“If one wants to do something he or she will find a way.
 If one does not want to do something he or she will find an excuse.”

Isn’t this a fabulous quotation? It led off an email that an artist colleague forwarded to me today. Sadly, there is no attribution, but the quote certainly resonated.

The quote was followed by a series of beautiful pencil drawings of wild animals. At the end of the email, you learn that these amazing works were created by quadriplegic artist Doug Landis, using a pencil gripped between his teeth.

This is an individual who has certainly found a way.  On his website, mouthart.com, he shares his philosophy along with his art. Following a debilitating accident, rather than dwelling on what he couldn’t do, he decided to explore what he could do.

Even though all of my limbs are in fine working order, it’s embarrassingly easy to fall into the excuse trap. And I’m not alone. When family or friends are struggling, my first impulse is to lend an empathetic ear; we all need support and encouragement at one time or another.

But here’s the dilemma—when we continue to dig the same holes for ourselves, it’s time to learn more about why we’re doing it. This is the beauty of discovering our Life Lesson. Understanding and recognizing the challenges that pop up as we try to live our Life Purpose can prepare us to find a way, rather than find an excuse.