Poem: What Excuses Do You Tell Yourself to Fail?

Many people self-sabotage without even knowing it. This poem is about self-sabotage. It is my hope that in some way this poem helps someone.

What Excuses Do You Tell Yourself to Fail?

I whisper soft lies in the darkness of my mind,
“Not today—tomorrow, I’ll find
The courage, the time, the perfect mood…”
But now’s not right. I’m not in the groove.

“I’m not that smart,” I quietly say,
“There’s someone better who’ll lead the way.”
Why try and fall when I could just dream?
It’s safer to drift in the current, downstream.

“I don’t have the tools, the help, the start,
The luck, the voice, the fire, the heart.”
As if success knocks on every door—
As if it’s earned without pain, or war.

“I’m tired, too busy, my plate is too full,
The world won’t care if I push or pull.”
Excuses dress up as reason and grace,
While fear draws circles, I never chase.

“If only they saw what I really could be,
If only the world made space for me…”
Yet every hour I hand away
Is a brick I stack in my own delay.

But here’s the truth I try to avoid:
These chains are ones I self-employed.
Excuses feel warm, but keep me cold.
They steal my now and sell me old.

So what if I tried, with nothing but will?
Let silence break, and movement fill.
No more soft lies, no quiet retreat—
I’m done telling stories that let me cheat.