Because vs. If

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right. Henry Ford 1863 – 1947 How many times have you uttered the words “I can’t because…”? It’s a phrase I hear often — and I confess, I’ve been guilty of using it too. Our brains are hardwired to believe it’s okay to pass on doing something if we have an acceptable excuse. So as long as we can find a good enough reason, we have no trouble saying, “I can’t, because….” If we only used this phrase for unavoidable conflicts, it would be okay. Unfortunately, that’s not …
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Do you hate deadlines?

Our chief want (need) in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can. Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882 When I was in school, I dreaded and feared deadlines: the term paper due in two weeks, the book report due Monday. Most of us probably felt that dread early on and carried that negative association into our adult lives. But I came to realize that my thinking about deadlines was wrong. Hating deadlines was actually hindering my ability to have the life I truly wanted. Because of my belief about deadlines, I was reluctant to set them …
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What are you excellent at?

And oftentimes excusing a fault doth make the fault worse by the excuse. William Shakespeare 1564 – 1616 Take a moment and think about this question: what are you excellent at doing? While it might not be pleasant to acknowledge, if you’re like most people, I can predict one thing you do exceptionally well: make excuses. Before you get defensive, let me explain. I mentor a number of people. And one of the biggest reasons they don’t achieve their goals is because they’re so good at making excuses. We all make excuses, although we don’t use that term. We use …
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