Results or Excuses

Many years ago, I met a person who gave me a word of advice that I'll never forget. He said, "In life, you either have results or excuses."

I think he was right. But these days ... his advice would not be considered "politically correct." After all, almost everyone these days seems to have a "justifiable" excuse for his/her own lack of results.

Nonetheless, I still think his comment is worthy of consideration ... that "In life, you either have results or excuses."

Think about his comment, and then think about all the people you know. How many of them get all the results they'd like? I'd venture to say ... not very many of them. And I'd also venture to say that one of the main reasons they don't get all the results they'd like is poor time management.

As a consultant and speaker to many, many organizations, I see it all the time. I see lots of activity ... with paltry results. I see people racing to meetings, and I see projects spinning out of control. I see people feeling overwhelmed, living in crisis mode, thinking that every task that crosses their path is somehow "important."
--Dr. Allan Zimmeran

Teaching Points on Excuses

Wooden’s Two Sets of Threes:
1. Never Lie
2. Never Cheat
3. Never Steal

1. Don’t Whine
2. Don’t Complain
3. Don’t Make Excuses

Excuses
We have been focusing on the Two Sets of Threes with our team. Here are a few thoughts we are teaching about excuses.
1. To make an excuse is to transfer responsibility.
2. We teach that mistakes are meant to be learned from and the excuses get in the way of that process.
3. Responsibility is power.
4. Honest introspection is the first step to changing negative habits. Awareness is the first step to change.
5. The conscious acceptance of responsibility is on e of the greatest indicators of a player’s maturity.