No matter what I do, I only have one speed. Go. It’s just a competitiveness I have and it’s sometimes to a fault.
Whether it’s business, public speaking, fantasy football, or even a silly contest with friends, I’m going to give it 100%.
The same attitude goes with one of my favourite recreational sports – dodgeball.
Yes, Dodgeball…
Once the whistle blows I go 100%. This is how my mind works and I think it has worked out pretty well for me so far. However, sometimes the body is not always up for what the mind wants. So during one particularly intense game of dodgeball, I leaped in the air, dodged a ball but my legs didn’t come down so quickly and my body did not follow suit, I ended up wrenching my knee pretty bad.
Now I wasn’t sidelined for a year like an NFL running back but maybe I should have been, because this one injury became a recurring issue for me. It’s an injury that is not going away so it is something I need to deal with, however, I began to use my personal injury case as an excuse not to do things.
My knee became my crutch, my go-to excuse to get out of doing something. In fact, I still do use it from time to time. But what I’ve found is that we all have a crutch we use, whatever it may be.
- I am too busy to start a side hustle.
- I am too old to look for a new career.
- I am not technical enough to build a startup.
All classic examples that might seem like viable reasons but are really nothing more than excuses or an unnecessary crutch. A reason to stay in our comfort zone. These crutches, if relied upon often enough will become self imposed prisons.
Crutches can drag you down and hold you back. So take those crutches and break them down, see them for what they truly are:
- Too busy? Or are you just spending your time on the wrong things? In life, time is a finite resource and how you spend it is up to you. Try truly auditing how and what you spend your time on and watch your day open up.
- Too old? Only if you think that way, no one else will ever accuse you of being too old, it’s all in your mind. Did you know that the Walkman was created by Akio Morita when he was 58? Or that Noah Webster was 66 when I completed the American Dictionary?
- Not technical? Get technical. Or hire someone technical whom you can learn from and work with. You don’t have to do it all. (In fact the need to want to do it all yourself is another crutch of sorts.)
Really look into what is holding you back. Break them down piece by piece to make them easier to throw them away. If not, they will continue to hold you back.
My knee still causes me discomfort but it’s just a crutch. Yours are as well, whether they are physical, mental, motivational, professional or otherwise. The only way to let go of those crutches is to change the way you think.
You are not too old to start.
You are not too young to try.
You are not going to make excuses..
Otherwise your crutch will be with you tomorrow and next week and next year. So promise yourself that 2015 is not going to be the year of the crutch. And tell me… Comment right now and let me know what you’ve been using as a crutch and how you’re going to overcome it. I want to hear it.
Make 2015 great…and refuse to rely on a crutch.
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