. . . because the dog ate my hopes and dreams.
Posted on Jul 26, 2011 | 11 comments
Here is the funny thing about people and excuses.
Those people who really have excuses - they never use them.
Those people who have all the opportunity in the world - hmmmmmmm.
Think about it.
What excuses do you hear on a daily basis where you live?
It's too hot.
My car died.
I have kids.
I don't have enough money.
I don't like it.
I'm not qualified.
I need a better one.
I'm too old.
Taxes. The Boss. Insurance. Family. Pets. Your Bad Back.
Isn't it enough already?
Everything I have or haven't done in my life is my own doing. I have no closet of excuses where I can hang up my failures.
And I can't say I have known many people who can honestly say different.
I live in the free world. I can complain about my government and gas prices all day, but neither are the cause of my inability to accomplish anything. In the free world we can all do whatever we want.
We can run up student loans and go to school for 20 years. We can buy a big house and take 30 years to pay off the mortgage. We can have 8 kids. We can work a job and hate our boss forever instead of trying to find something else. We can drink ourselves silly. Get fat. Get skinny. Get old. We can watch ex-football stars dance like clowns on TV. We can live in the woods and grow our own food. We can ride a bike to work. We can worship anything and everything. We can travel the world with our kids for the rest of our lives.
Did you know if you get pregnant with your second child in China the government will force an abortion?
Did you know if you homeschool in Germany you can go to jail?
Did you know women can't drive in Saudi Arabia? They can drive forklifts at work, but it is illegal for them to drive the forklift backwards. What??
Some people do have excuses.
But we have people in the free world who have excuses as well.
There is Erik Weihenmayer who is blind and still managed to climb his way up Mount Everest.
Chet Dyreson who is paralyzed and yet he built his own wheelchair which he drove across America for charity.
And what about Olive Riley who was blogging away and posting videos on You Tube at 107. So much for it being a generational thing.
We have all had our runs with bad luck. We have all had reason NOT to do something. But in a free world, with so much opportunity, I just can't find a good reason to make another sorry excuse.
All The Best in Your Adventures!
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Flickr image courtesy of plaskota
Such a good point. We are constrained so much by our fears and anxieties!
Once those emotions start messing with us the excuses start flying. I remember I used to be scared of public speaking. So much so I almost dropped out of school. My how things have changed.
No excuses here, and it's a great lesson for our children. Life is meant to lived without self imposed limits! Bravo!
Lainie Liberti recently posted..Big, big, bigger Botero
Our kids need to learn this so much. I work with children who are so conditioned to place blame that they are unable to take accountability for something as simple as an untied shoelace. "These shoes SUCK!"
The last thing kids need is an excuse.
Thanks Lainie!
Great post. Sending on to my husband. We are in the beginning stages of becoming long term travelers and love your posts. We are looking forward to making the switch but those fears and excuses like to try to creep in now and then.
Glad you like the posts! That is always good to hear.
We all have excuses right. I just don't have any good ones. Trust me, I get doubts like everyone. But once I sit and think about it for a while, logic takes over and back to reality.
Let us know about your travel plans. And good luck!
Short and sweet!! I need more posts like this so i can wake the hell up and do something here! We need more fire like this!
Sure thing! I will try and keep the fire coming. As long as I am in this rat race it should be easy!
Thanks so much for sharing this. Your blog in general has had a tremendous impact on my family. Two months ago, my husband and i were overwhelmed by the day to day rat race, now we're overwhelmed by the many possibilities that will be within our reach in less than a year.
Thanks Great! I am still quite overwhelmed by the rat race and the ideas, more so the rat race. I KNOW that once we "escape" life will slow to a crawl. All the best, always feel free to share your thoughts or ask questions. Thanks so much for the nice comment!