I think we all know it, don’t we?
Just as you’re about to fall asleep, it comes and “whispers” in your ear: “You forgot to write that report.”
You’ve barely woken up and it starts again: “You really have to make that call today.” You take a coffee break, and there it is again: “You’d better start working on that project.”
You’re about to close a deal that seems extremely profitable, and just as you’re getting ready to sign the contract, you hear it warning you: “In my opinion, it’s a scam!”

Whether we call it a “guardian angel,” “inspiration,” or a product of the subconscious, it’s clear that we all have the “services” of an inner voice that sometimes seems to be having fun, other times torments us with warnings, details we were tempted to overlook—generally matters more or less urgent, more or less important, which for various reasons we have pushed to the back of our minds.

The Voice We Prefer to Ignore

How do you react when you hear “the voice”? Often, you probably tell it, “Leave me alone!”
Although it reminds you of an important unresolved issue, or a detail that could jeopardize the outcome of long-term efforts, you’re tempted to think that things aren’t really that serious, that almost certainly that detail will be overlooked by everyone, or simply that a certain problem will resolve itself.
When the “voice’s” arguments are obvious, you’ll probably prefer not to confront them directly, coming up with a response like “try again later.”
Thus, you postpone “taking stock” of the arguments it presents to you or try to reach a compromise: “I know I should write that report, but I really don’t feel like it right now. I’d better come into the office tomorrow morning at six. In two hours, the job will be done.”
We’ll talk another time about the methods through which we can take advantage of this amazing capacity of our intellect. The important thing is that by acting solely on the basis of what we call “common sense,” if we truly want to be successful people, the only intelligent response to the messages of the “voice” is this: “Thank you for warning me!”
It’s true that this voice will often be annoying, it’s nagging, and it interrupts at “inopportune” moments, but if you want to achieve success, you’d better pray that “it” speaks as often as possible.
If you listen to it and remove the obstacle it points out, no matter how small it may be, you will likely find yourself in a situation where you have no excuse to fail.

Why We Prepare Excuses in Advance

What does this mean? Let’s consider the following example:
Marian X, a sales director at a construction firm, is preparing a proposal for a potential client whose financial clout cannot be overlooked.
He works with passion, conducts all the necessary market analyses and calculations, and finalizes the proposal within the set timeframe.
As the printer spits out the pages of the prepared proposal, Marian quickly writes a short cover letter addressed to the president of the client company. While going over the letter’s content for a final proofread, Marian hears his “inner voice” warning him that the recipient’s last name might be spelled incorrectly. Although he hears it, Marian chooses to ignore it: he is tired, the name doesn’t seem to sound strange, so he considers an extra check a waste of time. He seals the envelope and sends the proposal.
A week later, Marian’s bid is rejected. In the meantime, he realized that he had indeed made a mistake when he wrote that name. But now it’s too late. Every time he thinks about this failure, he’ll blame the fact that his bid was rejected solely because he misspelled the president’s name.

The Psychology of Self-Sabotage

What actually happened? Why didn’t this individual, after spending weeks putting together a competitive offer, find the two minutes needed to check and correct that name? How do you think he feels now? Is he perhaps having pangs of conscience? Is it possible that someone would reject a carefully prepared bid simply because the name wasn’t spelled correctly in the cover letter?
Marian will never know. However, he will always use this “oversight” as an excuse for his failure. By overlooking a seemingly insignificant detail—one of which he was nevertheless aware—Marian left the door open to countless doubts and regrets, and above all, he will be left with that nagging uncertainty: with just a little more attention, could he have achieved a major success?

Personally, I have seen so many potentially exceptional performances ruined by minor errors—seemingly insignificant details that could have been resolved with minimal effort—that I refuse to believe this is a matter of chance. It seems closer to the truth to me that these mistakes were made more or less consciously.
Is it possible that this is the case? If so, what would be the motivation of an individual who sabotages themselves almost deliberately?

Small Mistakes, Big Consequences

The fact is that, if I can say I’ve done everything in my power (by the way, here’s a question that can be used in any situation: “Am I truly doing everything possible right now to achieve the desired result?”), I have no excuse left to justify my failure: I’ve done my absolute best and practically given it my all.

Well, for many of us, this is a dangerous “dead end.” If we truly did everything in our power and the result is failure, this could be too much of a blow to our personal pride. This explains the need to look for something or someone to blame, thereby “dodging” the responsibility of taking ownership of our own actions. Unfortunately, this behavior is extremely widespread and has practically become second nature for many.
Thus, it becomes possible for:
– a manager to shift the blame for a failure onto their employees;
– an athlete to “pass the buck” to the coach or the training regimen they followed;
– a student to blame the teacher, a lack of time, or a lack of books;
– a merchant to blame the customers;
– the government to blame the opposition.

And this list could go on and on…
Usually, few things bore us more than the explanations someone uses to justify a failure. I would, however, like to suggest that the next time someone feels the need to “cry on your shoulder,” you try to listen carefully: you will discover that the accusations and complaints are used only as arguments to justify the failure.
In fact, what that person really wants to tell you is: “It’s not my fault; I would have succeeded if…”

Responsibility Without Alibis

Pay close attention to what follows that “if.” In nine out of ten cases, you’ll find it’s something that could have been prevented or corrected without much effort.
Far be it from me to suggest that everything can be kept under control. That would be a utopia.
At the same time, however, I return to the idea that whenever your “inner voice” warns you of a problem, of a detail you’ve overlooked, it’s time to muster your reserves of patience and attention to face and overcome those obstacles.
Between us, it’s not the big, obvious problems that are so dangerous, but the seemingly minor ones that are ignored due to a flawed mindset like “Never mind, that’ll do just fine.”
You know the saying, “For want of a nail the horse was lost.” Those details that we feel justified in ignoring out of convenience are the very ones we’ll later try to use as excuses for our failure.

The logical consequence is a statement that seems at least curious: most of us have our excuses ready before we even know the outcome.
We tend to stockpile excuses, to always have an alibi at the ready: “If this happens to me…, I’ll have this excuse ready…”. This makes us feel more at ease, more secure.
But what happens when you eliminate the excuses because you listen to the “voice” that advises you? How can you find a way out when you’ve actually done everything possible, when you’ve left nothing or no one to “take the blame”? How do you cope when you truly have no excuse left for your failure? The answer, however strange it may seem to you, is that you have truly attained the ideal of strength.

The Hardest Match Is Against Yourself

Knowing that we have exercised, to the fullest, our potential to achieve success is an extraordinary feeling. Why?
Because otherwise, even if you use excuses that may be very skillfully crafted, that “voice” won’t leave you alone and will constantly “nag” you, proving that your alibi isn’t valid. On the other hand, when you’ve gone “all the way,” whatever the result, your conscience will remain intact.
Experience shows that if you are able to take full responsibility, no matter how many obstacles you encounter, you will ultimately find the path to success.
If you enter the competition without preparing excuses for failure, you have already won the hardest match—the one against yourself.