In “Think and Grow Rich,” Napoleon Hill lists 57 famous alibis people use to justify their lack of success. These excuses are mental blocks that prevent individuals from achieving their full potential. Here are the 57 famous alibis:
- If I didn’t have a wife and family…
- If I had enough “pull”…
- If I had money…
- If I had a good education…
- If I could get a job…
- If I had good health…
- If I only had time…
- If times were better…
- If other people understood me…
- If conditions around me were only different…
- If I could live my life over again…
- If I did not fear what “they” would say…
- If I had been given a chance…
- If I now had a chance…
- If other people didn’t “have it in for me”…
- If nothing happens to stop me…
- If I were only younger…
- If I could only do what I want…
- If I had been born rich…
- If I could meet “the right people”…
- If I had the talent that some people have…
- If I dared assert myself…
- If I only had embraced past opportunities…
- If people didn’t get on my nerves…
- If I didn’t have to keep house and look after the children…
- If I could save some money…
- If the boss only appreciated me…
- If I only had somebody to help me…
- If my family understood me…
- If I lived in a big city…
- If I could just get started…
- If I were only free…
- If I had the personality of some people…
- If I were not so fat…
- If my talents were known…
- If I could just get a “break”…
- If I could only get out of debt…
- If I hadn’t failed…
- If I only knew how…
- If everybody didn’t oppose me…
- If I didn’t have so many worries…
- If I could marry the right person…
- If people weren’t so dumb…
- If my family were not so extravagant…
- If I were sure of myself…
- If luck were not against me…
- If I had not been born under the wrong star…
- If it were not true that “what is to be will be”…
- If I did not have to work so hard…
- If I hadn’t lost my money…
- If I lived in a different neighborhood…
- If I didn’t have a “past”…
- If I only had a business of my own…
- If other people would only listen to me…
- If *** and this is the greatest of them all *** I had the courage to see myself as I really am, I would find out what is wrong with me, and correct it, then I might have a chance to profit by my mistakes and learn something from the experience of others, for I know that there is something wrong with me or I would now be where I would have been if I had spent more time analyzing my weaknesses, and less time building alibis to cover them.
- If I weren’t so busy…
- If I were not afraid of what they will say…
These alibis are self-imposed limitations that prevent individuals from taking responsibility for their lives and achieving their goals. We must confront and overcome these excuses to unlock our true potential.
Which is your favorite alibi?
