Excuses excuses excuses. All the time. Why we can’t do this or why we won’t do that. Excuses are the propellers that drive your hand to wave opportunity goodbye. Courage vs stupidity. The trick is learning to tell the difference.

I am sure I can speak for the majority when I say that we try to live our lives relatively dumbass free. We understand that having no previous skateboard experience and attempting to ollie over a small child is just not going to end well. Stupidity – 1 Courage – 0.

However, there is a touched minority that eat a bowl of stupid for breakfast every morning. These people wear their underpants on the outside of their clothing and jump off their roofs. These people attempt tricky trampoline techniques and end up with an unforgiving spring throbbing between their legs. These people operate heavy duty machinery without reading the instruction manual first. These people make me laugh.

There is a big difference between courage and stupidity. My trusty visual aids help demonstrate the fact.

Stupidity

Courage

Stupidity

Courage

Stupidity

Courage

Life throws us challenges that make us feel like we’re standing at the top of a 100ft pole. Scared, overwhelmed, inhibited, we freeze instead of embracing opportunity. When you think about it, you’re already 100ft above the ground, why stop there? Reach for the stars with the courage of a pro guiding you, not the stupidity of an amateur stopping you.

That’s how you step from a 100ft pole: you don’t. You wait it out until that pole is high enough for you to touch the stars. No excuses