“Excuses don’t build houses. Hands do.”- Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the 38^th Governor of California, once said, “You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.” How true.

Picture this: There’s a mango tree loaded with ripe fruit. A man stands under it with his hands in his pockets. He’s dying of hunger. Should we pity him?

Arnold did not become a bodybuilder, actor, businessman, and governor by accident. He had a dream and made it to happen with both hands.

So here is the question: What are your hands doing right now? Are they working, learning, building… or are they in your pockets?

What Arnol Was Teaching

1. Success is active, not passive: It requires a dream, a blueprint, discipline, and sustained effort.
2. No excuses fit in pockets: Pockets are synonymous with laziness, fear, excuses, procrastination, and perishing.
3. Both hands required: One hand for acquiring skills. One hand for the discipline to work. You need both.
4. It’s a choice: Every day you decide to work or to remain idle.

3 Things People Keep In Their Pockets

1. Excuses: No jobs. Nepotism. No capital. I’m not good enough.”
2. Fear: Morbid fear of failure. Fear of what people will say.
3. Comfort: Scrolling. Sleeping instead of working. Waiting for a miracle.

You can’t climb with hands in your pockets. A bird with clipped wings cannot fly.

Where Ghana Needs Hands Out of Pockets

A nation of people with hands in pockets will always import from nations with hands on work.

For the Youth
They must sit up. Don’t wait for government jobs. Learn a skill. Make a decent living. Hustle with both hands.

In Business: Ideas need action. Build. Sell. Serve customers with honesty and integrity.

In Politics: Go beyond talk. Work. Provide roads, water, medical facilities, create jobs. Hands out of pockets in office- whether private or public.

In community: No more complaints. Solve problems. Desilt the drains. Don’t litter.

In Personal Development: Read success-nurturing books. Become a professional or tradesman. Both hands on deck.

Arnold built his body rep by rep. The question is: What are we building rep by rep?

The Cost of Hands in Pockets
For the Individual: Regret. Watching others climb while you remain stuck.

For the Family: Generational poverty continues because no one worked to break it.

For the Nation: A “Sit down and watch” attitude. We become spectators instead of builders. We import what we could produce locally.

The Way Forward: How To Get Your Hands Out

Decide: Success starts as a thought. Action makes it real.

Work: We are engineered to work. Arnold said “Sleep faster.” Outwork everyone.

Learn a Skill: You need skilled hands. Go to school, take an apprenticeship, take online courses. Go to You Tube University.

Take Reps: One push- up. One sale. Consistency is key. Repetition builds the ladder.

Think Big, Start Small: What’s your goal? Start small. Focus. Be consistent. Work like never before.

Leave A Legacy: Remember – monuments can be pulled down. Marks cannot. You can’t leave a mark with hands in pockets.

Hands in Pockets vs Hands on the Ladder

Hands in pockets: Fence-sitter. Consumer. Complainer

Hands on ladder: Adventurer. Explorer. Contributor. Builder. Climber.

Question: Which ladder are you on.?

Conclusion
You were given two hands for a reason. One to work for yourself. One to lift others up.

Success is not accidental. You work to achieve it.

The ladder of success is right in front of you. But it won’t climb itself.

So today: Take your hands out of your pockets. Stop the “waiting to see” attitude. Start climbing. See you at the top.

Personal Quotes

1. “Excuses don’t build houses. Hands do.”- Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU
2. “A nation of people with hands in pockets will always import from nations with hands on work.”- Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU
3. “Your future is not in your pocket. It’s at the top of the ladder you refuse to climb.”- Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU

Yours in inspiration,
Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU
Writer and Author