The No Excuses Project: ‘Help will not be available’
This is one of the sneaky excuses – few people will blatantly say they aren’t going to do something because no one will help them, but many of us have said that we aren’t ‘ready’ to do whatever it is that feels like putting on a backpack and heading off solo into the wilderness without a compass or a cell phone. Most of us will never be ready for that kind of experience! I can’t prove that help will show up, but if you look back I’m guessing that it always has in the past especially if you allow for a liberal definition of help to include finding that useful book on Amazon, or an inspiring website, or a friendly ear on an airplane. Heck, help even shows up sometimes as rejection which can either strengthen our resolve or show us that an alternate path might yield the goal more effectively.
Subconsciously I have used this one a lot. Not being particularly good at asking for help, as well as being more inclined to work alone (as opposed to teams) I have a tendency to feel like I’m supposed to be able to figure it all out on my own. But most people with big dreams have been in the same position as those of us still dreaming. So while they may not have travelled the same path or have a specific answer, they remember the feeling and aren’t inclined to stomp all over people. They will show up in your life. As will the books and anything else that you need to move forward, it just may not be at the exact moment you think they should!
I have gotten better in the last few years about asking questions with positive results so like any other new habit or thought process this one takes some getting used to. I’m simply resolving not to use the excuse going forward, to make sure that I’m not subconsciously stopping myself with the belief that help will not show up. It will, my job is to be open to it.
Next week: ‘The past still has hold of me’
