Motivation - Integrity or Making Excuses

MOTIVATION – INTEGRITY OR MAKING EXCUSES


By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

Today’s quote comes from Dr Laura Schlessinger who says:

“People with integrity do what they say they are going to do.  Others have excuses.”

So which one are you?

I remember, as a young child, my father saying to me “You are not responsible for the name that you have brought into this world as it is the name that I have given you, but the name that you take out of this world, is the name that you have made for yourself.”  I am not sure that I understood the implications and the consequences of what he was saying as I was far too young, but these words have had a great impact on my life.

On my journey down the path of what we call life, I have often heard things like “the banks took everything I own, they were the downfall of my business!” Or what about, and this is my favorite “The VAT man is killing my business!”

My question to both of these (and countless others) is ‘why’?  When you started your business and you went to the bank for a loan, presumably you had to sign a piece of paper, in the form of a contract that said – you will pay back x amount every month or words to that effect.  So then why is the bank, now the bad guy, because he wants his money back?  I really don’t get it at all!  What about the VAT man – you collect money on behalf of the VAT man and in payment of this service, he gives you an interest free loan for two months and he also allows you to offset some of the VAT that you have already paid out, against what you have collected on his behalf – so every two months, when he wants his money  back – how it is that he is suddenly the ‘bad’ guy?  I don’t get this either?

Could it possibly because of your own short comings?  Could it be because you have not fulfilled your responsibilities as a Business Owner?  Could it possibly be because you actually are not a person of integrity?

You see, instead of taking the bull by the horns and admitting to our own short comings and admitting to ourselves that we are the ones that have actually messed up . . . big time, we turn to the government, the banks, the interest rates, the weather/global warming (insert anything you want here) and then sit back smugly – because well, we were not at fault and we are people of integrity!

Guess what people?  We aren’t!  If this sounds very familiar to you and it is something that you keep saying – guess what? You are not a person of integrity!  Own it!

But all is not lost because we can change who we are, and this is an easy one to fix! There doesn’t have to be any soul searching, heavy therapy or anything else. 

It’s a simple case of “do what you say you are going to do”!

So now – now what are you going to do?  Are you going to tell me that you are going to do something and then . . . well, only you will know what happens next.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.