No Excuse

Any excuse for non-performance, however valid, softens the character. It is a sedative against one's own conscience. When a man uses an excuse, he attempts to convince both himself and others that unsatisfactory is somehow acceptable. He is perhaps -unconsciously- attempting to divert attention from performance, the only thing that counts, to his own want for sympathy. The user is dishonest with himself as well as with others. No matter good or how valid, the excuse never changes performance.

The world measures success in terms of performance alone. No man is remembered in history for what he would have accomplished. History never asks how hard it was to do the job nor considers the obstacles that had to be overcome. No man ever performed a worthwhile task without consciously ignoring many a plausible excuse. Washington might have reported, “The Delaware was running ice that would have crushed our boats.” Lincoln might have said, "The people will simply not support a war to keep the South in the Union." Eisenhower might have said at Normandy (as the Germans did), "The weather made amphibious assault impossible."

To use an excuse is a habit. We cannot have both the performance habit and excuse habit. We all have a supply of excuses. The more we use them, the lower become our standards, the poorer our performance. The better we perform, the less plausible our excuses become.

Next time you want to defend your slothfulness, say instead (at least to yourself), "No excuse". Notice the startling effect this will have your self-respect. You will have recognized your failure. You will have been honest with yourself. You will be a step closer to the performance.