“If it is important to you, you will find a way. If it is not, you will find an excuse.” (Kermit the Frog)
Creative people like Jim Henson and many cartoonists seem to also be philosophers of sorts; or at least they often come up with lots of 
meaningful and pithy advice. Today’s little saying, which I saw on my usual source for good sayings – the Jack’s Winning Words blog – is from the mouth of Kermit the Frog , but from the mind of Jim Henson, the inventor of the Muppets.
It is true that it often the case that things that we say we are going to do are not really that important to us and so we find excuses when we end up not going to gym or not attending an event or not finishing a project or not showing up to support a friend; even though we initially said that we would. If we are honest with ourselves we would admit that had we really wanted to do those things we would have found a way. It is also a bit sad when we look back on what we did instead and realize that we selfishly wasted the time with meaningless self-centered activities or no activity at all. That’s the time for the coulda, woulda, shoulda guilt trips that we too often take.
One reason that so many people find an excuse instead of a way to get 
something done is their fear of failure. They somehow rationalize that doing nothing is better than trying and failing. They don’t think about finding a way through or around the potential for failure, they just imagine that they will fail and that scares them off. For others the roadblock to taking action on something is the constant feeling that there is something else out there that is better, more fun or more rewarding to do. Many times these are the people who end up doing nothing at all, because they couldn’t make the decision to try any one of the alternatives. Do you know people like, that? Are you one? For others it’s not the fear of failing so much as the fear of living that stops them in their tracks. They imagine all sorts of horrible things that could occur if they put themselves out there to try something. Those types of fears are whet the terrorists of the world feed upon.
So, what’s a person who is frozen in inactivity to do about overcoming the obstacles to getting things done or accomplishing one’s goals? There are lots of success coaches out there that will tell you that a key component to success is focus. You must focus on your goal or the task at hand. You
must concentrate your mental and physical energy on accomplishing whatever it is and not let you mind wander off into the weeds of thinking about dangers or failure. That is not to say that you should ignore any dangers, but rather that you should stay focused upon doing the right things that will avoid then and still get the task done. If you focus upon understanding the dangers and put your mind to making sure that you do not allow them to happen as you progress you will still have your eye on the goal and not become focused upon the risks/dangers.
A technique that many life coaches use (as do most successful athletes) is visualization. They teach you to visualize yourself being successful. They 
advise you to use that visualization to practice what it is that you need to do and what you need to avoid. See yourself making that presentation that you’ve sort of been dreading. Watch yourself being successful in your attempt to ask out that person that you really would like to date. Play back the steps necessary to get to your goal time and time again and “see” the success at the end that you desire. If you can visualize it, you can accomplish it is sort of the mantra of that approach. Visualization helps you find a way and avoids allowing you to find an excuse.
So, if you happen to be reading this post before you head out for your day 
at work or whatever you have planned today; start out your day by visualizing success or fun or happiness in whatever is in store for you today. If you’re having trouble seeing the way to success, you can always ask for a little help before you start the day. Maybe a short little prayer
that just asks “Lord, help me see the way today” will allow you to put aside your anxieties and step of on the right foot. After all, you’ll have the help of the best life coach of all.
Have a great day! See your success and happiness before you start.
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