NO MORE EXCUSES!
“Excuses are the lies you convince yourself are true to avoid proving you are worthy of the gift you were given. Say this with me, no more excuses.” – Steve Harvey
NO EXCUSES
Let's be honest. Daily there are many opportunities for us to use "excuses" to get out of moving forward with a goal, attend a special event, meet with family or friends, apply for a job, face fear, etc. Excuses stunt our growth. When we make excuses, we tend to convince ourselves that we could not have changed the outcome, and therefore have no need to adapt for the future. Failure becomes easier to accept in ourselves, and we never grow beyond our current state. Aren't you tired of those "go-to" excuses holding you back ❓
“It’s easier to go from failure to success, than to go from excuse to success.” – John C. Maxwell
SO WHY DO PEOPLE MAKE EXCUSES?
When we are operating in our excuses, it usually stems from three areas.
❌FEAR - Making excuses can usually be traced back to FEAR. Fear comes in many forms. It could be fear of failure to fear of success, thus you don’t move forward or go after your goals or become the authentic you. So, you need to face your fears.
❌UNCERTAINTY - This is why we are tempted to stay in our comfort zone or pick up unhealthy habits because of uncertainty. When we face a situation that we’re not certain about, our brains prefer making excuses over dealing with uncertainty. But you can override these natural impulses and stop making excuses.
❌LACK OF PURPOSE - Have you ever thought that someone who made excuses was lazy, uninspired, or apathetic? Chances are they have not yet discovered their beautiful purpose. Discover what excites you and you will not only live a fulfilling life but you will naturally stop making excuses.
YOUR CHECKLIST FOR NO EXCUSES
Today, take the time to identify the excuses you make that are holding you back from living your best life. Excuses are like a ball and chain around your ankle. Excuses will hold you back from moving forward, make you feel stuck and keep you from living a fulfilling life…the life you were destined to live. Do you want that?
✅ Identify the excuses you have partnered with and kick them to the side of the road.
✅ Ask yourself WHY you make those excuses and unpack them.
✅ Change the narrative of the excuse. Instead of doing the excuse make a plan to do the opposite (see the section on REASONS).
✅ Practice, practice, practice. Practice your new mindset of NO EXCUSES.
✅ Daily focus on what inspires and motivates you.
TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR EXCUSES
Do you ever find yourself stepping out to move into action on something and then an excuse comes into your mind to stop you in your tracks? It can become second nature because we believed and lived the excuse for so long that has BECOME part of our decision-making process. TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR EXCUSES.
Just as you were stuck in your EXCUSES, you can become UNSTUCK in them, too. TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR EXCUSES.
It’s easy to produce reasons why you won’t succeed, accomplish a goal or have great relationships. "Where your focus goes, your energy flows. Where your energy flows, whatever you're focusing on grows.” TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR EXCUSES. We manipulate ourselves with our own excuses. Would you ever let someone force you to go somewhere that you did not want to go? Of course not. Then don’t let your excuses force you to go where you DO NOT want to go or to be the person you don’t want to be. TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR EXCUSES.
Proverbs 23:7 Amp – “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he [in behavior—one who manipulative.
IT’S JUST THE WAY I AM
Have you ever known someone (or yourself) who makes excuses about the type of person they are? Someone takes a personality test and finds out they are a Type A personality so it becomes an excuse to point out the faults of others …no need to sugarcoat it. IT IS JUST THE WAY I AM. Perhaps you were someone who was really shy in your younger years so in your adult years you don’t speak up and let others walk all over you. IT IS JUST THE WAY I AM. Is that really who they are, or an excuse? Joyce Meyer shares, “the one thing excuses have in common is that each is meant to justify people remaining the way they are. It’s a way of resisting change.”
Are you using excuses to resist change? Change the narrative from IT IS JUST THE WAY I AM …to… I LIKE THE PERSON I AM BECOMING…THE AUTHENTIC ME?
“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” Jim Rohn
GOODBYE EXCUSES - HELLO REASONS
Have you ever put something away in a closet and the next thing you know you are cleaning out the closet? You start rearranging things, removing old items that no longer serve you …decluttering! If we are not intentional about our mindset, and day-to-day thoughts/actions, EXCUSES will clutter up our life. Excuses become a distraction to not do things, avoid change and destroy self-confidence. It partners with your self-limiting beliefs and creates a mindset or feeling of being stuck. You no longer see opportunities and possibilities. It is not too late! You can still say GOODBYE to EXCUSES and HELLO to your REASONS. Just like you “spring” clean or declutter a closet, you can declutter your excuses with REASONS.
“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.” – Kenneth Blanchard
R E A S O N S
REASONS are the opposite of excuses if used in a productive sense of the word. If excuses justify not taking action, then your REASONS can become your justification for taking action. The more REASONS you create to do the things you desire to accomplish and manifest in your life, the less persuaded you’ll be to make excuses. When our reasons outweigh our excuses, we now control our narrative. Define your REASONS.
You are ONE decision/REASON (with no excuses) away from a better life!
“Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” – Kobe Bryant
THIS I KNOW….if excuses got you off your path…then purpose and reason can get you back on your path. To put it simply, stop making excuses. Excuses mean you’re giving up on yourself before you’ve even begun. Next time you’re about to make an excuse, say to yourself, “NO! I’m done wasting my time.” Excuses won’t fix your problems.
THREE KEYS TO OVERCOMING EXCUSES
🔶UNCOVER YOUR LIMITING BELIEFS - Identify self-limiting beliefs…those false stories you are telling yourself. If you believe you’re not deserving of success or you don’t have the inner strength to overcome failure, you’ll continue making excuses to avoid going after what you really want.
🔶STOP OVERTHINKING - Do you suffer from “analysis paralysis?” To stop making excuses, you must stop overthinking them by letting go of the past, old excuses, and self-limiting beliefs.
🔶DEFINE YOUR VISION - Design your vision or blueprint for each day, then each week, and so on. Don’t stop designing until you feel the inner excitement flow and your mindset becomes one of anticipation about your future. Your motivation will overshadow your excuses.
Philippians 1:6 – “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].”
