When times are tough, it&#x27;s very easy and very common to bury your mind in a blanket of worry and excuses.  These activities can absorb a large portion of your time and mental energy.  But, they have no return on that investment.<p>Better to devote all of your energy to doing better.  Even if you still fail, you&#x27;ll fail no worse and probably a fair bit better if you stay focused on the work rather than the excuses.<p>This is much easier said than done.