Daily Inspiration: “Don’t bore me with your excuses on why it can’t be done. Excite me with your vision of how it will be done!”

“Don’t bore me with your excuses on why it can’t be done. Excite me with your vision of how it will be done!” – Futurist  Jim Carroll

The particular phrase came to mind one day as I spent some time talking wth a good friend who was  struggling with some unique challenges in his career path. He was kind of down – he couldn’t see a path forward. That’s not unusual – any time that there is a difficult change in circumstances, it is extremely easy to let negativity creep in, and to let disparaging thoughts be the guiding factor.

It’s best to counter negativity with action – that’s long been my guiding principle!

The Story Behind The Picture

I remember what I went through when I jumped out on my own and established my own career almost 30 years ago. It was terrifying, inspiring, motivating, and overwhelming all at the same time. But looking back, it was the smartest thing I ever did. Today, I have clients all around the world looking to me for my unique skills, guidance, and insight. Heck, even NASA had me in to access my brain – twice!

But I had to constantly battle against the negativity. I remember at the time that I was really effective at coming up with a list of my shortcomings, and not enough of a list of my strengths. Looking back, I now know that I should have been more focused on the latter!

The fact is, it’s easier to be negative than it is to be positive – and not just at a personal level.  And negativity inherently leads to excuses, because that is the easy way out!

It’s a line of thinking creeps into all of the clients who I serve. I deal with Fortune 500 global organizations, where senior executives are full of excuses on why they might not be able to deal with the massive business model disruption occurring in their industry. I often don’t see enough in terms of flashes of brilliance or big, bold thinking on how they will turn the tables around and be the disruptor.

As for you – what are you going to do today to turn your inventory of excuses into a treasure chest of enthusiasm?’’