Eviscerate the excuses
In my experience creating various things and also working with other creative people- I'm going to force everyone into two groups for the sake of this post.
1) those that embrace excuses and use them to avoid doing what they really want to do
2) those that acknowledge the potential excuses but instead of telling some sweet lies to themselves they pass the excuse by and do the work- or if they're unwilling to do the work they are honest with themselves instead of making excuses
EVERYTHING is possible- its just about how bad you want it.
Excuses may make us feel like we get a pass- as we temporarily avoided doing that thing- whatever it may be- but how long can you use the pass? Until your death bed? I believe a lot of people do- and they are filled with regret and live miserable lives. As that thing we want to do will be at the back of our minds reminding us about how we failed it- about how we are a failure. I don't like that voice myself 0_o
If you want to write a book- A) The book exists B) The book does not exist
The excuses or circumstances that prevented said book to come into existence DO NOT matter to anyone outside of the excuser- no one gives a shit how crappy your computer was, no one gives a shit if you didn't have money to eat, no one gives a shit if you were sick, no one gives a shit if your girlfriend/boyfriend was acting crazy, no one gives a shit how lonely you were, no one gives a shit if your cat died, no one gives a shit if you live in a basement of a diaper factory, no one gives a shit if you "didn't have time"
NOW sometimes it is impossible to work on this thing- that really sucks but understand the world is not going to stop and wait for you to have time- it will simply pass you by- someone else will create the thing you've wanted to and that will probably feel shitty. That should change your approach- it changed mine.
A positive thing about creating things is that- no one gives a shit- about what M dot? If you do create that thing- no one will care how crappy your computer was, how poor you were, how sick you were, how crazy your boyfriend was, that your cat died, that you were lonely, that you live in a basement of a diaper factory, or that you didn't have much time.
Once it comes into existence NOTHING MATTERS- it stands on its own- once you've had excuses and then created things and made them real you realize this and it helps you put your life in order. Then you can decide what is important to you.
Now it seems harsh at first BUT when you think about it- its actually kind of liberating- in an age wherein an artists lifestyle is glamorized- having the newest/best gear, living in some cool artsy place, looking all stylish, having famous friends etc- but NONE of that bullshit MATTERS- if you are able to create your thing- however and where ever you do it- THATS ALL THAT MATTERS.
I want to make video games- I started on some projects then stopped- why? I have no excuses- I just wasn't into it at the time and stopped- I hope I do get into it in the future but I'm not going to make excuses- SO I haven't let go of that power- once we make excuses we give the power away to that excuse- If you don't make excuses you KEEP THE POWER to use at a later date-
If I were to say I'm not making a game because learning the software is too hard and I need to take classes or something I just gave the power away to "classes or something" because I'm saying to myself and others that I do not have what it takes and I NEED (insert excuse) to do it. I think that THIS IS IMPORTANT!
So I say take the power back from the excuses! If you're making excuses right now- repeal them- take your power back. Until you do, those excuses will be bleeding you dry.
Eviscerate the excuses and take your life energy back!
*M dot Strange is available for private consulting and motivational speaking seminars to help you stab the fuck out those bloated ticks sucking your lifeblood we call excuses! ^_^
Brought to you by professional weirdo M dot Strange.