<aside> 💡 The fellow who has gone nowhere and has no plans for getting anywhere always has a bookful of reasons to explain why.

</aside>

• Unsuccessful people suffer a mind-deadening thought disease called excusitis.
• All the excuses made by the the mediocre fellow could be but aren't made by the successful person.

The Four Most Common Forms of Excusitis

But My Health Isn't Good

• There is something physically wrong with everybody; the successful don't give in and use it as an excuse.
• Those who have health issues can either focus and worry about them or they can live their lives. I think my dad does a good job of this; he has heart issues, and could use them as an excuse to not live his life, yet he doesn't.

1. Refuse to talk about your health. The more you discuss your ailments, the worse they seem. Complaining bores people and makes one appear self centered.
2. Refuse to worry about your health.
3. Be genuinly grateful that your health is as good as it is.
4. It's better to wear out than rust out; enjoy life.

But You've Got to Have Brains to Succeed

• Most people suffer this malady in silence. They make two basic errors concerning intelligence.
  1. We underestimate our own brainpower
  2. We overestimate the other fellow's brainpower.
• It matters more that you use what you have rather than how much intellence you start out with. The thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than how much intelligence you may have.
• Stickability is 95% of ability; the man who can choose a task and work it until it's finished will land miles ahead of the man of idle intelligence.
• The man who uses his brainpower to show why a task will not suceed will never end up anywhere.
  • The reason people don't suceed in college is not because a lack of brains or money, it's due to an attitude consisting of people who don't like their subjects, professors, or peers.
• Knowledge is only potential power; one has to put it to constructive use.