4 Most Common Excuses Holding Back Success

As people dedicated to becoming the best version of ourselves, we all want to be successful. And that’s not just in the way society has painted it to be with the wealth and influence, but in the ways that are unique to us and represent the lives we want to live.

In case you didn't know, the secret to success is defining it for yourself.

But regardless of what success looks like, author David Schwartz says there are 4 common excuses people make that’s holding them back from achieving the results they want in life:

Excuse #1 - Poor Health. People think that in order to excel in their career or have a fun and social lifestyle, they must compromise their personal health to accommodate. They view taking care of themselves as a tradeoff that takes time from other important things… 

But the truth of it is that good health is an investment that facilitates more quality in everything else. And for those who are in poor health, it becomes such a dominant focus that it takes away from being able to prioritize other desires.

Excuse #2 - Low Intelligence And Being Underqualified. As people reflect on the vision they’ve casted for themselves, who they can be, and the level that they can contribute at... Often they feel like an imposter. They reason that they’re not smart enough to excel, or don’t have the degrees or schooling they need to be taken seriously. 

But your goals don’t care how educated you are. All that matters is the extent of action you take toward what you care about, and if you’re not “good enough” to meet the required standard, the fastest way to bridge the gap is with hands-on experience.

Excuse #3 - Being Too Old Or Too Young. Some people think that their time has already passed. That they no longer have the drive, energy, or work ethic to keep up… And that new technologies and ways of doing things have passed them by, and they’re too far behind to catch up. Some think that they don’t have the experience yet to command the respect they need to be effective.

But anyone can learn anything. You can teach an old dog new tricks, and youngsters can catch up fast. That is, as long as the individual has the desire to invest the time required to learn. 

Excuse #4 - Being Unlucky. The most successful people in the world would admit that luck has played a major role in their success. Opportunities had to present themselves. And for those who haven’t had their stroke of luck, or where the timing just didn’t work out, it’s easier to explain away why certain things didn’t happen.

But we’re not just the recipients of good fortune, we’re also the creators of it. The old expression goes “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” You can certainly prepare, and in some ways ‘knock on doors’ which will cause more to open. Richard Branson puts it perfectly - “Everyone’s lucky. I’ve just managed to do a lot with the good luck that’s come my way.” And golf legend Gary Player is known for saying “The more I practice, the luckier I get.”

These are the 4 most common excuses holding people back from success... But what’s an excuse anyway? It’s just an explanation for why something out of your control caused you to not get what you want, or do what you wanted to do. 

And every time you make an excuse, you give your power to everything else. It makes you powerless, and that’s not a recipe for achieving your goals.