The Yeah Buts

The mature, well dressed woman walked into my office and sat down wearily. I had not seen her in years. The last time we sat down for a tarot reading, her life was in turmoil. She was trapped in a dead end, loveless marriage and she claimed she could not leave until her child went off to college.

I was hoping that she would be telling me all about lots of exciting changes since our last visit but instead, she was in the same place as she was the last time I saw her – still married and still miserable. The only change to her circumstances was the child, who was now away at school and doing well.

She asked the tarot what would happen if she left her husband. While the cards showed the potential for a dazzling and happy new life she began shaking her head and then it began: The Yeah Buts.

“Yeah but it would be too hard to leave….”

“Yeah but my child would be devastated….”

“Yeah but we have too many financial obligations….”

“Yeah but I’ve been a stay at home mom for years and don’t know how to enter the workplace….”

“Yeah but I’m afraid of dating again…there are no good men anymore….

And on and on she went with a look of grim determination on her face.

For every question she asked and every solution she sought, she had a list of excuses and a whole lotta stubborn resistance.

She was not ready to change nor to take personal responsibility for her life and happiness. Instead, she had created her own limbo and was hoping the cards would show some magical, happy new future. One that would happen without her having to lift a finger.

But life (and tarot) doesn’t work like that. And all the tarot in the world can’t help you if you constantly talk yourself out of making change.

When your life is not going the way you want, it’s time to take a good, hard look at yourself. Are you really making the effort and simply coming against some obstacles? Or are you keeping your self and your life in a holding pattern? Are you making excuses for the life you have now? Is fear or apathy or unrealistic expectations dictating your life?

Most tarot readers really want to help you. In fact, that’s the main reason a lot of us go into the business. But your reading is only as good as your willingness to receive and implement the information we provide. We cannot wave a magic wand. You are the only one who can do that – all we can do is show you the possibilities.

As the client walked out the door, she turned around and said “I guess that reading wasn’t very positive. Looks like nothing is going to change.”

What she failed to see is that it was HER that was not going to change.

“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.” ~Don Wilder and Bill Rechin

“No one ever excused his way to success.” ~Dave Del Dotto

“If you don’t want to do something, one excuse is as good as another.” ~Yiddish Proverb

“The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other person finds an excuse.” ~Author Unknown

Blessings!

Theresa

Do you make excuses for your life? What do you do when you feel stuck? I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comment section below: