Why are people not successful? One reason is excucitis, or blaming anything or anyone but yourself if things don’t turn out as you had hoped. Excusitis was first coined by David Schwartz, in The Magic of thinking Big.

One big blame contender? Luck. Have you ever said to yourself, “I’m just not as lucky as they are,” or “All I ever get is bad luck”?   That is excusitis, and it is preventable.  Your path to success starts within YOU.   

It’s not about luck

Did you ever notice that “lucky” people get ahead? Well, sort of. Take a closer look.

Entertainer Eddie Cantor said, “It takes 20 years to make an overnight success.” In other words, it took a lot of years of hard work and dedication for him to become an “overnight success.” We often see the success part, but the hard work to get there is hidden.  Eddie didn’t make excuses during those 20 years. He took action.

Let’s take luck at face value

Here’s a version of using luck in business today, revised from an example in The Magic of Thinking Big.

Imagine that a major manufacturing corporation in 2025 decided to use luck to completely reorganize every position in the company, from president to floor supervisor to engineer to technology to administrative staff. They put every employee’s name into a digital database and randomly selected employees for reassigned roles. No attention is paid to skills, knowledge, experience, technical training, etc., and no attention to the order the positions are filled.

• First name pulled: CEO
• Second name pulled: Maintenance Worker
• Third name pulled, International Logistics Administrator
• Fourth name pulled, Director of AI

And so forth until all the positions are filled

Are you getting the picture of a newly organized corporation set up for success? Of course not. Luck in action is ugly for this company.

Why, then, do you think luck is your driver for success?

Instead, look within yourself and create your plan

Okay, you have decided not to depend upon luck for your success (thank you!).

Instead, look within. What are you willing to do to be successful? What resources are you willing to devote to your success? Are you willing to feel uneasy, disoriented, or out of sync with your normal routine for a while as you work to master a new skill crucial to your success?  

Let’s say you answered yes to these questions. What is your next step?

First, decide what you need to change, both personally and in your business. Look at both yourself and your business clearly, without emotion. See both as they are, not as you wish them to be.

As the business owner, what skills do you need to master? What systems do you need to put in place? Where do you need professional and personal training to be your best? Where do you need help to make your dream a reality?

Don’t forget to include the power of mindset. Do you need to make changes there? Remember what Henry Ford said, Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.

As you are thinking this through, sit down and make a list of the aspects of yourself and parts of your business you are committing to work on, to improve. Then come up with your plan for success, including a completion date for each item.  

You can do this. Luck won’t help you, but looking within yourself, seeing yourself and your business clearly, and creating your plan for success, will.

Don’t let excucitis be your downfall.

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Hi, I’m Robin Suomi, small business coach. I work with solopreneurs and micropreneurs, from launch through growth phases. My services include Small Business Blueprint Course: Build Your Success Plan in 5 Weeks!. 1-1 coaching, masterminds and MEG (My Entrepreneurial Growth) Community. Do you have questions about your small business launch or growth? Let me have them. I *love* to talk all things small business. You can reach me at [email protected].