12 Common Excuses and their Cures

by Philip Sherman

How can I make more progress rather than more excuses?

"Knowing is not enough, we must apply.
Willing is not enough, we must do."
~ Johann von Goethe

What prevents people from taking action and achieving their greater goals and dreams? There are many reasons, including what images or beliefs a person might have about themselves or the world, their life backgrounds, education, levels of confidence, core values, self-image, and programmed habits, just to name a few.

But for me, and perhaps a lot of other people, simply procrastinating, being lazy, and making excuses seems to top the list of the things that keep me furthest from my dreams. To occasionally succumb to these human weaknesses is fine, but to slavishly be dominated by excuses is not.

It is important to remember the classic formula for success: setting a challenging goal, fighting, struggling, and then achieving whatever it is that you want. This is one of the greatest, time-tested ways to create more happiness, satisfaction and success. To avoid occasionally challenging yourself is to avoid one of the main purposes of life.

Here then are 12 of the most common excuses that can either keep us from changing, or challenge us to grow.

The 12 Excuses

#1 "I am not smart enough."

#2 "I am not old enough." or "I am too old."

#3 "I don't have enough energy." or "I am too tired or lazy."

#4 "I don't have enough money."

#5 "I don't have enough time. I'll do it later."

#6 "I am happy with life as it is. There's no need to change."

#7 "The competition is too tough... I don't have a chance."

#8 "I can't do this perfectly, so why fool myself."

#9 "I really don't know what I should do in life."

#10 "I just can't seem to get started."

#11 "My family life and/or personal past was not ideal."

#12 "If something was a little bit more ... then I could ... but ... so...”

#1 "I am not smart enough."

Let's start out with perhaps the most common and challenging personal belief for many of us to overcome, "I'm not smart enough."

Henry Ford did not have much formal education in the modern, academic sense, but that didn't stop him from doing what he loved. By the time that he was 12 he had started working in a small machine shop, and at 15 he assembled a steam engine entirely on his own, and then later on went to Detroit. The rest, as they say, is history.

"You can't learn in school what the world is going to do next year."
~ Henry Ford

I guess the point of this story, and of so many other great success stories is that most successful people didn't worry about what they knew or didn't know at the time when they began, but just made a strong commitment to simply start, and subsequently learn and grow along the way.

Some dreams that we have might require highly specialized knowledge or skills that, realistically speaking, could not be adequately learned or mastered through trial and error, such as becoming a neurosurgeon or working on a bomb demolition and disposal team; but in many cases, such as creating a new product or managing your own business, thanks to the miracle of outsourcing, many things can be done without our having to necessarily understand highly advanced, technical things. There are many talented specialist out there that are willing and ready to help - but of course for a price, which is understandably so.

Higher education and research has now become virtually free for any person, regardless of race or social position, who is creative enough, motivated enough, and has access to the World Wide Web. Could you imagine if Thomas Edison had access to such to an incredible tool? How many more things would he have been able to imagine and invent?

Perhaps the real excuse now for not being able to achieve greater things is not a lack of intelligence or education, but a lack of curiosity, determination, and strong motivation to try. Worry less about how much you know, and more about how much you do.

"Action is the foundational key to all success."
~ Pablo Picasso

#2 "I am not old enough." or "I am too old."

My feelings concerning age are that if you are old enough to dream it, then you are old enough to achieve it. For those who think they are too young to try something, perhaps this group is more worried and concerned about the negative judgments and opinions that older people or society might have about them. It is important to listen and learn from those who are wiser than you, regardless of their age, but it is even more important to personally define and create who you are, rather than allow other people and the world to tell you who they think you should be. Older people are just older, and it does not naturally follow that they are better, more knowledgeable, or most importantly, more imaginative, creative and open-minded than you - the only thing that they are is older.

Now for older people, my only advice is to just think less and do more! As people get older, they tend to learn and know more, but oftentimes choose to do less. And I am well aware that the newest and latest systems and trends can be somewhat intimidating at first, especially in the areas of computers and technology; but don't worry, if you ever need any assistance, just ask a younger person for help!

An older person might say, "Well, I am 50, 60 or 70 right now. What I want to accomplish is going to take at least 5 years. Aren't I a little too old to try to start?" My only reply and question to this person would be, "Think rationally for a second. If you don't try to start now, how old are you going to be in another 5, 10 or hopefully 20 more years?" We are all going to leave this world at some point in time, but that doesn't mean that we have to give up on our dreams and hopes in advance.

"It is not how old you are, but how you are old."
~ Jules Renard

#3 "I don't have enough energy." or "I am too tired or lazy."
The problem here isn't that people don't have enough energy or are unusually lazy, but that their current job or goal isn't big enough, interesting enough, or exciting enough for them.

So how can you have more fun, excitement and energy in life? Choose a better, more exciting, energizing lifestyle and goal! This seems so simple, and yet so many people are stuck in uneventful jobs, pursuing microscopic goals, or living in ways that they really don't like.

Why?

Fear ... of change and trying something new, and oftentimes a low self-image and belief in themselves. Most people would rather stay with what they know or are used to, even if it is not the best thing for them, than attempt to break out of their own comfort zone and honestly follow their heart. I know this fear personally as I had to face it and eventually bust through, despite not being totally certain of what was on the other side.

Many years ago I was working in a very comfortable, high paying job, and had established a predictable groove and "comfort zone" for myself. I didn't hate the job, but couldn't honestly say that I really liked it a lot either. I finally made the bold decision that, even if it meant a temporary salary cut, I was going to change jobs and follow my heart. In retrospect, this was one of the best things that I could have ever done.

Once you can find a job and have goals that are fun, exciting, and yes, even perhaps a little bit frightening or intimidating to pursue at first, then your levels of life energy and motivation will really begin to soar.

After you can align your daily life activities with who you really are, and what you really love, your work will stop feeling like "work" and start feeling more like a fun challenge or game.

You will also get more personal satisfaction and potentially make more money as well, as people become highly skilled, proficient, and marketable at creating or doing the things they naturally love to do.

If you want more happiness and energy in life, push yourself in new and different ways that will enable you to grow. The necessary energy and courage will naturally come to the same degree as what you need. Having love and passion in what you do is the energetic key.

People are not weak, but perhaps the goals that they choose are.

#4 "I don't have enough money."

This excuse is actually very similar to the previous excuse, "I don't have enough energy," as money is just a different form of energy. Saying that you don't have enough money means that you don't have enough mental, physical or creative energy to make money through some means. A lack of money is not the real problem. A lack of motivation, drive and creativity is. If your goal is clear and your passion is true, you will always find a way to get or make the money that you need.

If, for example, a parent needed to buy an expensive medical device necessary for their child's survival within a month's time, they would most likely be able to find a way to raise the required amount within a few days. Money is not an obstacle if there is great passion, desire, and clarity of purpose. If the whys in life are strong and compelling enough, the hows will not be difficult to figure out at all. The only reason or excuse for not being able to do or have something is because there is not yet a good enough why.

#5 "I don't have enough time. I'll do it later."

Everybody has said this excuse at one time or another. What this excuse really means is that you are trying to do too many things at one time, so you will have to cut out some of your responsibilities or delegate them to somebody else. To put it simply, simplify your life and cut out what you don't need.

This could also mean that you need to better prioritize your tasks. Perhaps you are spending too much time on trivial things, and need to spend more time on what is truly important.

Sometimes, if I feel overwhelmed with a project, I immediately realize that I must break down that project into smaller chunks. This website is a perfect example of that. It was quite intimidating at first to think about all that was required to get this project up and going. I was computer challenged, had never made or edited a video, and was somewhat overwhelmed by all the things that I wanted to say and do within this site; so I broke down my whole approach into many simple, little, doable steps. I made a promise to myself that I would work on my blog for 90 minutes a day, and then when I was finished, I would consider what I had to do next, and create another little set of goals while keeping a 90 minute timeframe in my head; and then write those goals down on a little post-it, and stick it to my computer screen. (This gives just the right amount of "soft paper pressure" for me.)

Writing down, or at least mentally rehearsing what my goals were going to be for the next day proved really helpful. Oftentimes, innovative ideas and solutions to the tasks and challenging problems that I had written down earlier in the day just seemed to pop up and make themselves known a few hours later on, or during the early hours of the following day. I think what was happening was that I was giving a difficult task to my subconscious mind to play around with and chew on while I peacefully continued the rest of the day, and then in an almost magical moment of inspiration, the answer or solution would just come to me.

Give your higher self a problem or challenge to solve, and then just relax and forget about it for a while. You will be wonderfully surprised at how efficient this greater mind is at working things out, as long as you can clearly define and tell it exactly what you want.

Most people are capable of accomplishing almost anything, but the problem may be that we don't clearly know exactly what we want! This concept may seem simple, but it is also quite profound. Before we can receive, we must clearly know what we want, specifically ask, and honestly believe.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
~ Lao Tzu

SEVEN TIPS FOR GREATER SUCCESS!

Here are seven tips to help overcome excuses, accomplish your goals and get the job done:

Cut out what is not necessary and SIMPLIFY your LIFE.
FOCUS your TIME and ENERGY mainly on your GOAL.
Break up your goal into SIMPLE, LITTLE STEPS and SMALL, MANAGEABLE CHUNKS that can be EASILY FINISHED each day.

REDUCE or ELIMINATE the amount of time that you spend on DISTRACTING, UNIMPORTANT THINGS!
Use the POWER of HABIT, REPETITION, and CONSISTENCY to TRAIN YOUR BRAIN to stay on course.
EVALUATE the QUALITY of your WORK; LEARN from your mistakes, and CONTINUALLY IMPROVE.
BE PATIENT, create BALANCE IN YOUR LIFE, and have FUN along the way!

#6 "I am happy with life as it is. There's no need to change."

Oh, no! It's the comfort zone! - the worst "best friend" that we could ever have. What would happen if the seed of a flower had a mental predisposition of forever remaining content as a little, baby seed? Do you think it could ever find any motivation to grow? Perhaps this little seed actually feels more happiness and a greater sense of purpose when it struggles to break out of its tiny shell, forcefully pushes itself up and away from the comfort of the earth, and rises to blossom into the beautiful thing that it was truly meant to be, rather than simply remain dormant as a sleepy, complacent seed. What a shame it would be if these little seeds decided that there was no important reason to change, and honestly think that comfort and safety was more important than growth.

Thank goodness that flowers, as well as butterflies and trees are naturally intelligent in the deeper ways of life, and would never think, "I am happy with life as it is. There's no need to change."

I think the point of this short story can be easily understood:

Development and change are inherent to life.

So how do we know if we are living in the comfort zone right now? Here are some key questions to consider:

Are you fully satisfied with where you are in your own personal development and growth?
Do you think that there is nothing else that you need to learn or experience?
Is your daily life more of a regular, predictable routine rather than an exciting, sometimes uncertain challenge or game?
Is safety far more important for you than taking an occasional risk?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then there is a good chance that you are presently resting in the comfort zone, either at your work, or in life. Most people that choose to live in such a place are not very poor, but typically not very rich. They have an average life, which is not really good, but also not really that bad. This middle position of being complacent and content might be the absolute worst position to be in if you are hoping to grow. At least with those who are deeply struggling, they may develop a strong motivation to potentially rise and improve; and for those who have found great happiness and success in all areas of life, they have the power of past achievement and momentum to continue to dynamically advance. It is this middle area of relative comfort, complacency and ease that might be the most difficult to see as the most disempowering, worst position to actually be in.

So why would anybody want to leave the comfort zone? After all, this is apparently a wonderfully comfortable place! The most compelling reason for me for escape from this comfortable life of happy non-growth comes from this scenario that sometimes plays through my mind:

I imagine that I am 90 years old, and then think to myself, "Did I really put my best foot forward in life, and try to do and become everything that I could possibly be? Am I happy and satisfied with what I have done? Or did I play it a little too cautious and safe, and regretfully think to myself that I could have done so much more - if only I had the chance and the time to do it over again?"

If I have indeed honestly tried to push myself, even in little ways, to become something more throughout the years, then I think I could be happy and honestly satisfied when the end of my life draws near. If I haven't, however, then my final days may be filled more with questions of what I could have done, rather than the comforting memories of what I had attempted to try. Maybe the most important point is not in whether we have succeeded or not, but simply in remembering and understanding that we honestly tried. This is what motivates me to challenge myself and try something new, and step out of that comfort zone from time to time right now.

Living in the comfort zone might just be a nice, more polite way to say that a person is not really living, but simply resting in peace while they are still thinking that they are alive.

Push yourself - even if it means becoming somewhat uncomfortable, uncertain or even a little bit afraid. It is through this struggle that you can blossom into whatever you were meant to be.

#7 "The competition is too tough... I don't have a chance."

If you want to start a new project or business with little or no experience, resources or financial backing, and attempt to go head-to-head against a large, well-established person or group, your chances of winning are most likely zero to none. You might not realistically be able to compete head to head against such giants right now, but there is another, more innovative approach you can take.

Don't compete, create!

Do something uniquely different, and create your own product or service; or create a truly innovative variation of a timeless, classic idea or theme in your own original style and way.

"The heart and soul of the company
is creativity and innovation."
~ Bob Iger

If you can come up with something that is creatively different and uniquely you, you will not have to worry about competing at all. Instead of fighting more - imagine more, create more, soar and transcend. It is much easier to rise and fly over an impossible challenge than to eternally struggle and pointlessly fight. Developing, learning, and growing as a person is far more important than simply conquering, fighting, and yes, even winning. As it is often said, "Winning or losing in life is not as important as how you develop through the process, and who you become along the way."

"For what will it profit a man
if he gains the whole world
and forfeits his soul?"
~ Matthew 16:26

#8 "I can't do this perfectly, so why fool myself."

When babies try to walk, they usually fall down many times, laughing and smiling all the way down, but nonetheless, they are soon able to run. When most adults try something new, they worry and frown, fearing that their first attempt must be100% perfect, simply because of the strange and unnatural "perfect world" that they have placed themselves in. Because of this common "perfection or bust" mentality that many adults have, they never seriously consider pursuing many of their dreams. The intelligence of an adult is oftentimes better at creating sophisticated excuses and irrational fears, rather than simply attempting to try. This "perfection or bust" mentality is not setting a high standard for oneself, but simply creating an idealistic excuse.

“The maxim, "Nothing prevails but perfection,"
may be spelled PARALYSIS.”
~ Winston Churchill

Success doesn't come from being perfect, but on how well a person can handle the fact that they aren't perfect; and despite knowing this, will continue to try.

Oftentimes, the boxer who wins at the end of the fight is not always the strongest or most technically perfect fighter, but the person who has the greatest desire to win, and continues to get up and fight, despite getting knocked down again and again. Living and dreaming with determination is far more important than seeking to be perfect could ever be.

Babe Ruth was a leader in two areas of baseball. He was both the "Home Run King" and the "Strikeout King" during his time.
Walt Disney was fired from The Kansas City Star because his editor thought that he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas."
Thomas Edison was told by his teachers that he was "too stupid to learn anything." (ouch!)

These and many other highly successful people didn't "perfectly" start out. But what they all had in common was a clear vision, persistence, and unstoppable DETERMINATION. Thank goodness they didn't take the comments and judgments of other people too seriously, and instead focused more upon their own dreams and goals in life. We all learn far more from our mistakes than from our victories. Mistakes might hurt our egos, but are often incredibly good for our hearts.

"Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting."
~ Napoleon Hill

#9 "I really don't know what I should do in life."

What should I do in life?

This is the ubiquitous question that we all face and ponder through the many different stages of our life. Before being able to properly answer such a question, there is another more profoundly important question that we should consider for ourselves at first:

Who am I?

Until you can honestly understand who you really are, it is going to be very difficult to find a job or life calling that is most appropriate for you. Once you can clearly understand who you really are, then choosing what to do in life will become as easy as choosing what size shoes you can comfortably wear. Our career and core essence should complement one another. If you don't feel comfortable with the person that you are at your job, then you will never be able to fully enjoy your work, and ultimately, this uneasiness will extend to your entire life. Align your dreams, life choices, and jobs with the truth and core essence of who you believe yourself to be. If you don't, you are going to regret not having done this at some future point in time.

"Know Thyself."
~ Delphic Maxim

A good way to better "Know thyself" is by trying to relax, become quiet, and clearing the mind through any of the thousands of meditative techniques that are available out there. Once you can relax your body and mind, the essence and answers of who you really are and what you should do in life will gently bubble up from the greater depths of your soul. It will be like a quiet whisper at first, that over the course of your life has the potential of becoming a powerful roar.

Another less abstract and perhaps easier way to discover who you really are, and what you should do, is to identify your natural interests and strengths through questions such as the ones suggested below. These questions should help you to get a better understanding as to what you might be naturally good at, and perhaps try to pursue:

What activities did you enjoy as a young child?
What are you naturally good at?
What do you like to do in your free time?
What is the common theme for most of the books that you have bought over the years?
What topics do you typically browse and look at when using the internet, or when in a library or bookstore?
If you could choose any activity that involves helping, teaching or contributing to the world in some way, and get paid well for it, what activity would you choose?
What is a job that you would like to do, or try, even if you didn’t always get paid for it?
If you knew that you could live for 500 years in continual good health, what job or life activity would you like to pursue?
Please imagine a person that you highly respect and look up to, living or dead, real or fictional. What would this person suggest for you to do as a job; and what would they say is your life calling?
What is an activity that you can really dive into and get lost in, to the point of forgetting time?

Look at your answers and see if you can find a common theme that may suggest what you would naturally enjoy doing in life. If you can discover what this is, and feel that this is true, then this is absolutely, unquestionably what you should do! Stop and just accept this. Don't overthink. Don't start thinking "but ... ," and don't worry about money or rewards. All of these things will naturally come and take care of themselves once you can enter this powerful flow of your own self awareness and alignment with life.

"To thine own self be true."
~ Shakespeare

#10 "I just can't seem to get started."

"Even if you are on the right track,
you'll get run over if you just sit there."
~ Will Rodgers

Procrastination is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome when trying to pursue anything great. Understanding why we procrastinate might give us some insight into how to overcome this limiting plight. Here are some of the reasons why it might seem so difficult to simply get started on the task at hand:

The job just seems to be E N O R M O U S!! If this is the case, break it down into little chunks, as I recommended earlier in this blog under the section SIMPLIFY for SUCCESS.

The task is simply not pleasant or fun. Perhaps what you have to do is boring, tedious, or something that you honestly don't think is important, but for whatever reason you have to do. (ex. filing taxes) Again, break the task up into little chunks, and mentally bribe yourself if necessary. For example, in the case of preparing your own taxes you might make a deal with yourself in advance such as, "If I work on my taxes for the next two hours, then I will allow myself to take a break and go to my favorite coffee shop and get a delicious coffee shake." As childish as this sounds, it actually does work. I admit that I have used this personal bribing technique on myself many times, and I am proud of it! : ) Do whatever it takes!

I am just not sure how to start working on this. In this situation, just start doing it, and don't overly concern yourself with "how." I have often found that after I can finally work myself up to starting a task, it is not really that difficult. The most difficult part is in simply starting. "Just do it" sounds nice and is a popular saying, but sometimes might feel a bit too demanding and harsh for some. I personally like the gentler phrase, "Just start it!" This works and sounds so much better for me. Once you can actually start working on whatever it is, the rest is not as difficult as the gigantically "impossible" image that you may have initially exaggerated in your mind.

Thinking too much and doing too little, aka "analysis paralysis," also might mean that we are overly concerned that our first attempt must be prefect. If this is the case, then just get that expectation out of your mind and start working on your plan with the built in assumption that your attempts are not going to be perfect at first, and that you will have to come back later to improve upon it some more. This is the exact approach that I take when writing my blogs. My final version that I publish is usually version number 3, 4 or 5! It is better to start and actually do something, anything at first, regardless of how good it is, rather than to procrastinate, postpone, and worry that something has to be done perfectly the first time.

I also try to make my work fun. Instead of asking, "How can I do this perfectly?" I often ask myself, "How can I start to work on this and make the whole process more fun?"

The more that you push yourself and just start on the task, no matter how horrible or unpleasant it may seem to be at the time, the stronger your willpower muscle will become, and the more likely you are going to be able to start on other challenging tasks in the future without falling back to the same old standard list of excuses, wasting your time on more enjoyable distractions, or suffering from "analysis paralysis."

Willpower is a mental muscle that if properly conditioned and trained can help you to go higher and further in life. If this muscle is, however, neglected or misused, the muscle formally known as will power will become a muscle of no power.

The habit of just starting things and working through to the end will build a strength of character, solid work ethic and momentum in you that will allow you to accomplish even more later on. It is sort of like a positive snowball effect that one day will become an avalanche of achievement! This wonderful quote by Lucy says it all in a simple, but profound way:

"If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.
The more things you do, the more you can do."
~ Lucille Ball

Start Now!!!

#11 "My family life growing up and/or personal past was not ideal."

I always thought that my family life growing up was somewhat more challenging than most, but then after hearing about some of the unbelievable things that a few of my friends had to go through, I realized just how lucky I really was. At least I had a caring family and a safe home to live in. Unfortunately, some of my friends weren't that fortunate, and couldn't even say that.

If you think you are the only one who had family issues growing up, think again! According to a report by John Bradshaw, a family dynamics expert, 96 percent of all American families are "dysfunctional" in some way.

And according to the Pew Research Center, less than half of American children today live in a traditional mother/father family environment. This is not necessarily "good" or "bad" but just different from what the average Western family was like 50 years ago.

There are also many public agencies and sources that strongly believe that between 10-20% or more of young children in America are sexually abused in some way before the age of 12. It is hard to know for sure as many of these cases are never officially reported or publicly known.

Despite the fact that almost all of us have come from less than perfect life backgrounds, there are still those who, despite facing incredibly challenging circumstances and odds, for some reason, succeed - and in a BIG way. The important question to ask here is "why?"

Perhaps the reason for certain people's success is that they focus more on what they want to do and be in life right now, and less on the challenges that they had in the past. Those that succeed tend to take personal responsibility for both their successes and failures that they are having right now, rather than revisit the past, to seek old excuses or somebody else to blame.

We might not be able to change what has happened in the past, but we can change how we think about and use those past memories to more greatly empower ourselves for today. Instead of thinking, "Why did a certain experience happen to me?" it might be more empowering to ask ourselves how that experience has helped us to understand something more about life; and how can we use that experience and understanding to create something greater within ourselves, and perhaps help or support other people who are going through a similar challenging experience right now.

The best advocates for those who are presently suffering are oftentimes those people who have also suffered in a similar, relatable way, but somehow through grace, personal willpower or sheer guts have found a way to move beyond their challenging past and set themselves free.

There are many inspirational stories out there of incredibly successful people who have gone through some very challenging, almost unbelievable experiences in their earlier years, such as:

Their life stories are inspirational, and just a few of the many examples of the power of the human will to go on despite facing some incredibly challenging situations in the past.

I have written another blog, "From Darkness to Light," in which I discuss the process of moving through life's painful memories, and freeing yourself from the chains of the past in order to create a more promising future.

Don't give people or events from the past permission or power to control or define who you are now. Choose to move on, and choose to be free.

#12 "If something was a little bit more ... then I could ... but ... so...”

Here is an example of this type of abstract excuse in action: "If I had come from a rich family then I could have gone to a prestigious college, but seeing that I didn't come from such wealth, I was unable to attend an ivy league school, so I wasn't able to get that high-paying job that I really wanted to have."

I don't think this person needs to worry too much about higher education, as they are already a master in propositional logic, but unfortunately, they are using their intelligence simply to create fancier excuses rather than to take any real action. Ironically, sometimes the laziest people also are the most intelligent people, but obviously not "intelligent" in the true sense of the word.

“Knowledge isn’t power until it is applied.”
~ Dale Carnegie

Living in the "land of if's" as illustrated above, is similar to imagining that you are Dorothy living in the "land of oz." We often set up our own imaginary, impossibly perfect scenarios for success, simply to intellectually justify our unwillingness to act. Sometimes, being overly logical and intelligent is not necessarily good for our personal growth, as the only thing that we might accomplish through our genius is simply outsmarting ourselves.

Instead of wishing or waiting for the perfect situation to come, perhaps we should focus more on the opportunities that we have right now, and make the best of whatever situation we might find ourselves in. Waiting for the golden roads of success to open up some day will only result in waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more.

Whether it be in investing in the stock market, building a new business, or pursuing something new to help further develop ourselves, what might seem like the worst of times might actual be the best of times to start. Real achievers in life don't wait for the perfect time to come, but make any time in life the perfect time to begin. Beware of the "land of if's!" Get out of that place, no matter how perfect or logical it might appear, and begin to take action, and start to work on your dreams today!

If wishes were horses
Beggars would ride:
If turnips were watches
I would wear one by my side.
And if if’s and an’s were pots and pans,
The tinker would never work!