#TheMotto

I stumbled across this quote one day while leisurely surfing the vast sea that is the world wide web, and at a glance I was ready to hit like and move one.  It was a pretty cool quote, that was true enough but given the persistent barrage of stuff constantly clamoring for our attention online quotes like this are usually read and then forgotten just as fast.  I couldn't tell you what it was that caught my eye, slowed me down, and caused me to give this one a little extra thought at the moment; but something definitely resonated with me.  I had no idea in that moment how important these simple words would become to me. How they would shape and color my life going forward.

"If it is important to you, you will find a way."

This first part exemplifies what is actually quite a common theme.  Person defies all odds to achieve whatever it is that their heart most desires whether it is to woo their dream girl, or play pro ball, or save the world.  We cheer this unlikely hero on as they power full speed ahead, full of determination: Nothing can stop this person!  Not the pleading of those who love them to give up this foolish dream, not the discouragement from their rivals that they aren't good enough, not geographical barriers, limited monetary means, and sometimes not even the scientific laws that define our world.  

McConaughey consoling his daughter, Murphy, after breaking the news that he is going to be leaving indefinitely to save the world in the movie, Interstellar.

NOTHING!

That is because this thing, tis goal, whatever it may be is what is most important to this individual.  Period.  And as simple as it may sound, almost too simplistic, what people do is ultimately always determined by what they have prioritized as being the most important thing for them.  Essential to their belief system, their happiness, their since of self worth.  Whatever it is, the things we strive the hardest to achieve are those we consciously or unconsciously have deemed to be the most vital to achieve.

On the flipside of this coin we find that...

"If not, you will find an excuse."

We've all heard the phrase, actions speak louder than words, and this holds just as true as ever here. 

Have you ever encountered someone who said all the right things, promised the sun and moon even, yet in delivery they always fell short?  As much as we may want to believe this person, and their intentions, the bottom line is when it comes down to it, if they deliver an excuse as opposed to execution, it is because keeping that promise was not as important for them as whatever it was that the chose to do instead.

They may genuinely have had, or quite possibly even still have the best of intentions at heart, however the proof lies in the end product- excuse or execution.  That's really all there is.

Now, let's take this same principle and apply it to ourselves.

It is easy to judge others when they don't come through, but what about our own actions?  What message are we delivering to the world?  To ourselves?  What are our priorities?

By applying this same rationale, I have found that even in situations where I was being less than honest with myself, just like with others, the proof of what mattered most to me came down to where I focused my attention in creating results. 

For instance, school.  I was constantly telling myself that this was a priority to me, that I would try harder this time because I finally understood the importance of higher education and the role it played or could play in elevating my life.  Repeating this story inside my head over and over I would march over to the local community college, or dial up one of those online programs that had caught my eye recently go through the entire sign up process, and my gosh, this time was going to be different. 

Except, it never was.

Trying to figure out why I could not apply myself towards furthering my education consistently when I knew how important this was, was literally driving me crazy.  Until I applied this way of thinking.

I had to ask myself candidly, and accept the answer- Was school important to me?

Was obtaining a degree a real goal of mines?  Or was this something that I was doing because of external pressures and expectations?  Did I actually believe having a degree would improve my quality of life?  Did I believe it was worth the financial burden of student loan debt that would only grow semester after semester?  Was this goal a genuine fit with the things that were important to me, the things that I valued? 

Actions don't lie.  When it came down to school, at some point I always found myself making an excuse.  The course load was too heavy, or not heavy enough.  The classes were boring.  The instructor was being unreasonable, I mean, come on, I did have a kid and a full time job and... the list goes on and on of excuses I would drum up as to why I didn't put forth half as much energy in pursuing a degree as I consistently did with many other areas of my life.  Those excuses that made committing to school impossible, somehow never hindered anything else I wanted to do.

At the end of the day, I had to accept that I was just feeding myself a load of crap, and that the real reason I didn't apply myself in school, and why I couldn't get through my degree program was because *gasps* it didn't matter to me.  Not enough, at least.  Finishing school was not important to me at this time; and until it was, nothing would make me prioritize that over the other things I had going on and other pursuits I considered more worthy.

This is not to dissuade anyone from pursuing the highest level of education that they want, of course.  Just my sharing a personal story of how I finally came to terms with the fact that for me, school was not priority.  And more importantly how I learned to be brutally honest with myself about what I wanted and what my priorities were. 

Now whenever I catch myself getting ready to feed myself some raggedy excuse, I just stop and ask myself if what I'm doing is truly something I deem important.

I have moved mountains a many of time in my life to achieve the seemingly impossible, because it was important to me.  I know what my capabilities are.  So when I catch myself slacking off, I have to stop and ask myself why.  And be prepared to accept the answer. 

Is this important?  Ok, then let's stop bullshitting, find a way, and get it done!

If not, well then I'm at least going to save the excuses.