The Decisions – Or Excuses – We Make Shape Our Destiny

​It’s true. Our decisions determine our future. They influence our achievements,
our sense of purpose, and our overall happiness. Even the seemingly small
decisions that we make every day—what to have for lunch? what time to go to
bed? what movie to see this weekend? post it on social media or not? —are
building blocks of our future selves and ultimately of the quality of our lives.
Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly choosing to either seize an
opportunity for growth or make an excuse that allows us to remain within our
comfort zone. Most of us are hardwired to stick to what we know. Why risk our
sense of security for something bolder and brighter when there’s a chance it
might not work out?
 
It’s a good question. But reframe it. Instead of listing all of the things that could
go wrong (i.e. making excuses to “play it safe”), dream up all of the things that
could go right. The challenge then becomes justifying why we wouldn’t give up
safety and predictability to take a chance. When we allow ourselves to envision
all of the opportunities that exist outside of our comfort zone, the possibilities for
who we can become are endless. We are the limits we create for ourselves, after
all.
 
Not so sure? Does the name Bethany Hamilton ring a bell? Oscar Pistorius? How
about Jason Lester? The competitive surfer, sprint runner, and endurance athlete
respectively, are world-class athletes who have earned international recognition
for not only excelling in their sports, but for doing so despite having suffered the
loss of a limb—in Oscar Pistorius’s case, two limbs. These athletes risked
privacy, humiliation, and their own comfort zone to pursue what lit a spark in
them. And they did so by refusing to put limits on what could be achieved; they
chose the brilliance that comes from choosing opportunity over excuses.

TRADE IN YOUR EXCUSES HERE

Author

Alexandra Hughes.