When you make excuses, you are dishonest with yourself. If you keep making excuses and procrastinating, you will live with constant regret. If you act without hesitating and making excuses all the time, you will be able to accomplish what others fail to do. Success is more about how you respond to life than luck or chance.

Bad things happen to everyone, and you can’t make what happened to you an excuse for your lack of success in life. Oprah Winfrey was raped many times, fell pregnant at the age of 14 and the way she reacted to this enabled her to become one of the wealthiest, most respected woman in the world. She could have just given up and succumbed to the negativity of her circumstances

You can use negative circumstances as the fuel to change your life and propel you forward. When you procrastinate or make excuses, you handicap yourself. Rather than risk failing, you create the conditions that make success impossible. Whether it’s learning a new language, taking a cooking class, writing a book or taking a trip to Europe, don’t put it off. Determine what’s important to you and go ahead and do it without any hesitation.

If you keep waiting for the right time to take action and make your dreams come true, it will never happen. Fulfillment and a sense of purpose keep people living for longer. Decide not to wait for the perfect time to make changes.  If you take the path of least resistance and keep avoiding challenges, you will lack motivation and a sense of fulfillment at having overcome obstacles and prevailed.  Commit to making those changes, and you will feel a renewed sense of purpose and live longer.