When we blame others or make excuses, we give up the power to change. When we give up the power to change, we stop growing.

It is so easy in today’s world to blame other people. We can tweet, post, or email our complaints. We can blame anyone . . . everyone else for what inconveniences us. We can make ourselves feel better by placing the blame on someone else. It is easy . . . it has increasingly become the norm. Students, and some parents, find someone else to blame for any failure or struggle. “It’s the teacher’s fault, the coach doesn’t like my kid, and I can’t step-up because they will take it out on my kid” are all common refrains from the song of blame.

When excuses are introduced into the narrative, when we blame other people, it is the first step to longterm failure. By blaming others . . . by making excuses . . . we retreat from truly growing. When we blame someone else, we fail to embrace what is required of us. We give up . . . we embrace a fixed mindset.

When you find yourself wanting to make an excuse, when you hear yourself blaming someone else, stop and ask, “what can I do to improve my situation.” Don’t abdicate authority over you by pointing a finger at someone else. Instead, look in the mirror and reflect on what you can control . . . YOU!