EXCUSES
We all have excuses. Children usually blame others for their misgivings. It is human nature. I don't think that children can avoid it. That is where most parents should step in and coach their children about the pitfalls of excuses. In fact, if you really are honest with yourself, you realize that excuses are not just reserved for children. The Oxford Language dictionary defines excuses as, "An attempt to lessen the blame." Think about this for a moment. Our planet recently dealt with a pandemic of catastrophic proportions. The pandemic was caused by a virus that was commonly referred to as Covid-19. The United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, estimated that in 2020 and 2021 alone, 14.9 million deaths where related to Covid-19. Governments throughout the world used an all-hands approach and ultimately in May of 2023, the World Health Organization declared the Covid-19 pandemic over. I mention this horrible pandemic to make a point. Here in the United States, we have several diseases that should be classified pandemics but are not. Therefore, they do not receive the attention that Covid-19 has received, they are however just as deadly physically and mentally. They are obesity and excuses, but in essence, they are related.
Let us look at obesity first, according to the National Insititute of Health, obesity and overweight together are the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, close behind tobacco use. Obesity is a chronic health condition that raises the risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Not to mention the other health problems associated to obesity like type 2 diabetes. Yet, all we hear about obesity are excuses. Please understand that I am not referring to individuals that weight gain is out of their control due to certain cancer medications. We hear excuses such as, its genetics, although, I don't every remember seeing an obese skeleton; it runs in my family; it's the food I'm eating, you see I cannot afford to eat vegetables or healthier, so I need to eat fast processed food; I don't have the time to prepare something healthier; its corporate America's fault, they seem to put 17 Mcdonald's in my neighborhood. I can go on and on but for sure, the one legitimate excuse that is missing is that it is not their fault. I will guarantee you that if you ask an obese person, they will tell you that no one ever forced them to eat. It was all a choice. However, this is a problem, that should be treated as a pandemic. I have my own opinions for the reasons why it is not treated as a pandemic but, this would be for another discussion. The bottom line is that in order to annihilate this "pandemic," you need to take personal responsibility and blame yourself. No more excuses.
Another example of a disease that should be treated as a pandemic but is not, is victimhood. The way I see it, victimhood is nothing but a psychological disorder. I am not professing to be a health care professional. I am an attorney and a common-sense motivational speaker. However, in my opinion, victimhood is deadly. This disease has probably killed, metaphorically, more dreams and ingenuity that any other diseases combined. Just to mention a few excuses for not being productive. I'm too old, I'm too young, I'm not feeling well, I'm not smart enough, I'm not educated enough, I'm too short, the economy is horrible, taxes are too high, I don't have a car, etc. One of my favorite excuses is, I don't have enough time. We all get the same amount of time! 24 hours a day. It seems that with the time excuse, the real issue is time management. I am amazed that schools don't have a major program in enlightening students to a better path and a minor in time management. This will teach them that they are in control of their lives. What a foreign concept! Just being sarcastic! Schools teach children what to think not how to think. I guess a belief that we all can do and accomplish whatever it is we want to do in life is out of the question, at least for now in schools. Teachers may not want to lose control. If I were to listen to the nay-sayers, a Hispanic kid born in government subsidized housing with a stay-at-home, uneducated mother and a father who left Cuba to the United States for a better life, who could not speak English, I would have never pursued a law degree. I say this not to boast about myself but to emphasize that we all have the ability to be whoever we want to be. You are never too old or too young to succeed. If you truly believe you can, you will, the only obstacle standing in your way is you. No more excuses!! I leave you with a proverb, "excuses are merely nails used to build a house of failure."
Just a thought.
Let us look at obesity first, according to the National Insititute of Health, obesity and overweight together are the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, close behind tobacco use. Obesity is a chronic health condition that raises the risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Not to mention the other health problems associated to obesity like type 2 diabetes. Yet, all we hear about obesity are excuses. Please understand that I am not referring to individuals that weight gain is out of their control due to certain cancer medications. We hear excuses such as, its genetics, although, I don't every remember seeing an obese skeleton; it runs in my family; it's the food I'm eating, you see I cannot afford to eat vegetables or healthier, so I need to eat fast processed food; I don't have the time to prepare something healthier; its corporate America's fault, they seem to put 17 Mcdonald's in my neighborhood. I can go on and on but for sure, the one legitimate excuse that is missing is that it is not their fault. I will guarantee you that if you ask an obese person, they will tell you that no one ever forced them to eat. It was all a choice. However, this is a problem, that should be treated as a pandemic. I have my own opinions for the reasons why it is not treated as a pandemic but, this would be for another discussion. The bottom line is that in order to annihilate this "pandemic," you need to take personal responsibility and blame yourself. No more excuses.
Another example of a disease that should be treated as a pandemic but is not, is victimhood. The way I see it, victimhood is nothing but a psychological disorder. I am not professing to be a health care professional. I am an attorney and a common-sense motivational speaker. However, in my opinion, victimhood is deadly. This disease has probably killed, metaphorically, more dreams and ingenuity that any other diseases combined. Just to mention a few excuses for not being productive. I'm too old, I'm too young, I'm not feeling well, I'm not smart enough, I'm not educated enough, I'm too short, the economy is horrible, taxes are too high, I don't have a car, etc. One of my favorite excuses is, I don't have enough time. We all get the same amount of time! 24 hours a day. It seems that with the time excuse, the real issue is time management. I am amazed that schools don't have a major program in enlightening students to a better path and a minor in time management. This will teach them that they are in control of their lives. What a foreign concept! Just being sarcastic! Schools teach children what to think not how to think. I guess a belief that we all can do and accomplish whatever it is we want to do in life is out of the question, at least for now in schools. Teachers may not want to lose control. If I were to listen to the nay-sayers, a Hispanic kid born in government subsidized housing with a stay-at-home, uneducated mother and a father who left Cuba to the United States for a better life, who could not speak English, I would have never pursued a law degree. I say this not to boast about myself but to emphasize that we all have the ability to be whoever we want to be. You are never too old or too young to succeed. If you truly believe you can, you will, the only obstacle standing in your way is you. No more excuses!! I leave you with a proverb, "excuses are merely nails used to build a house of failure."
Just a thought.