No Excuses No Exceptions

 A few years back I tried an experiment on myself.

I had a nasty habit of shooting down ideas. I would turn down a new opportunity without even thinking about why.

I was a no-man.

Business or pleasure. I didn’t matter. I wanted nothing to do with anything new or different or challenging. 

Want to try this new restaurant? Nope!

You should try journaling, maybe even writing, I think you’d like it. No thank you.

I lived like this – day after day – for years.

It’s sad and funny to think about now. How I would argue for hours on end about not wanted to do something. Then, eventually I would cave. I would do it. And guess what. I would enjoy it. 

Clearly I had to make a change.

I needed to become a yes-man. 

First, I had to stop thinking so damn much – I was analyzing everything.

What’s the fix, you ask? It’s simple. Don’t think, just do. If I was asked to do something. It could be anything. I would say yes. 

I wouldn’t give myself the opportunity to think up an excuse. You have 5 seconds to make a decision. If you can’t think of a justifiable reason not to go or do, you’re going.

Next, I had to eliminate expectation from the equation. Nothing is good or bad, it just is. We apply qualifiers and expectations to every aspect of our lives. We define our own experiences. Sometimes we define them before they even happen. We do the same thing to people; we judge them without knowing anything about them.

No more!

I was determined to give every experience and individual the chance to define themselves. I challenged myself to keep an open mind. No judgment, no expectations, it was time to live my life instead of trying to control it.

Now, I’m not afraid to take chances. There is no right or wrong. It’s not about failure and success. It’s about doing more. More often. Without trying to figure out how or why. The naysayers don’t matter, The outcome it not important. What matter is that I did it. I tried it. Everything else will work out.

It hasn’t been easy. It has been worth it. And, I did it all by trying less and living more.

You should try it too. No expectations, no excuses.

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