No More Excuses
How many times have you heard people making excuses for their bad behavior or their lack of action about something? Surely, you've also witnessed individuals making excuses for others, whether its other friends, relatives or children of whatever age.
Sometimes, it seems like the world is full of excuses for things. Excuses do nothing but damage ones integrity by causing distrust by others. That's because excuses can either stretch the truth or are just be outright lies. Excuses also make people and others less accountable for their bad behavior or inaction about something, because it makes them become the "victim".
Of course, there are times when there are legitimate "reasons" for things, however an excuse is what results from a person fabricating an untruth. An excuse attempts to let a person "off the hook" from having to be accountable for their actions. After a while, excuses become transparent to others. They become downright tiring.
When people don't take responsibility for their actions, they become careless in how they treat others and how they handle their lives. They can damage relationships with others, and they spend their lives taking advantage of others and trying to "beat the system".
When someone constantly makes excuses for others, they are enablers and perpetuate the bad behavior or inactivity of the other person.
We've seen the headlines and or have personally witnessed the result of when parents chronically have made excuses for their children during their lives. The children may unfortunately grow up to be irresponsible, violent and mean towards others. I've witnessed the elderly being abused verbally by their own children for whom they've made excuses for. Still the parent might say, "Oh, he's never acted that way before." However, onlookers can sense otherwise.
When people stop making excuses for themselves, they'll take ownership of their lives and their actions. Instead of playing the victim card, they become stronger and can own up to their actions. They stop relying on other people to do things for them and find a way of doing it themselves. They can rebuild other people's faith and trust in them, as long as they don't fall into the pattern of making excuses again.
So, don't get trapped up in the excuses game, whether making them for yourself or for others. If we stand up and take ownership of our actions and let others do the same, the world will be a more honest and admirable place.