It’s so easy when things aren’t going the way we would like to make excuses, isn’t it? Our past experiences start to color our view. We don’t want to believe we are the problem. But if we realize we are at fault, we like to conclude the problem is out of our control.
A lot of creativity goes into excuse-making. Unfortunately, when all our energy goes into rationalizations, there isn’t much left for a solution. Benjamin Franklin alludes to this in the following quote.
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
Benjamin Franklin
Alibis take the responsibility off of us. If we reason our problem is because of our upbringing, society, or company culture, then we don’t have to make things better.
Instead, we can say it is someone else’s problem. Our rationalizations are our attempts to place responsibility on others. But what if they are doing the same thing? The cycle never ends. We end up pointing fingers at each other and asking, “Why can’t they get their act together?”
Stop making excuses! It doesn’t help us. Rather, our alibis just weaken us. They put the power onto someone else who may not realize what our expectations are. Even if they did, we may discover they may have limited control over the situation as well. What if the solution came from both parties taking responsibility?
Instead, let’s do our part. Ask what we can do to make things right, or at least better. Let’s put our creativity into finding a solution instead of an excuse.
