That Excuse Is Not Accepted

That Excuse Is Not Accepted

I read the story of a man, who probably as kid, underwent an IQ test and was labelled as having average intelligence. While in high school, he did not take his studies or future seriously. He barely got accepted to the university where he applied. While in college, he encountered a professor who inspired him. He realised that while he couldn’t change his IQ, he could control how long and how well he studied. He took an optional course on study techniques and began to discipline himself to study his books while his friends were partying. He graduated with a high grade point average that surpassed even his own expectations and was recruited by a top company.

What was the reason for James’ academic success? Attitude! His attitude! He developed a can do attitude and this made up for his apparent intellectual shortcoming. This tells me something. I don’t have an excuse for not making it in life. You don’t have an excuse for remaining a failure. While it is true that there are some things you do not have control over, there are many things you do have control over. For example, you can’t control your looks – they are determined genetically. But you can control your appearance. You can’t control your IQ but you can control how well and how hard you think. You may not have control over how much talent you have in a given area but you can control how much effort you expend to develop the talent you are born with.

Can you see that there are many things you can control about your life? You can’t just go on brooding over those things you cannot control about yourself. The truth is you can gain control over your life. All you need to do is to focus on those things you have control over. Then you will be able to lead your life instead of letting life lead you. How many people have lost hold of the reins on their lives? How many people have become directionless? How many are just drifters in life? A great percentage, I want to safely assume.

I just came back from a meeting with my bosses and at the meeting they encouraged me to resume a certain programme I had abandoned because of my perceived deficiency or weakness in certain courses. I was advised not to entertain any fear but to summon courage and complete the programme. I agreed, apparently because I had started writing this post and I must practise what I preach.

Let me end this piece with a story that reinforces the truth that none of us has an excuse not to achieve greatness in our own right. His name was Mathew Joseph Thaddes Stephanek. He was born in Washington D. C. in 1990. He had a serious disability, dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy. This disability interrupted automatic functioning like breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. As a result, he needed a breathing tube and ventilator, and he was confined to wheelchair. He died just few weeks before his fourteenth birthday.

But his challenges didn’t stop him from becoming a bestselling author and poet, an award-winning speaker and a recognised advocate for disability and peacemaking. All five of his Heartsongs series of poetry books were New York Times bestsellers. Before he became confined to his wheelchair, he had earned a fine-degree in the martial art, hapkido. Despite his physical challenges, he was a practical joker and his enthusiasm for life was infectious.

So what excuse are you giving for mediocrity? What justification do you have for being an average person? What is the rationalisation you are providing for failing to succeed in life? NO MATTER WHAT YOUR REASONS ARE, THEY ARE NOT ENOUGH!