I had just finished watching a marathon of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It had been years since I had seen the show, and it reminded me just how much the characters and the writings were so prevalent today, even after some thirty years later. The theme song, “Love Is All Around” is one of those songs that should easily be played on radio stations again. The lyrics, “Who can turn the world on with her smile? Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile.” The lyrics set the tone for the series about a single woman making a go of it in Minneapolis. What caught my attention to both the show and its lyrics is how the lines change in the show’s theme song. In the first season, the words are, “Love is all around, no need to waste it. You can have the town, why don’t you take it. You might just make it after all.” In the second season, the last line of the song changes to, “You’re gonna make it after all.” All because she’s made it I realize how many times a chance wasn’t taken. Not only in my life, but in those around me.

Life feels like it goes by so quickly, but in reality, it isn’t as fast as we think. We have learned how to fill our days to keep busy, and because of it, life seems to pass by so quickly. As I think about the lyrics of “Love Is All Around” it reminds me that there are many chances that we can take in life. We can take a chance and return to school, change careers, find love, or learn to appreciate the silence. Rather than take those chances we make excuses for why we must standstill. Often we make excuses for our future as a habit. We limit our ability to meet our full potential and capabilities.

We all make excuses from time to time. We rationalize the reason why we didn’t follow through on commitments. Sometimes we make excuses because of our situations. We come up with excuses to keep ourselves comforted, or we experience fear. Fear prevents us from moving forward and keeps us in a comfort zone. People will stay afraid of things because they don’t understand or lack the information needed. There is the fear of failing, so whenever you try something new or take a risk, there is that risk of failing or trying something new. However, it’s important to remember that we don’t always fail at everything that we do in life. Another is comparing ourselves to other people. Some people fear being compared or perceived to be better than themselves. We begin to measure ourselves to see if we perform better or worse than others. By comparing yourself to other people, you aren’t giving yourself a chance to succeed.

Eric Thomas once said, “Be stronger than your excuses.” Tell yourself that you do have the time, money, and education to pursue something. How you decide to spend your money and your time defines your priorities. It’s important to take chances and to reinvent ourselves and stop making excuses. You may never know what you’re capable of if you have an excuse for everything that comes your way. Don’t settle for less than what you are worth because the one thing that making excuses can do is cause regret. Go after that goal, knowing you have the power to change. That’s what is meant to be in life, and to remember, you’re gonna make it after all because just like the theme song to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Love Is All Around. There is no need to waste it. You can and will make it after all.