Good morning and welcome to the Increase Your Impact podcast. I'm Justin Sua, episode 1837. Today I want to read to you an excerpt from Shane Parrish. It was a newsletter that I received from him a long time ago and I really like it. And I'm thinking about it a lot lately. And here it goes, quote, no one cares about your excuses as much as much as

you do in fact no one cares about your excuses at all except you when people's actions have outcomes

that don't line up with how they see themselves they tend to insulate their egos by blaming

other people or unfavorable circumstances.

Phrases like, it was a great plan but poorly executed. We did the best we could and we never

should have been in this situation in the first place. Are often just self-preserving phrases.

Here's the thing. It might be true. Maybe it really wasn't a bad plan, just bad

execution. Maybe you really did do your best. Maybe you could never have been in this,

maybe you should have never been in that situation in the first place. It doesn't really matter.

No one cares. None of it changes the outcome or solves a problems that still remain just because

something happened that was outside of your control doesn't mean it's not your responsibility to

deal with circumstances the best you can focus on the next move the next move makes the future

easier or harder, close quote.

There is so much in that excerpt that we can talk about.

But the one thing I want to focus on is not making excuses, realizing that no one cares in the big scheme of things, how difficult yours or

mine or anyone's situation is. And the next best thing is to focus on your next move, your next action.

What are you going to do about it? Because how you choose to respond, like Shane says,

will make the future easier or harder.

So my question to you is, given your current circumstances, no matter how difficult it is,

and some of you listening to this are in unbelievably difficult circumstances.

Not minimizing what you're going through.

My question is, what is your next move?

...