This piece is actually about excuses more than anything else. > “Have you ever missed a plane?” she asked. I had not. “Then you can help it. You just care more

This piece is actually about excuses more than anything else. > “Have you ever missed a plane?” she asked. I had not. “Then you can help it. You just care more about yourself than about the needs of others.” Typical. Feelings always come first, and we make excuses to justify our otherwise unjustifiable actions of irresponsibility. But we also confuse what the most responsible thing to do actually is. We assume it is to be on time. But that's what other's expect of us. That's being responsible in their eyes. Abiding by these expectations is done because we fear rejection and accusation and failure. This is not being truly responsible. This is being a coward. The correct responsible response is to simply state you don't want to be there, and not go. State your feelings, because that's who you are. And say so in a polite and graceful manner. Or don't. Just be honest, and spend your time better. That's being responsible. The only thing excuses do is sustain your incompetence and cowardice. If you need an excuse you always have one. There are millions of reasons why anything is not your fault. But that isn't the issue. The moment you reject excuses all together is the moment you lose the life vest that has prevented you from swimming. You need to face the water, not reason with it. You need to actually swim and decide to go somewhere, not float around in a flotation device made of excuses and let yourself be bounced around by circumstances.