My dog ate my homework!

“My dog ate my homework!”  Whatever age this phrase was uttered, this is when we started blaming other people instead of looking in the mirror and accepting responsibility for not completing our “homework”.

I got to thinking about this today because I read that Tiger Woods fired his caddie. Stevie, his best friend, best man at his wedding, the man that has been on his bag for 13 years helping Tiger win over $100 million in winnings during that time.  When Tiger hit the fire hydrant and we all discovered what really happened, it was Stevie who kept his mouth shut and stayed loyal to Tiger.

But the more I looked at it; I realized Tiger has “fired” everyone around him since then.  Fired his caddie, two swing coaches, “fired” his wife and his putter.  That’s right…he even switched putters!  Tiger fired everyone except the person actually responsible for hitting the shots and putting himself in those situations…TIGER!

At what point do people quit blaming others and look in the mirror? 

I personally love the people that blame their parents for their lot in life.  Really?  Your parents caused you to spend all your money on frivolous things and now you are broke?  Mad at your Mom and/or Dad because of where you are today?  Really?

Looking back at the past 5 years for Heather and I, it would be really easy to blame others for things that have happened to us and around us, but why? 

Could we blame Wells Fargo for the issues with our house?  Sure.   

Could we blame others for Heather losing her job?  I mean, the company did go out of business so it really wasn’t her fault, right?   

But what good does it do?  Blaming Wells Fargo or Heather’s old bosses get us nowhere.  We still have to get up in the morning and deal with it.

Any time Heather and I are faced with a tough situation and we think it cant get it worse, we are very quickly reminded that it could be much worse!  Be thankful for what you have and where you are and work to make it better!  Sitting around blaming others will only make things worse…for you and for those around you!

I will end with a phrase I will borrower from a co-worker:  It’s not the nuts and bolts in life that matter.  What matters is how you show up in the face of those nuts and bolts.

Are you quick to blame others and sulk or do you accept it and try to make the best out of it?

Life is short!  Let's make the best of it!!