Home   >   Art & Lifestyle   >   Don’t Let Excuses, Failure, and Fear Stop You ~ EFF Off!

Don’t Let Excuses, Failure, and Fear Stop You ~ EFF Off!

By on October 24, 2022

By Michelle Chavez

It’s a shame when you realize, assuming we all come to realize, that you are your own worst enemy. For those of you that figured this out early, well congratulations and you are hopefully taking baby steps to be friends with yourself daily. For those who were just mind-blown by that statement…well, I believe in you and you’re not alone. And for those that know and just continue to be frenemies with yourself, I’ll give you a bow and say, go on with your bad self.

But why do we tend to be our own worst enemy? As a mere simpleton, my explanation is this – we just love to bask in our own misery, self-compare, and cover ourselves with that nice comfy blanket of reassurance that we are fine where we stand. Go ahead, keep on digging those heels in the ground to halt yourself from self-growth.

No, not what you really want? *Gasp* This is my shocked face. I would hope no one wakes up in the morning and immediately thinks, I’ve done too much already, can’t wait for tomorrow to do the same. If you’re still with me, then good. Let’s talk about where our mind wanders and then be a boss and set that mind straight. Tell that mind of yours to EFF Off! Exactly how you read it, EFF Off!

You know what I’m talking about, Excuses, Failure, and Fear. Shake that Sh** Off! You don’t have time for that. Life doesn’t have time for you to be EFFing it up. Alright, now that I have given you a nice colorful intro, let me get to the real meat of my thoughts.

First, if anyone ever said you couldn’t be a lawyer, well, I object. On a daily basis we provide the most convincing cases for ourselves AND have a very high success rate of talking ourselves out of just about anything. We allow ourselves to default to excuses, specifically making excuses, which is allowing yourself to make false reasoning on why you cannot or shouldn’t do something. (Cambridge) It takes me seconds to think of an alternative or let my mind wander to convince myself why I’m not good enough, why I can’t do it, or why I won’t or can’t succeed:

I’ll never be as good as XYZ because I’ve never done that, and I don’t have the experience.

I shouldn’t try that because I might get hurt.

If this sounds like you, then enough is enough. For every excuse you tell yourself not to do something, I challenge you to think of and/or write down one reason why you should do something. Who knows, you may just do it and be pleasantly surprised. Case closed.

Oh, but wait, there’s more. That’s only the E, we still need to cover the two F’s. Our lingering little leach Failure. For those of you that take a leap of faith and try something new, but fail, it’s okay! You’re alive, you’re breathing, and you know what, you just learned a little more about yourself. Change your instinctive thoughts of negativity toward failure into a positive by thinking of failure as personal growth. Look at failure as an opportunity for yourself to become the best version of yourself. If you can’t wrap your head around being positive for yourself, then you and I need to chat a little more. For those who have never failed, wowzers! I want to know your secret and you need to sell your life story to Netflix ASAP. For us mere failing mortals, we just received the golden ticket toward self-improvement.

And now, for our grand finale…!!!! Fear. Fear of failing, fear of making ourselves look silly, fear of letting yourself down, your friends, or your family. News flash! The people around you love you unconditionally, and if their judgement is what’s stopping you, then be like Ari and say, “Thank you, Next.” Remember, people are entitled to their opinions and may even think their two cents are important, but so what? People will talk…I say again, SO WHAT. Unless you are legitimately frozen in fear, then (that’s a different story that I won’t get into) go out there and Be Fearless, Be Brave, and Be Present. Swing those double doors wide open to the best theater in the world, place yourself in VIP seating, and let yourself immerse into the experiences that you deserve. Go out there and work that stage called life!

I am absolutely no certified therapist, but it feels damn good to just tell my mind to EFF Off! Hopefully, it’s a smidgen of relief AND a reminder that life is too short to care or even bother with Excuses, Failure, and Fear. As my boy from the Sandlot said, “Don’t be a doofus, don’t be a doofus,” and get out there and live YOUR chosen life, judgement free. Or at least just quit judging yourself 24/7. Alright, now get out there, and make it happen! I believe in us!

*******

Michelle Chavez has been married for five years to Matthew Chavez. They both serve the USMC and make a dynamic duo! She volunteers in the community, surfs, hikes, does pageantry, and can always be found near food trucks. Her motto is to stay positive, work hard, and make it happen!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.soto.3994/
Instagram: @mrshawaiiamerica2021
Cell: 928-581-8023
Website link: Meet Mrs. Hawaii | The Mrs. Hawaii America (mrshawaiiamerica.com)

About simply...woman!

We encourage spreading the message of knowledge and wisdom. We appreciate and thank our featured partners for their articles. All information provided on Simply…Woman online magazine is for reference only; the content is based on the authors’ experiences and therefore is not intended as a substitute to the services of a fully qualified professional. Although every reasonable effort is made to present current and accurate information, Simply…Woman makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information.