The Vox Box

Tue., Jan. 6, 2009

“Bruised Ego” Prevention

For those who can't stand the torture of figuring out what they should have said or what they should have done, planning ahead pays off more than procrastination...or does it?

"Something came up." "My cell phone broke." "I had to take Jimmy to the doctor." "What?! Nobody told me that!"

Ah, yes. The deceptive crafts of excuse making and comeback preparing have become much more witty and clever, but studies have shown these acts to be "self-sabotage" in one of its purest forms.

Psychologists have found that people who have habits of making excuses set themselves up for failure, hamper their own success by lowering others' expectations for them, and form everlasting webs of lies.

Excuses are the perfect, yet unhealthy "handicaps" blinding people from their full potentials.

Posted Jan. 6, 2009, 6:28 p.m.

In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.