break. I could have chosen the salads instead of the rich coconut gravy curries. I could have woken up an hour earlier and gone for a workout too or done a few Surya Namaskars.. the options are many but what happened was that I did not take any responsibility. I let reasons and excuses rule over my goals.
We all have heard the cliché, god helps those who help themselves, and rightly so. Sitting back and waiting for your dreams to come true, by visualising, dreaming, hoping, praying and writing them down, is not enough. It helps, but it is not enough! You need to stretch beyond norms and limits!
Looking at the top excuse, “no time”, I invite you to consider time as your most valuable currency. Let’s just pretend for now that instead of sixty plus rupees being equal to one US Dollar, 24 hours are equal to Rs.2,400. Imagine that you only have Rs.2,400 a day and what you don’t spend will be wiped out the next day. Would you allow anyone into your wallet to steal any of your precious money? Would you waste it on things that are not of great value or give you joyful experiences? How would you guard and use your Rs.2,400?
Why then do we allow our hours to be stolen from us day in and day out? Who are your time thieves and will you allow them to continue stealing your dreams from you?
When you have a strong enough intention, you will find a way. Failures will just be stepping stones. There are always enough resources, the only thing missing is strong intentions. We can prioritise our time and money wisely when we are clear about what we really desire.
Read this line aloud. “My reasons and excuses will always be very reasonable, but to have what I desire, I need to be unreasonable.”
Let me give you another example of a woman I know who says she is unhappy with her marriage. Most people will say that she has no choice and that she is stuck. I say look at it from the point of view of personal choices. She does not have to stay there, nobody is holding a gun to her head, and it is not a matter of life and death. She chooses to stay there for various reasons, which stem from her fears or her needs. Her priorities make her choose to stay in the marriage!
Similarly, the employee in the high profile job in a respected multi-national corporation may say, they are stuck. They have to work there and endure the long hours and high standards and demands of their position. Again, they do have a choice, they are choosing this job and all it involves for the pay-offs that they receive. Are you with me so far? They don’t HAVE to work there, they are choosing to.
In all my years of coaching and facilitating workshops, this is probably the hardest pill to swallow, that we have a choice with enough resources. And our reasons and excuses are just that, excuses to keep postponing results. So go grab your change, overcome those excuses and live you dream!
Image courtesy: Shutterstock
More On >> Balancing Act
