Excuses, Excuses

Someone told me yesterday that I am the kind of person who, instead of solving problems, just makes excuses.

I heartily disagree.

I am the type of person who makes excuses to cope with difficult problems, and then solves the problem. I discuss things at length. I explain why I think I can't do something or why I absolutely cannot do something. But more often than not, I solve the problem.

It's one thing for someone to just force a fix. When someone says to me "I like to fix problems, not make excuses" it irritates the hell out of me. Why? Because sometimes, you can't just hammer away a problem. Sometimes, you have to work through different scenarios. Maybe these people do this in their heads. I don't.

I butt heads with myself. I fight between the part of me that wants to fix things and the part of me that thinks I can't. I offer scenarios and shoot them down, then reevaluate. It's a way of checking to make sure what I've already resolved to do is correct. When I am making excuses, it's incredibly likely that I've already made a decision - I just don't want to share it with you.

There is value in excuses. If you make excuses, people expect less of you. This gives you time. Other people run through and say yes, I can definitely solve this, aloud, and sometimes they don't solve it. I say, I might be able to, but maybe I can't. And sometimes I do. I prefer this method. It keeps me safer from failure. Yes, it's a coping mechanism - but it works.

Don't tell me I just make excuses.
I solve problems. I just work them out first.