16 June 2006

No Excuse

"And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." John F Kennedy

Excuse is the root of blame. It hinders improvement. Only those who do not accept mistakes and avoid responsibilities will always use excuse to shy away from the identified problems. The worst situation is they use excuse to redirect the problems to the one who identifies them, or look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at.

To err is human. There is nothing wrong with making mistakes, as long as the mistakes made are not simple; but it is terribly wrong to ignore mistakes and escape from responsibilities. However, when one is caught doing wrong, the first reaction of that person is usually defensive. Why defensive? Because people always think they are right. The reason why they could not do things right is not because of their ability, but because of the so-called uncontrollable factors such as people's interference. They'll do everything they could to save face, or not to lose face.

Admitting wrong requires significant power. Think not the face thing which has no real value and means nothing, but the actual benefits of taking the blame. It creates open-mindedness. It breeds an environment of harmony. It solves a problem, and prevents recurrence.

Remember: whenever one points a finger at someone else, four fingers point back at oneself.

No excuse. Just do it. Never use anger to deal with excuse.

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