Another month of 2016 is winding down. How has this year been to you so far? Are you still making excuses? Still holding on to what could have happened but didn’t? Still fretting over what happened even though you had no control of it? Or have you stepped out on faith and into your destiny? Have you gotten out of the boat or is fear still holding you? Have you gotten in position to give birth or is the pain too much? Have you come out of the cave or are you scared of the enemy that’s camped outside? Have you discarded those grave clothes yet and lived? Yes or no? Why or why not? These are questions only you can answer. Stop blaming somebody or something; you’re the only one who has the key to your happiness. You can’t be upset because dude went back to his wife, he wasn’t yours. You can’t be mad because girl said she no longer wanted you, be glad you didn’t invest more time. You can’t keep getting mad at folk for not wanting to babysit your kids, they’re yours. You can’t keep harping on the fact nobody will pick you up, the bus runs almost every day. You can’t blame society, you’re grown; take responsibility. Chile, just stop with the excuses.
All you have to do is look around and you’ll look into the face of somebody sick who still gets up to go to work because if they don’t work, they don’t eat or have insurance. If you happen to turn around, you may just run into someone who’s grieving yet they didn’t allow the death to kill them. Pull up social media and look at the parents who are living with a sick child but still manage to be strong. Go to a local church and look into the eyes of a pastor who has the cares of the flock on his/her shoulders as well as those of their household and still manage to work at the church 3-4 days out of the week listening to your woes. Talk to somebody at the job, drive under the underpass and see the folk living there, go into the ICU of your local hospital or simply walk the streets of your city and see how bad things could really be. No, I’m not saying you don’t have the right to have a bad day but don’t stay in the midst of your excuses. Because then you’ll start living the excuse and in ten years, you’ll regret today. Today can be the first day of the best day of your life but you’ve got to initiate the process. And it begins by throwing out the excuse of ‘I can’t.’
Lakisha, the Author 