It’s a fact that you can learn from a mistake after you admit you have made it, and that you cannot blame anyone else for your actions because you’ll never learn anything from what you’ve done. You have to own up to your mistake and become responsible. Once you’re able to admit that, you can move the focus of the blame away from others.

Making Mistakes in Modern Society
People are taught in school, in their families, or at the workplace that a mistake is something you should feel guilty about even though setbacks are inevitable and part of everyday life. Unfortunately, these same setbacks also seem to explain why people give up in life: they are not prepared to make a mistake and fail. What we need to recognize as a culture is that goals are challenging and setbacks will become more frequent – you must become dependent on your ability to learn from your mistakes and overcome them.

So you want to write a book. You envision it setting cozily atop the bestseller lists, reviewed with gusto by Time and the New Yorker, perhaps Esquire or Playboy.

Or perhaps it’s a movie you have in mind. You’re going to write the screenplay, wield the camera, sign a few B-list actors to play the parts and earn a best picture nomination at the Oscars. But wait; you don’t know how to write.

You don’t know anything about lighting, cinematography, make-up, cutting film. You can’t even hold your digital camera straight and steady.

I’m Too Busy
Prior to writing this excuse catalog, I invited visitors to my website to e-mail me their excuses for not living at the highest levels. In essence, I was interested in the excuses they have used in their lives. “I’m too busy” easily topped the list.

If you’re overextended, know that you’ve chosen to be in this position. All of the activities of your life, including those that take up huge portions of your time, are simply the result of the choices you make. If your family responsibilities are problematic, you’ve opted to prioritize your life in this way. If your calendar is crammed, you’ve decided to live with a full schedule. If there are way too many small details that only you can handle, then this, again, is a choice you’ve made.

8. No One Will Help Me
This excuse really saddens me because there’s no truth in it whatsoever. The fact is that the world is filled with people who would jump at the chance to help you with whatever you’d like to create. But if you hold on to a false notion that no one will be there to help you, your experiences will match that belief.

If you’ve spent way too much of your life overweight, seriously addicted, lost in poverty, or what have you, then you need to realize that the ball is in your court – no more excuses! Once that belief begins changing, you’ll see help arriving, but the initial movement is completely in your thoughts.