Joshes and Joshettes, this is my first post in a while but it's an ironic post. The title basically gives it away but none the less this is going to be a fun post. I was reading Everyday Millionaires by Chris Hogan and bam this powerful quote shows up. This quote covers almost every aspect of life, let's find out why.

So, what is this all-powerful, life-changing quote? "An excuse is the skin of a lie wrapped with a reason" - Coach Ernie Hornung. Honestly, this quote may not jump out at you, that's okay just do me a favor and say it out loud a couple of times. Still, just a bunch of words, don't worry I'll explain by giving you some context. I am currently working in the sales department for a big company and the bulk of my income comes from commission. Commission for those of you who don't know is an incentive that pays you based on the amount of sales generated. The company I work for takes it a bit further and has it set up as a pool and tier system. In layman's terms, I get paid more based on how I rank against my peers, this way it's somewhat fair. I was out of work for the entire month of April and started working again in May. I was a bit rusty and ended up receiving a corrective action because I was not able to hit my numbers. Even though my job is sales, I work in the customer retention department and I could not save anyone last month. Last month I ended up ranked 125th out of 150 reps, whereas right now I am ranked 21st. I'm not saying this quote that I read earlier today was the sole reason for my drastic improvement but it kind of is. I know that makes zero sense, but hear me out. All of last month, I blamed my bad numbers on the virus and would constantly tell my coworkers that it was impossible to succeed. How can I expect customers to stay with us if they aren't working it's a lose-lose right? Wrong! My coworkers are getting the same calls and yet they are able to hit their numbers. My excuse was a lie wrapped in a reason (the virus).

So how did I start performing at work? I remembered the month of March, where we were short-staffed and the virus first hit NYC hard. If I could hit my numbers and exceed expectations, then why couldn't I now? I lost my hunger, I didn't have the same drive. Me catching the virus had nothing to do with my drive, my work persona had changed. When I worked at the office, I made sure to arrive an hour early, I was always dressed to impress, and I spent all of my downtime learning. All of last month, I worked from home and my numbers reflected my new work attitude. I wore comfortable clothing, I rarely shaved, I was ready to work a mere ten minutes before my shift started and during the downtime I watched television. The virus wasn't the problem, I was and I let my excuses blind me. Luckily I realized this and was able to do a complete 180 but most people aren't as lucky.

Let's apply this quote to finance, many of us complain about not having enough money. We often say it indirectly in forms similar to "if I made more money, I would _______". We blame our lack of finances on outside sources such as taxes, lack of opportunity, biases in the workplace, lack of time, etc. Unfortunately, these are all lies wrapped in different reasons. Our bank balances are reflections of what we do with our money. To further explain this, let me bring up a story from my past. At age twenty-five, I owed six thousand dollars to a credit card, lived paycheck to paycheck and I was unhappy with the amount of money I made. That doesn't capture my situation fully, so let's dig a little deeper. That credit card debt of six thousand dollars was over five years old, I only paid the minimum and that was barely enough to cover the interest. Living paycheck to paycheck is an understatement because at the end of each month my bank balance was under five dollars. I was also looking to leave a great job because I felt like I wasn't earning enough. I blamed my bosses and said they didn't pay me enough, if only I had enough money I wouldn't be in this predicament. An increase in pay would not have helped my situation because my spending habits and work ethics were the problems. I picked up a copy of The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey and learned how to tell my money where to go. While tracking my expenses, I noticed I had spent two thousand dollars on a phone game in less than three months. See my pay wasn't the reason for my lack of finances it was me and my spending habits.

Now let's come full circle, why haven't I posted since March 22nd? Was it because I was sick with the virus? Nope, Sam Walton wrote Made In America while on his death bed. Was there nothing to write about? No, there was plenty to write about, I have a long list of topics. I just didn't I could blame it on the pain that goes through my body daily, or lack of motivation or depression but all signs point back to me. I took it upon myself not to write even though I was beginning to see results. There is no way to fix the past but we can learn from it. It all comes down to accountability. It doesn't matter if you are in a mastermind group or have a mentor, at the end of the day we are responsible for our actions. Remember to be successful it's your right, duty, and responsibility.