photo courtesy of pattista

It's funny, the topic of this article is excuses and this has been one of my toughest entries to write so far. It has taken me the longest to write. Not that it's any longer than my previous articles, it's just that the subject matter hits home for me much more on a personal level. Of course, I made excuses for it, such as not having enough time, being too busy, writer's block, etc. I then realized I was making excuses for not writing an article on excuses! I had to explore the underlying truths I was attempting to avoid, because as you will read, excuses are masks for a truth we don't want to face. What I began to realize, was that my excuses for delaying this article boiled far deeper than merely writing an article, it was a revelation into why I put things off, why I procrastinate and what I was fearful of.

What are excuses?

Here's an insightful little video about life. The speaker is Alan Watts. It's interesting how he talks about the "music of life." There's a parallel with what I described as the "symphony of your life," in my article The Importance of Physical Fitness in Your Spiritual Journey.

It is in the understanding of ourselves that fear comes to an end. If the individual is to grapple with life from moment to moment, if he is to face its intricacies, its miseries and sudden demands, he must be infinitely pliable and, therefore, free of theories and particular patterns of thought.

Jiddu Krishnamurti, Total Freedom: The Essential Krishnamurti

Self-love involves a yes to myself in whatever I am going through, instead of holding on to some concept of what or how I should be. Any idea I have about who I am or who I should be is never accurate, for it always falls short of the living presence that I am, as this unfolds freshly in each new moment. Who I am is not a fixed entity but a dynamic stream of experiencing that is alive in every moment - when I let myself happen.

John Welwood, Perfect Love, Imperfect Relationships: Healing the Wound of the Heart

When I consider the short duration of my life, swallowed up in the eternity before and after, the little space which I fill, and even can see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces of which I am ignorant, and which know me not, I am frightened, and am astonished at being here rather than there; for there is no reason why here rather than there, why now rather than then. Who has put me here? By whose order and direction have this place and time been alloted to me?

Blaise Pascal, 1623-1662, French philosopher, physicist and mathematician, Pensees

By understanding that there is a purpose to each and every event, that there are no mistakes, we move into acceptance, because then everything is an opportunity for growth and learning. There is value in everything that comes our way, both good and bad. Understanding this will illuminate your life in new and intriguing ways, and will help you learn from the experiences in your life.

Charlene Belitz and Meg Lundstrom, The Power of Flow: Practical Ways to Transform Your Life with Meaningful Coincidence