Disclaimer: I’m really not a jerk. You may get that impression from this article, but that’s just because I’m being honest. If you don’t like what I say, it’s probably because I struck a nerve and you are recognizing yourself in what you’re reading. If you like what I say, then congrats! You must be living a much more productive and successful life than most people, or you have recently come to believe these things and are on your way to living such a life. Now that that’s out of the way….please….read on.

I find it very interesting that the majority of people I meet in my day to day life are of the impression that they are not truly in control of their lives. Sure they may not say it in so many words, in fact they may say exactly the opposite! But when you can tell what they really believe by how they act and talk about things, especially negative things that happen to them or those they care about.

For instance, how many times have you met someone who has said something like “I’m just big-boned” or “my metabolism is too slow” or “I don’t have time to work out.” I bet you know some people who have said this….you may even know them intimately (hint hint). So what are they really saying – what do they really mean by that? It may surprise you to know that they don’t really mean that their bones are bigger than average, or that their body burns calories slower than average, or even that there isn’t enough time in the days of the week for them to exercise. No no no…what they are really saying is “it’s not my fault that I’m overweight because I’m not really in control of my life, these other things are.” They’re saying “my genetics made me fat and you can’t change your genes” or “I think these other things I choose to do each day are more important to me than exercising.” It’s not that they can’t lose weight because their bones or bone structure is too big, because their metabolism is too slow, or because they don’t have enough time. They can’t lose weight because they don’t really want to! They would rather take the easy way out and blame something else on the fact that they’re overweight and won’t do anything to change it. Now of course there are always exceptions to the rule and some people really do have genetic problems that cause them to gain weight. But for the majority of people….it’s just an excuse. 

That’s one of the biggest problems plaguing America…excuses. Most people in America who aren’t living the type of life they want to live are in two camps. One camp believes that they are in control of their lives and are doing the things they think they need to do in order to live the kind of life they want to live, but they just aren’t quite there yet. And the other believes that they are not in control of their own lives so they don’t even try. Instead they make excuses for why they aren’t doing anything about their crappy situations. Whether it’s body weight, money, relationships, or anything else that’s important to them, instead of looking at the reality of the situation, they just find something other than themselves to blame it on and make excuses accordingly so they won’t even have to try to improve their situations. I have only four words for these people….STOP IT, YOU’RE PATHETIC!

I’ve come to the point where I am tired of listening to people who simply make excuses to avoid having to actually make an effort to improve their situations. These people need someone to help them understand that they are actually in control of their own lives and can choose to either stay where they are, or improve it so they can get to where they want to be. I’m just not the type of person best suited for that job. I’m not making an excuse mind you. I know I could do that job if I wanted to, but I don’t want to. I would rather help the people who actually realize that they are in control. I want to help those people to improve themselves and their situations, to improve their lives. I want to help people who want help, not the people who don’t. I’ll try to explain this concept to those who haven’t heard it before, but if they don’t believe it and just keep making excuses – that to me means that they don’t really want to change because they’re too scared of changing, or too comfortable with their life as it is. It’s not worth my time or effort to spend time talking or listening to those types of people. 

Anyway, what do you believe? Are you in control of your life or are you just a pawn in the game of life, subject to the whims of others? I choose to believe I am in control of my own life. I know that things can and will happen to and around me that are out of my control. But what I choose to do is and will always be within my control. If I get knocked down, I can choose to get back up. If I get cheated out of something that is rightfully mine, I can choose to earn it again. If I try something and fail miserably, I can choose to learn from my mistakes and do better next time. If I am overweight, I can choose to eat right and find time to exercise to get back in shape. I can choose…that’s the point. So can you!