Excuses

Excuses are the absolute number one enemy you must run away from. God did not forge weak men or women; He designed us for strength, and responsibility is our divine call. As sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, and active members of society, we must remain hyper-vigilant so that excuses do not stop us from accomplishing what we must. I deeply understand that some days are heavy and the drive to perform feels entirely absent. But excuses follow a deadly pattern: “I will do it tomorrow” becomes “I will do it next week,” and eventually mutates into “I am not ready yet.” We constantly seek perfect conditions, which simply do not exist! When a man or woman resolves to do something, and it is rooted in their heart and mind, only death should be able to stop them. A single excuse has the power to permanently derail your health, your family, your home, your safety, and your own soul. The consequences of indulging in excuses range from lifelong mediocrity to death itself. You must know exactly what you want and where you are going. If your goal is honorable and not selfishly destructive, you must step into action and become relentlessly accountable. Do exactly what you say you will do, and fulfill every promise. Be wise enough never to promise what you cannot deliver, nor complain about the work it requires later. Never make a promise when you are emotional, angry, or unconscious of the weight of your words. A person who breaks their word loses all credibility; trust is forever lost on those whose actions do not align with their words. To overcome the paralysis of an excuse, anchor your mind on your ultimate duty, honor the Lord with your integrity, and take the very first step immediately.

“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
— Matthew 5:37

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.”
— Marcus Aurelius

“Procrastination is primarily an emotion-regulation problem, a biological ‘amygdala hijack’ where the brain prioritizes immediate mood repair over critical, long-term survival goals.”
— Dr. Fuschia Sirois (Psychologist)

I am not suggesting by any means that life is easy, nor am I saying that the world is fair. But we must be fiercely logical: whatever you wish to do or acquire in this life has a cost. Every goal must be paid for with relentless discipline to acquire the needed knowledge, to meticulously plan, to apply precise skills, and to endure the length of the process. If you know what you want and you see the path you must walk, remain utterly vigilant so that no excuse stops you from reaching your goal. When facing the pain and exhaustion of this journey, remember that the suffering of discipline is temporary, but the suffering of regret is permanent. Accept the cost, bow your head, and do the work.

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?”
— Luke 14:28

“If you want something good, get it from yourself.”
— Epictetus

“Grit— defined as the passionate, relentless pursuit of long-term goals—is a far more accurate neurological and psychological predictor of human achievement than innate talent.”
— Dr. Angela Duckworth (Psychologist)

Do not look around at others; look strictly in the mirror! It does not matter how rich or poor you are, how you administrate your time and resources defines your future. With ten dollars, you can easily order a fleeting fast-food burger. But if you make a disciplined soldier out of each one of those dollars, you can buy vegetables, fruit, seeds, and bread. In countries like Guatemala, those same ten dollars, properly managed, can feed a family of five for an entire day. People who use the momentary flavor of a burger as an excuse to waste those resources directly compromise the wellbeing of their household. Fast food carries further consequences: it actively attacks your health, and in a matter of a few years, you will witness the physical decay and the continuous economic ruin of such individuals. We live surrounded by a consumption-driven society that willingly enslaves itself to what looks good, what tastes good, what looks easy, and what looks popular, simply to feel as though they belong to a financial class that disregarding how much money they may have, the consequence of bad decisions and excuses will touch equally the poor or the rich.

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”
— Isaiah 55:2

“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”
— Seneca

“The consumption of hyper-palatable, highly processed foods fundamentally alters the brain’s dopamine reward circuitry, biologically prioritizing immediate sensory pleasure over long-term health and rational economic behavior.”
— Dr. David Kessler (Physician and Former FDA Commissioner)

A profound observation from a friend of mine left me thinking for days: “How can people with no drinkable water have a fifty-inch screen TV inside a home with dirt floors and tin roofing?” I saw this exact tragedy play out one day while buying shoes. A young man with clearly difficult economic conditions was attempting to buy a pair of three-hundred-dollar shoes, splitting the cost into twenty-four agonizing installments. I tried to speak reason to him, asking why he wouldn’t find something affordable in a single payment rather than compromising his financial future. His response was defensive and blind: “This is none of your business! I need them.” When his credit card was inevitably declined, he looked at me with anger, yet somewhere inside, realizing I was right. I offered to help him with twenty-five dollars if he chose a pair under a hundred dollars. His pride answered, “I don’t need that,” and he walked away empty-handed. Pride and vanity will blind a man or woman to their own ruin. When dealing with financial hardship, the cure is absolute humility and the courage to live within the reality of your means, completely ignoring the opinions of strangers.

“One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.”
— Proverbs 13:7

“No man is free who is a slave to his body and its vain desires.”
— Seneca

“Conspicuous consumption is driven by an evolutionary imperative to visually signal status and reproductive fitness to peers, often operating in direct detriment to the organism’s actual economic and physical survival.”
— Dr. Geoffrey Miller (Evolutionary Psychologist)

Excuses possess a terrifying power over human life. Some excuses drive you to avoid doing what you absolutely must do, while others manipulate you into doing things that will destroy you. One of the most dangerous and toxic excuses I have ever heard in modern culture is: “You Only Live Once” (YOLO), “Why not?”, or “I just want it.” I strongly suggest you: every time an excuse of this nature enters your mind, take a step back and evaluate the absolute law of “Decision and Consequence.” The impulsive action you are about to take—which is not done just yet—may cost you the running water in your home, the food on your family’s table, your child’s school tuition, or the critical funds needed for a medical emergency. It could even cost you your life. To navigate the intense temptations of this world, you must train your mind to project the long-term consequences of every immediate desire, honoring God by protecting the resources, the family, and the life He has entrusted to your care. I know we all die… But nobody should chase suffering, love or death, they will find you at the right time.

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
— Galatians 6:7

“Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.”
— Marcus Aurelius

“The prefrontal cortex is the brain’s biological simulator of the future; bypassing its executive function in favor of immediate gratification neutralizes our evolutionary capacity to weigh catastrophic consequence.”
— Dr. Robert Sapolsky (Neurobiologist)

Written by: Rhet Arevalo Marini