Obstacles to Wealth

My father died when I was quite young. He died way before his time and he died very very suddenly. He didn't have the luxury of living a long life during which he could have achieved all his ambitions. But he packed a lot into the years he lived.

The affect of his death on me was that I never took time for granted the way my young friends seemed to. I have always felt the presence of death, like the parrot on my shoulder, a friend, whispering to me that it will not last forever, that time is so precious, that each day is a gift, that there is no time to waste....

.....because I know when I am on my deathbed, looking back over my years, I will not accept any excuse from myself as to why I wasted time and did not achieve what my life's purpose was. Death won't wait, because I have a handful of excuses, so for me, no excuse is good enough.

Napoleon Hill is a wonderful teacher on the subject of excuses. He was pretty black and white about them too, possibly because his mother died when he was only ten. Some people think Hill is a hard taskmaster and lacking in empathy. But I disagree. I think he is like your true friend, who tells you the truth, while everybody else lies to you in order not to offend you. Hill's clarity is of great benefit to us if we can learn from it.

He spent his life analyzing why some people became rich and successful and most didn't, even though they claimed to want to. Over his years of research, he heard all the excuses, and he also saw how most millionaires he interviewed, could have made the same excuses, but didn't. They overcame whatever obstacles the majority of people preferred to turn into excuses. This intrigued him and he included in his book Think and Grow Rich, a list of the most common excuses which he called the "57 alibis".

Some of them may sound familiar to you. If they do, don't try to justify them. Becoming aware of your own excuses for not getting down to the business of creating the life you desire, is the first step to getting there. And every journey begins with the first step. When you see that you could be your own worst enemy, by letting yourself off the hook with whatever excuses you come up with, then you can stop hindering yourself. You can get out of your own way. Because you only have one life. So there are no excuses. Either you make it good or you don't. That's all that matters in the end, when the last post sounds and you depart this earth. As the saying goes, we're here for a good time, not a long time!

In his own words, here is Napoleon Hill's advice on The List of Excuses:

"People who do not succeed have one distinguishing trait in common. They know all the reasons for failure, and have what they believe to be air-tight alibis to explain away their own lack of achievement.

"Some of these alibis are clever, and a few of them are justifiable by the facts. But alibis cannot be used for money. The world wants to know only one thing—HAVE YOU ACHIEVED SUCCESS?A character analyst compiled a list of the most commonly used alibis. As you read the list, examine yourself carefully, and determine how many of these alibis, if any, are your own property."

Hill's 57 Famous Alibis

IF I didn't have a wife and family . . .

IF I had enough "pull" . . .

IF I had money . . .

IF I had a good education . . .

IF I could get a job . . .

IF I had good health . . .

IF I only had time . . .

IF times were better . . .

IF other people understood me . . .

IF conditions around me were only different . . .

IF I could live my life over again . . .

IF I did not fear what "THEY" would say . . .

IF I had been given a chance . . .

IF I now had a chance . . .

IF other people didn't "have it in for me" . . .

IF nothing happens to stop me . . .

IF I were only younger . . .

IF I could only do what I want . . .

IF I had been born rich . . .

IF I could meet "the right people" . . .

IF I had the talent that some people have . . .

IF I dared assert myself . . .

IF I only had embraced past opportunities . . .

IF people didn't get on my nerves . . .

IF I didn't have to keep house and look after the children . . .

IF I could save some money . . .

IF the boss only appreciated me . . .

IF I only had somebody to help me . . .

IF my family understood me . . .

IF I lived in a big city . . .

IF I could just get started . . .

IF I were only free . . .

IF I had the personality of some people . . .

IF I were not so fat . . .

IF my talents were known . . .

IF I could just get a "break" . . .

IF I could only get out of debt . . .

IF I hadn't failed . . .

IF I only knew how . . .

IF everybody didn't oppose me . . .

IF I didn't have so many worries . . .

IF I could marry the right person . . .

IF people weren't so dumb . . .

IF my family were not so extravagant . . .

IF I were sure of myself . . .

IF luck were not against me . . .

IF I had not been born under the wrong star . . .

IF it were not true that "what is to be will be" . . .

IF I did not have to work so hard . . .

IF I hadn't lost my money . . .

IF I lived in a different neighborhood . . .

IF I didn't have a "past" . . .

IF I only had a business of my own . . .

IF other people would only listen to me . . .

Advice to Habitual Excuse-Makers

"IF---and this is the greatest of them all---IF I had the courage to see myself as I really am, I would find out what is wrong with me, and correct it, then I might have a chance to profit by my mistakes and learn something from the experience of others, for I know that there is something WRONG with me, or I would now be where I WOULD HAVE BEEN IF I had spent more time analyzing my weaknesses, and less time building alibis to cover them.

"Building alibis with which to explain away failure is a national pastime. The habit is as old as the human race, and is fatal to success! Why do people cling to their pet alibis? The answer is obvious. They defend their alibis because THEY CREATE them! A man's alibi is the child of his own imagination. It is human nature to defend one's own brain-child.

"Building alibis is a deeply rooted habit. Habits are difficult to break, especially when they provide justification for something we do. Plato had this truth in mind when he said, "The first and best victory is to conquer self. To be conquered by self is, of all things, the most shameful and vile."

"Another philosopher had the same thought in mind when he said, 'It was a great surprise to me when I discovered that most of the ugliness I saw in others, was but a reflection of my own nature." "It has always been a mystery to me,' said Elbert Hubbard, "why people spend so much time deliberately fooling themselves by creating alibis to cover their weaknesses. If used differently, this same time would be sufficient to cure the weakness, then no alibis would be needed.

"In parting, I would remind you that "Life is a checkerboard, and the player opposite you is TIME. If you hesitate before moving, or neglect to move promptly, your men will be wiped off the board by TIME. You are playing against a partner who will not tolerate INDECISION!"

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