The following is an excerpt from Excuses Begone!, the latest book from Dr. Wayne Dyer, an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development. Follow along as he teaches you how to change lifelong self-defeating thinking habits. To read the entire book, click here to purchase.

In my role as a counselor, teacher and parent, I’ve heard many reasons that people use to explain an unhappy existence … and almost all of them inevitably fall into one huge category, which I call "excuses."

For example: Excuse, "I Can’t Afford It"

It’s a rare day when I don’t hear some variation of this excuse, including: "I didn’t go to college because it was too expensive," "I haven’t been able to travel because I never had the funds" and "I couldn’t go into the business I wanted because I had to stay where I was and earn money to pay the bills." I call this belief lame and a cop-out, yet there seems to be almost universal agreement for its existence.

You originated in a world of abundance, which you unquestionably have the ability to access. Whenever you discourage yourself with thoughts that your financial situation is preventing anything from appearing, that’s an excuse. If you instead decide to bring abundance and awareness into your consciousness, you’ll shift your thoughts from "I can’t afford it" to "Whatever I need in the form of assistance to guide me in the direction of my life is not only available, but is on its way." You’ll then consciously watch for the necessary funding to show up, but you’ll also be reminding yourself to believe that you have the ability to use abundance to elevate your life.

Encourage yourself by realizing that you have the capacity to create a space within you that’s filled with peace and joy, an inner island of contentment that has nothing to do with money. Practice gratitude for the essentials of life, which are yours to enjoy virtually free of charge. These include air, water, fire, the sun and the moon; the very ground you walk on; the continuous beating of your heart; the inhaling and exhaling of your lungs; your food digesting; your eyes and ears; and so on. Be utterly grateful for all that you have naturally, which is beyond the scope of what’s "affordable." As that endeavor strengthens, assess what you’d truly like to do, where you’d like to live and what creature comforts you desire.

When I made the decision to attend college after spending four years in the military, for instance, I knew in my heart that money wasn’t going to be the thing that prevented me from reaching my goals. I understood the costs involved, and I didn’t act on my fear of shortage or what I couldn’t afford — I acted on my internal knowing that I indeed was going to attend the university. This knowing prompted me to investigate financial assistance from the government as a veteran, open a savings account designated for tuition and books, talk with the financial-aid people at the university and make alternative plans to attend community college, if plan A were not to materialize. I had a certainty inside of me that the "I can’t afford it" reasoning is an excuse that many people who aren’t considered wealthy employ as a means for exonerating themselves when the need a rationalization for why they’re stuck where they are in life.

Oscar Wilde made this wry observation in 1891: "There is only one class in the community that thinks more about money than the rich, and that is the poor. The poor can think of nothing else." I’d add that such thinking includes lamenting the fact that they’ll never have the money. I advise tossing out this meme, and instead rewriting thoughts to connect with what’s intended to manifest, regardless of your current financial status.

Whatever you feel is your dharma, and no matter how hard that calling seems to be pulling you, if you maintain the belief that you can’t manage to pull it off, I can assure you that you’re right. To paraphrase Henry Ford, whether you believe you can afford to do a thing or not, you’re right.