Excuses

[Aleksander Krstic]

Hi, through many twitter messages Steve mentioned that it is important not to make excuses when trying to achieve something, be it personal or professional life.

So I would your opinion whether this are excuses:

I can't do it because:
-I'm not talented enough
-I'm not smart enough

I kinda figured out by myself that having no time and similiar are excuses, but was wondering about the above examples.

Thank you in advance for your help and much love.

[ssandra]

I would say that it depends on if it is true or not. (same about not having time)

I could say that I would really wanted to be as famous as Britney Spears but that I am not persuing it because I am not talented enough.
This would be absolutely right. People run away screaming when I sing, although I like doing it, I could and should never persue a career in it.

However, if it would be about writing and I would say the same thing, that would be different. That would be an excuse because it is not true.

I´m not smart enough the same thing.

I think I am pretty smart. I´m happy with my level of intelligence. But, I could never become a physics scientist because I am not smart enough. That is not an excuse, it is a fact.

[CoolBee]

No, that's an excuse (about not singing) - if you have got functioning vocal cords, you just need to find a music more suited to your particular vocal characteristics. How about a bit of thrash metal?

Late great Dawn Crosby - singer with Detente anyone? "www.youtube.com / watch?v=BNwmLjJdnk4 "

Not sure if youtube links are allowed so I've separated it with spaces.

Anyway, I digress - if the excuse is I'm not talented / beautiful whatever enough, it's about finding your niche, like those models for 'ugly' agency.

To me, and excuse is when someone doesn't want to do things.
Sometimes you can help people pare away their excuses until there is nothing left except the simple naked truth that actually, you know what, they don't actually want to do it.

There's a big difference between excuses and reasons:

I might genuinely want to do something but have no time right now (but will schedule a time ahead), or if it means retraining, I may not have the resources right now (but will work on getting them together).

those are reasons, not excuses.

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by CoolBee

No, that's an excuse (about not singing) - if you have got functioning vocal cords, you just need to find a music more suited to your particular vocal characteristics. How about a bit of thrash metal?

I have functional vocal cords, but I am tone deaf and cannot hold a tune. This means that I cannot sing (rapping is not singing in my eyes, euh ears) I sing, I enjoy it (have no issues regarding this) but I will never be a britney spears.

That is ok. It is a reason, a fact, not an excuse.

For me the difference between a reason and an excuse is that you can get around an excuse, not around the reason.

[CoolBee]

Ok, I'm genuinely interested, this is not something I know much about, so I'm not challenging you here - is tone deafness curable?
How did you find out you were tone deaf?

(I know it's off topic too!)

[ssandra]

i don´t know if it is curable (never been interested enough in persuing a singing career )

I know I have it because I don´t recognize tones. Very high or very low of course I hear a difference but if they are a little bit more similar, they are the same to me.

Reproducing sounds is impossible for me. I had a music teacher in school who tried. She would hit a drum and I would have to copy that sound (saying boem or something, but in the same tone). After 3 classes she gave up....

[Inthon]

Excuses

[jorgeblanco]

It is a excuse if you use it as a way of not doing something you want to do. I use 'want to' in a very broad sense, feel free to replace it with 'need to' or 'have to'. When it comes to abilities, the sky is the limit. If you are really set on doing something and are persistent enough, your brain will find a way to make it real.

Using the example of music and singing. If you REALLY wanted to be a singer or have a career in music, you would do everything to achieve it, and through persistence, teach your brain to recognize tunes and properly reproduce them.

There are so many examples of people who have been told "you will never walk/talk/etc again", yet through sheer stubborness, they succeed and prove them doctors wrong.

The only limits for human potential, are those we set for ourselves.

[Remiel]

Originally Posted by jorgeblanco

It is a excuse if you use it as a way of not doing something you want to do. I use 'want to' in a very broad sense, feel free to replace it with 'need to' or 'have to'. When it comes to abilities, the sky is the limit. If you are really set on doing something and are persistent enough, your brain will find a way to make it real.

Using the example of music and singing. If you REALLY wanted to be a singer or have a career in music, you would do everything to achieve it, and through persistence, teach your brain to recognize tunes and properly reproduce them.

There are so many examples of people who have been told "you will never walk/talk/etc again", yet through sheer stubborness, they succeed and prove them doctors wrong.

The only limits for human potential, are those we set for ourselves.

Didn't one of those kids go to break world records in running? I can't quite remember his name though...

[Aleksander Krstic]

Originally Posted by jorgeblanco

It is a excuse if you use it as a way of not doing something you want to do. I use 'want to' in a very broad sense, feel free to replace it with 'need to' or 'have to'. When it comes to abilities, the sky is the limit. If you are really set on doing something and are persistent enough, your brain will find a way to make it real.

Using the example of music and singing. If you REALLY wanted to be a singer or have a career in music, you would do everything to achieve it, and through persistence, teach your brain to recognize tunes and properly reproduce them.

There are so many examples of people who have been told "you will never walk/talk/etc again", yet through sheer stubborness, they succeed and prove them doctors wrong.

The only limits for human potential, are those we set for ourselves.

Thank you, that's what I was wondering about.