No Excuses Just Results

I really like that saying, to the point that I had a four foot by eight foot sign of it in the practice arena.
I think that with many of todays’ students it has become much easier to make excuses. If students don’t succeed in the arena there is someone or something to blame. If they don’t succeed in the classroom there is someone or something to blame. Very rarely is the blame put where it should be, on the individual who is making the excuses.
The main problem I see is that it is easy to make excuses and not accept responsibility for your performance. It is much more effort to go to study hall for two hours every day. It is much more difficult to spent time on the spur board while everyone else is watching Netflix. It takes more dedication to spend time in the weight room every day. It takes commitment to show up and work in the practice pen every day.
Or you can use an excuse. You make the choice; you live with your results.
Coaches and teachers have heard them all. They can be rather creative and amusing at times, but the bottom line is they are still excuses. Excuses have become an easy escape for those who do not want to put out the effort, commitment or dedication to their work. As a result of their lack of effort, commitment and dedication they will find blame for why they failed.
Don’t want these types around, don’t need them around.
Make sure that you do not use excuses. Find a way to prepare yourself so that you will not need to use them. Don’t be the person who only practices the day before the rodeo then makes excuses for a poor performance. Don’t say that you don’t practice much because you start to tie slower. Make sure you are not just studying the night before the test. With a little effort, commitment and dedication you can prepare yourself to have good results, and have no need for excuses.
The most successful students and athletes that I have been around very rarely used excuses. They didn’t need to because they took responsibility for their performance in the class room and in the arena. They found the time to take care of the things that mattered most to them. Some were great students, the Academic All-American types. Others have gone on to compete at the WNFR. They didn’t make excuses, they simply produced results.
Be proud of your results. Know that you did the work and preparation to be successful. When you get away from using excuses and accept responsibility you are ready to do great things in and out of the arena.