Standing Still

Hi, friends! Thanks for joining once again for the latest installment of Parenting on Pennies. Today's post is a little different. Today's post, I have a challenge for you.

I've noticed lately that we make a lot of excuses for things. We will find all kinds of reason as to why something won't work. We just know that something can't be done. There's a famous saying:

"Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right."

Wow. Let that sink in for a moment. How true is that statement? Just think about how much we hold ourselves back out of fear, doubt, or just lack of motivation. 

I'll give you all a personal example. In my post "Do the Hustle", I talk about my new job. Y'all, it's awesome. It is so much fun. I can make money from home, and I enjoy what I do each and every day. Do you know how long I talked myself out of doing this job? My application had been submitted in 2017! It's 2019! I told myself, "Oh, this is too much trouble." (It's really not.) "You'll hate teaching kids that young." (I don't.) "You'll look like a fool." (So?) Between my laziness, my fear and my pride, I convinced myself that I was too good to do this job. You know what? It isn't too much trouble. I love my students, and I don't look like a fool. I look like a dedicated teacher who's having a blast! 

I know people that won't budget because they don't want to be self-disciplined enough to become debt-free. I know people who toy around with the Baby Steps but never make any progress because they don't want to truly change. I know people that won't pursue other job opportunities because they don't want to go out of their comfort zone. I know people that make excuses as to why they are stuck in their circumstances when in reality, they are simply afraid. And it's because of this fear that we end up standing still. I shared my personal experience with not pursuing a particular job, but we all do this in many areas. And I'm just as guilty as the next person. Even more so in some areas.

Here are the main reasons why we stand still: 

1. Pride
This one is really the main issue at hand in all of us. No one likes to think of themselves as prideful, yet we are. Why are we scared of failure? Because we fear what others think of us. This care of self-image is 100% due to pride.

Clearly, I battle pride. I don't think of myself as someone who is prideful, but if you read any of my statements in the above paragraphs, it's a very strong character flaw I possess.

2. Fear

This one is huge. We all have fears. Many of us fear failure (which really is due to our pride). Many of us are afraid to be pushed into discomfort. When I taught in public school, I would tell my students that when they were struggling with a concept or an idea - it was a good thing! Their brains were trying to make new connections. They were growing. Growth can be uncomfortable. No one wants to be pushed into feeling uncomfortable - least of all adults! 

3. Judgment from Others

This feeds directly into our pride yet again. Here's an example:

Let me tell you a story:
A family who is in debt wants to change. Their debt isn't anything out of the ordinary. They've simply been living above their means for quite some time. It's a few credit cards here, a car payment there, and a student loan they've paid the minimum on for 15 years. They no longer wish to live paycheck to paycheck. They need to shock the system to help jump start their debt snowball. Dad is looking for part-time work in the evenings. He sees the local pizza place needs delivery drivers. He knows he should apply but he won't because he's too worried what others may think when they see him delivering pizzas to their home. "You're delivering pizzas? What?!" You know what they should see? A man taking care of his family. A man taking responsibility for the mess he and his family made.

4. Laziness

This was another reason that I couldn't allow myself to succeed. I absolutely shudder to think at the amount of money (not to mention the steady stream of students) I could've had if I had pushed myself to get my act together.  And when I would sit down to actually follow through with this online teaching gig, numbers 1 through 3 would resurface all over again and I wouldn't follow through.

So here's the challenge:
Take a day and really self-reflect. What is a personal goal that you've had for a while and you haven't been able to get any traction? It could be anything. It could be health or fitness related. It could be money related. It could be relationship related. It could be job related. Whatever it may be, define the goal. Then, follow the SMART steps to see it through. Essentially, you are writing your goal down and creating a plan of action. No more excuses. No more ego getting in your way. Set a deadline. Find someone to hold you accountable. It's time to act!

Thank you again for stopping by! I can't wait to see what goals you're setting for yourselves!