Excuses Begone! Part 3 of 12: Your Excuse Catalog
September 25, 2009 by dr. lam
I love this idea of Dyer’s, which is to come up with the concocted excuses that you have developed that block you from attaining your goals, then break through them. Obviously, this short blog is too limited a forum to repeat every one of Dyer’s excuses in his chapter on “your excuse catalog” and the way to overcome them so I encourage everyone to purchase his book and read and overcome your own excuses.
For example, excuses that we have programmed are as follows: ”It is too risky to change”; “My family genes limit me from doing it”; “It has never been done”; “It is too big to do”; “I don’t have enough energy”; “I’ve always been fat”; “I am not smart enough”; “I am not strong enough”; etc. He punctures each and every one of these myths by enumerating tactics to overcome them. Dyer should know, as he quit drugs, smoking, affairs, and drinking decades ago in a former life.
As some examples, “I don’t deserve it” can be overcome by destroying your innate tendency toward low self-esteem. As Gloria Steinem writes “self-esteem isn’t everything; it’s just that there’s nothing without it.” When we reprogram our belief that these programmed lies about ourselves are what restrict us, we can begin to have a chance to overcome them. As he says, “Believing that you’re not good enough to have unlimited happiness, success, and health is a colossal fabrication that bears no resemblance to the truth of your life today. It keeps you discouraged, with a well-intentioned excuse to protect you from taking action.”
Another example is “I am too old”. We are never too old to love, live, learn, and fulfill our lives. However, we live by certain societal constraints that tell us we need to have a certain education by this age, married by that time, children by an appointed schedule, a career that we want by such a such a time, etc. We live by these “memes” that are not universal truths but just what an arbitrary society wants us to live by an arbitrary standard. We then allow those memes to soak into our genes.
We can live independently of these constraints by believing and reprogramming both our memes and our genes. What is your excuse catalog for why you are what you are, and what are you going to do to overcome those false beliefs today?
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Keep preachin’, Dr. Lam! I need to hear all this. Yeah, come to think of it, I guess I’m pretty much affected by what society dictates as far as how life kind of plays out. Hmmm, a concept to meditate on for me. Yet, I don’t think I’m completely affected by society.
Okay, Dr. Lam!!!…this is going to be my new life philosophy! I really like this! I’ve been having a lot of psychological breakthroughs lately, thanks to your blogs, Dr. Lam!
Have a great weekend!!
that made my day. thanks!!! hope you have a great weekend too!