Say No to “But” …
How many times are you going to let somebody else control your life?
How many times are you going to let something else control your life?
But … But what?!?
I don’t want to hear the excuses …
You get so used to saying excuses for so long, that they have become a part of you! People know that when they ask you something, there’s going to be an excuse or an “explanation” of some sort that will come along with it.
Excuses are a form of procrastination.
Excuses are a form of self-sabotage.
Excuses have got to go!
& that’s why today, we’re going to talk about excuses.
We’re going to talk about what an excuse is, why we make them, and then find ways to eliminate these excuses.
The only thing that is really keeping you from doing the things that you want to do, is YOU!
You’re in control of your life … You’re in control of letting go of those excuses ...
What’s an Excuse?
An excuse is an explanation for something that went wrong.
The dictionary defines an excuse as: self justification; a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise.
When you give an excuse, you’re trying to get someone to cut you some slack. ... It's generally a reason for behavior, you’re asking to be excused from something.
Excuses are nothing more than a reason behind why you aren't doing something or why you haven't gotten something done.
But really, an excuse is another form of procrastination, is what it is.
So … How do you define an excuse?
What excuse are you going to let you keep you from your greatness, and the greatness that’s inside of you?
You are in control.
Why Do You Make Excuses?
I’m human … You’re human …
Excuses are a part of human nature, but we can fight against the constant “need” to make excuses.
There are various reasons that you probably make excuses … Which ones you resonate with most?
You’re afraid
You have a fear of venturing out into the unknown. You’re in the comfort zone and you’re experiencing fear from leaving it. You’re afraid to do something else.
We’ve talked about fear quite a few times. Fear is false evidence appearing real. You have to make the decision to look at what you’re afraid of and decide that you’re ready to face everything and rise.
Most fear comes from not understanding things and being afraid because you’re lacking information.
You don’t want to make a mistake or fail
A mistake isn’t the end of the world, it’s a part of the learning process. By making mistakes, you’re learning valuable information. A mistake isn’t failure!
Failure is unavoidable! Failure is the mother of success. Stop being afraid of failure because YOU WILL FAIL! It’s the reality of the situation …
A mistake or failure will form the best learning experience.
If you aren’t failing, you aren’t learning. Failing is nothing more than moving forward and progressing forward, that’s how you’ll ultimately become successful.
You don’t know what to expect
Because you haven’t likely done the thing before, you’re making assumptions and jumping to conclusions about what will happen. You know what they say about people who assume … Don’t let that be you!
Yes, you have to create a plan, but know that there’s only so much about the plan that you’ll know the outcome of because it’s not something that you’ve done before.
By not knowing what to expect, you start wondering if you have the resources needed to make it happen.
That’s why it is important to do your research, make a to do list, and have specific goals that you want to achieve! With this list, you can get the things necessary to go after what you want!
You don't have a specific goal
If you don’t have a specific enough goal, then it will be hard to know what to expect. Making excuses to avoid doing things will be easy if it’s not something that you want to do.
If you don’t know what the end result will be, it’s hard to articulate the steps needed to get there.
Having specific and clear goals are necessary to keep you motivated! You have to be stronger than your excuses - otherwise it will keep you complacent in where you are and not moving forward!
You’re protecting yourself or you’re set in your ways
You’ve compared yourself to what others are doing and now you feel the need to protect yourself because of it.
First of all, stop comparing yourself to others … You aren’t them and they aren’t you! So, why are you comparing yourself to other people?!?
Now, protecting yourself from harm isn’t an uncommon thing … And you shouldn’t intentionally put yourself in dangerous situations. But sometimes, you “protecting” yourself is really limiting yourself from going after what you want because you’re protecting yourself from what “might be”.
Don’t let your stubbornness keep you sp set in your ways that you just make excuses for why you can’t change either. Is it that you can’t change or is it that you don’t want to change?
Change is a process, as we’ve talked about before in prior blogs. Change isn’t easy and change isn’t an overnight process.
The “But” Factor
BUT is the word that usually comes before an excuse.
I started the blog with “but” and now we’re going to circle back to it.
“Buts” are simply what you use to self-justify why you aren’t living the life you truly desire. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll see that these are in fact excuses and not legitimate reasons.
You know what you want to do.
You know what you need to do.
BUT … For some reason, you haven’t.
This is the most common thing that we’re working through in coaching sessions, this but.
Finding out the reason … the excuse … the justification that you’ve given yourself for not getting stuff done. We can get you off the “but” train and back in action!
Let’s look at some of the most common “buts” that have held likely you back before ...
But, it’s too hard.
But, it’ll take too long.
But, I don’t have time.
But, it’s overwhelming
Let me know down below which one of these resonates most with you?
These “buts” are excuses. I also dealt with some of these “buts” in the 10 Things to Quit blog I did earlier this year.
How Can You Eliminate Excuses?
We have to stop making excuses and eliminate the “buts” … Ok, easier said than done, or is it?
Let’s look at some practical steps to getting rid of these excuses …
Read between the lines and dig deeper
Excuses are a form of procrastination, self sabotage, and a type limiting belief.
If you’re not sure why you’re coming up with these excuses … Dig deep!
Excuses are a signal that there’s a bigger problem … That there’s something underlying that needs to be looked at, worked on, and addressed.
Ask yourself, what’s the worst that could happen? Write down every single worst case scenario that you come up with, as this will give you a starting place to work from in tackling these limiting beliefs and self sabotage.
The more that you practice looking at the underlying problem and thinking of the worst case scenario, the less likely that you’ll be able to hold yourself back from your truest potential because you’re creating a plan of attack for the excuses.
Create habits that are free from excuses
This builds upon the digging deeper referenced above. Once you’ve looked at the underlying problem, you’re ready to attack the problem.
If you’re willing to recognize the excuses that you make, own up to them, and then go after what you want … Life will be a total game changer!
You can build habits and routines that will help you to eliminate excuses. Remember, you are in control of your life … So you have to decide, are you just going to say that you’re in control or will you actually take control??
Avoid other excuse makers
I’m sure you’ve heard some variation of the phrase that you are who you hang around and spend time with. It’s true!
Which means … You probably hang around other people that are also making excuses in life! Now, you can change your circle in two different ways.
-You can either literally change your circle by no longer hanging around them.
-OR-
-You can change your circle by being the change within your circle! If you eliminate your excuses, the conversations in the circle will start to change and it will likely cause others to stop with their excuses as well.
My suggestion … Start with being the change in your circle. Then, if the conversations don’t change, you can change the circle and no longer be around them.
Let’s Go Make Change!
So, how do you eliminate your excuses? Or better yet … How will you eliminate your excuses?
We have to say no to “buts” … That’s how you get rid of excuses!
Where do you need accountability in getting rid of the excuses?
If you need someone to listen to you, help you bounce the ideas around, and create a plan of action that will move you forward to progress … You know I’m here!
Let’s hop on a call and see what that looks like for your life … And don’t say “but” to setting a call, just do it! No more excuses!
Until next week …
-Coach Lee
Your Productivity & Accountability Coach