The No Excuses Project: ‘I’ll compromise because I’m not confident enough to fully commit’
November 11, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under No Excuses Project
This past week’s excuse is one that I’m more guilty of than most, which is why it’s so awkwardly worded. I once got stuck getting on an escalator in London (they move faster over there!) with a suitcase so that I was hopping on the escalator with one foot and the other was still on the platform. I couldn’t get any leverage over my balance to either get both feet on or off the escalator. A passing gallant gentleman had to rescue me by pulling me back. I find myself doing that metaphorically in risky projects; compromising on how many or what risks I take so that I end up making an effort but not any progress.
I have seen it in others who have convinced themselves that they have to double their salary with their after work endeavors before they can justify leaving their day job. Most everyone that has made that leap had to go downhill on the income before they could head up the other hill. The problem is nobody can say when the time is right for you, and most of us can’t see it for ourselves either.
I think the only preventative measure for this kind of excusing behavior is just to be aware of it. Ask yourself if you are holding back so that it will be safe to turn back or if you are being taking enough smart risks. Where are you with that big goal? If you can turn back to life exactly as you left it before you started than you probably haven’t given it enough of yourself. Failure does happen as do unmet expectations but if you’ve really pursued the goal with everything you have these tend to manifest as something new and different in your life, not a return to something even more disappointing.
Next week: ‘I don’t have any experience’
