The Logic of Excuses
Excuses are easy to find. They’re everywhere, waiting to be used. And the funny thing is, everyone can have one if they want to.
Most excuses are born from comparison. We look at what others have, capital, connections, freedom, timing, and convince ourselves we’re missing something essential. But the truth is, everyone you admire could have made excuses too. They just didn’t.
Humans are remarkably skilled at rationalizing inaction. We disguise fear as logic and hesitation as planning. We tell ourselves we’re being realistic, when in reality, we’re negotiating with comfort. Yet when you zoom out, you see something fascinating: everyone who doesn’t act has a reason, and everyone who does act could have had one too.
The Circle of Comparison
That’s how the circle forms, a cycle of self-justification that feels logical from every angle. The person living in the city says life is too fast, rent is too high, there are too many distractions. The person in the countryside says they can’t start until they feed their family or save enough money.
Both are right, and both are stuck. Each uses the other as proof that conditions aren’t right to begin. And so, the circle repeats, endlessly, quietly, convincingly.
The Moment of Breakthrough
Occasionally, though, someone breaks the pattern. They start with what they have, no waiting for better timing, no perfect setup. They read after work. They sell something small. They take initiative when no one is watching. And that small act shifts everything.
Momentum replaces doubt. Confidence grows quietly. Action builds evidence. The person who once had every reason not to start begins to see proof of what’s possible, and before long, they become the example others use to explain why they haven’t started yet.
The circle breaks, and the cycle flips.
The Truth About Progress
Getting what you want in life rarely depends on what you already have; it depends on how you move with what’s in front of you. Action has its own intelligence. Once you start, you begin to see opportunities that weren’t visible before.
Most people wait for clarity before moving, not realizing that clarity comes from movement itself. Excuses will always exist. But action, real, focused action, has a strange way of turning everything you lack into momentum.