What’s truly stopping you from living the life you want to lead?
Can you think of something you could be doing to improve your life in some way?
How can you further your career, achieve greater sales success, improve your business, accomplish a physical fitness goal, or become more fulfilled in your personal life?
What’s stopping you? What is your excuse?
Are you making excuses or making progress? Many times we make excuses if we feel we’re in trouble. Excuses are an attempt to justify something we have done (or not done) in order to prove ourselves right. Think about your day/week/month for a moment. Are you making excuses at any time? Or are you making progress? Unfortunately, we can’t be doing both.
We can make excuses, or we can make progress, but we can’t make both if we want to achieve something.
At one time or another, we’ve all found ourselves in a mental state that allows us to make excuses, but this should not be the norm for each day. Are we stuck? Sick of coworkers? Frustrated with management? The great news is this: we can do something about it, and we can do something about it today.
Why are excuses so attractive?
Excuses appear attractive because they seem to help us avoid consequences or get out of commitments we don’t want to fulfill. Excuses are all about avoidance and escapism. Everyone knows a chronic excuse maker who always says yes to whatever plan is put forth but then backs out at the last minute with a really lame excuse. Why not just say no in the first place?
Though excuses seem to help us avoid consequences, in reality, they can lead to serious negative outcomes. We all have ways in which we could improve our lives, ways in which we could progress. Not only will excuses prevent you from reaching your full potential, but they will also hold you back from recognizing opportunities, talents, and skills you might have. We can embrace what we need to do to move forward, or we can cling to our excuses. If we don’t challenge ourselves to reach new heights, we’ll never really know what we’re capable of. New opportunities are hidden around every corner; however, we’ll never find them if we allow ourselves to constantly make excuses.
I’m a realist, so I know it’s not possible to completely eradicate excuses. Excuses will most definitely pop up from time to time, but we don’t have to let them stop us!
To overcome your excuses, you must first admit that you’re making them. Sometimes this is difficult to do, but it’s absolutely necessary if we want to eliminate the negative consequences that result from excuse making. When you find yourself making an excuse, ask this question: why am I making this excuse? Then list the consequences the excuse will have on your life and circumstances by asking:
- How does this excuse prevent me from moving forward?
- How does it inhibit my ability to get what I want?
Remember, the habit of excuse making doesn’t lead to a fulfilling lifestyle. In fact, this destructive habit will paralyze us and prevent forward movement in all areas of our lives. We need to recognize excuses when they occur and then take steps to handle them appropriately.
Remember, you can make excuses, or you can make progress, but you can’t make both.
I believe that if we want to make things happen, we’ll find a way. If we don’t want something badly enough, we’ll find an excuse. It’s that simple.
I would like to leave you with some of my favorite quotes regarding excuses:
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” – Benjamin Franklin
“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” – George Washington
“Never make excuses. Your friends don’t need them and your foes won’t believe them.” – John Wooden
“It is easier to move from failure to success than from excuses to success.” – John Maxwell
“The best job goes to the person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses.” – Napoleon Hill
“There are a thousand excuses for failure, but never a good reason.” – Mark Twain
