#18. Quit Your Excuses.
We all have made excuses at some point in our lives, whether to avoid taking responsibility for our actions or to justify our lack of action.
However, we must understand that making excuses only leads to missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential.
It’s essential to overcome the habit of making excuses and take responsibility for our actions. We must learn to hold ourselves accountable and understand that our decisions shape our lives. Instead of making excuses, we should focus on achieving our goals and aspirations.
Now missing the odd gym session or eating an extra cookie is not the territory I want to look at; it’s the stuff that stops you from fulfilling your potential.
One of the worst excuses I hear is the classic, ‘I don’t have time’. I call bullshit.
24 hours a day:
8 hours sleep
5-7 hours deep work
That leaves 9 hours;
Maybe 1-hour commute?
Maybe 1 hour of eating?
Maybe 1 hour at the gym?
Maybe 1 hour with the kids in deep play?
Maybe 1 hour of reading a book?
That still leaves you with at least 4 hours. You have time.
Yes, we lead ‘busy’ lives, but that’s the point, we lead BUSY lives. We don’t edit and ask what we SHOULD be doing with our time. Even the very crude breakdown above shows you that your day isn’t as jam-packed as you think.
Do I adopt the above breakdown? Close, really close.
The point is I am observing my time and how I use it because time is all we have to trade.
Why would we make excuses when we could make progress? I don’t advocate for perfection; I believe it is a psychological trap that provides the rationale for our excuses never to start, let alone finish.
What’s more important is to understand the types of excuses we make and why, so here goes, see how many you experience on a daily basis:
Perfectionism
– Fear of failure or making mistakes
– Setting unrealistic expectations for oneself
– Believing that anything less than perfection is a failure
– Feeling like one’s worth is tied to one’s performance
– Negative self-talk or limiting beliefs about oneself and one’s abilities
– Lack of support or encouragement from others
– Feeling overwhelmed or like the task at hand is too difficult
Negative self-talk
– “I’m not good enough”
– “I’m not smart enough”
– “I’m not capable”
– “I always mess things up”
– “I’m a failure”
– “I’ll never be successful”
– “I’m too old/young”
– “I’m too busy”
External circumstances
– Illness or injury
– Family or personal issues
– Financial difficulties
– Natural disasters or emergencies
– Political or social unrest
– Discrimination or prejudice
– Lack of access to resources or opportunities
Distractions
– Social media and other online distractions
– Television and other entertainment
– Personal or household chores
– Other obligations or responsibilities
– Lack of focus or attention span
– Procrastination or avoidance of difficult tasks
– Feeling overwhelmed or burned out
Comparison to others
– Feeling inadequate or inferior in comparison
– Believing that others have more advantages or opportunities
– Feeling like success is based on luck or external factors rather than effort or skill
– Fear of judgment or criticism from others
– Lack of support or encouragement from others
– Feeling overwhelmed or like the task at hand is too difficult
Fear of failure
– Feeling like you’re not good enough or don’t have the necessary skills or knowledge
– Comparing yourself to others and feeling inadequate
– Feeling like you don’t deserve success or that it’s not possible for you to achieve it
– Fear of rejection or criticism from others
– Negative self-talk or limiting beliefs about yourself and your abilities
– Lack of support or encouragement from others
Lack of motivation
– Lack of clear goals or purpose
– Feeling overwhelmed or burned out
– Lack of confidence or self-belief
– Lack of support or encouragement from others
– Feeling uninspired or bored by the task at hand
Procrastination
– Feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start
– Fear of failure or success
– Lack of motivation or interest in the task
– Poor time management skills
– Perfectionism or fear of not meeting high expectations
– Lack of accountability or external deadlines
– Distractions, such as social media or other activities
– Low self-esteem
– Desire to avoid responsibility
– Comparison to others on social media
– Feeling inadequate due to technology
Lack of time
– Overcommitment to too many activities or responsibilities
– Poor time management skills
– Failure to prioritize tasks effectively
– Inability to delegate tasks to others
– Procrastination or avoidance of difficult tasks
– Distractions, such as social media or other activities
– Feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work to be done
Lack of resources
– Lack of funding or financial resources
– Limited access to technology or equipment
– Inadequate staffing or human resources
– Lack of time or expertise to develop necessary resources
– Limited availability of necessary resources
– Difficulty in obtaining necessary resources due to external factors
– Perceived lack of support or encouragement from others
– The belief that resources are necessary for success rather than resourcefulness and creativity
Feeling overwhelmed
– Feeling like the task is too difficult or impossible to complete
– Feeling like there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it
– Feeling like there’s too much pressure to succeed or meet high expectations
– Feeling like there’s too much at stake if something goes wrong
– Feeling like there’s too much uncertainty or risk involved
– Feeling like there’s too much information to process or too many decisions to make
Feeling uninspired
– Lack of clarity or direction regarding goals or purpose
– Feeling overwhelmed or burned out
– Lack of interest or passion for the task at hand
– Feeling like the work is not meaningful or fulfilling
– Feeling like there’s no point in trying or that success is unattainable
– Fear of failure or disappointment
– Comparison to others and feeling inadequate in comparison
Lack of confidence
– Fear of failure or making mistakes
– Feeling like you’re not good enough or don’t have the necessary skills or knowledge
– Comparing yourself to others and feeling inadequate
– Feeling like you don’t deserve success or that it’s not possible for you to achieve it
– Fear of rejection or criticism from others
– Negative self-talk or limiting beliefs about yourself and your abilities
– Lack of support or encouragement from others
– Feeling overwhelmed or like the task at hand is too difficult
So you’re saying we have no hope? No.
I am saying that the excuses we use compound, and even if you experience half of these every day, you have no chance of making real, meaningful progress.
You will notice lots of cross-over and duplication of themes that come up under each feeling or challenge, but in short, to quit the excuses, you need these five things:
Have something that gives you purpose and focus.
Plan your time to be more efficient in doing things that make a difference.
Control what you can control. Let everything else go.
Rest.
Focus on the way you talk to yourself. Mindset.
By recognizing why we make excuses and finding ways to overcome them, we can take responsibility for our actions and move towards success.
It’s important to focus on progress rather than perfection and to seek support and encouragement from others when needed.
Let’s quit our excuses and start achieving our goals today, one small step at a time.
Until next time. Get on with it.
G.
