“99% of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses .” - George Washington Carver
Definitions:
Excuse: An excuse is a reason which you give in order to explain why something has been done or has not been done, or in order to avoid doing something. - Collins Dictionary
Reason: The reason for something is a fact or situation which explains why it happens or what causes it to happen. - Collins Dictionary
The stories we tell ourselves or others is a direct correlation to our personal identity we have about ourselves. We create our stories to help create rationalizations out of chaos. It is a coping mechanism that our brains use as references to prove that we are correct in our beliefs or programs.
The power of our stories are that they can either empower or disempower us. We can easily change our outcomes by changing our stories but first we really have to become fully aware of our stories. So many times they are so engrained in us that we do not even realize that we are doing it.
Let me give you an example from my personal life. No matter how many times I tried in the past, I kept hitting a glass ceiling. I would rise and then fall after hitting the ceiling. Each fall came with the story that this was my past, and this was where I came from and don't know that I am a victim of my circumstances.
When I first actually heard what I was saying about myself and realized that it was not what I truly thought of myself but it was an identity that had been created by my stories. My repeated failures at breaking the glass ceiling was because my belief, my identity and my stories were not aligned. Not only were they not aligned with each other but more importantly they were not aligned with my inner self, my core being, my soul whatever name you want to give it.
Once I began the journey to fully understand myself, it became so clear where I was unintentionally self-imposing failure on myself. What a rude awakening that was for me. But so Needed.
Because once you know something you can never unknow it. Once you see your patterns of creation (positive or negative) you can easily recognize it when it comes up again, then make a choice.
Does this story empower or disempower me? Is this story an excuse or a valid reason?