It’s easy to find yourself in a rut and it is much easier to make excuses than to deal with it head-on. The key, however, lies not just with what you do but also in how prepared for your challenges you are before they arise.
We all know the feeling of making excuses to avoid doing something that might be difficult or embarrassing. It can feel like a way out; at first, it feels good because you got away with something without getting hurt! But in reality, these actions will only lead us down an unhappy path where we’re less fulfilled than if we had just faced our fears head-on. The longer-term effects may include anxiety/depression.
We all want to be liked and accepted and don’t like thinking about our flaws or talking openly with people who may not understand us, but sometimes it is necessary in order to progress towards fulfilling goals. We care what others think of us so we often find excuses instead.
REASONS WE MAKE EXCUSES:
1. UNCERTAINTY
You know what they say – “Avoiding discomfort is not worth the risk.” We are all human, and as such have six basic needs that drive our decisions. One of the most powerful is certainty: we want to avoid pain or find things that will bring us pleasure – so it’s not surprising when you stay in your comfort zone rather than taking risks with unfamiliar territory. When faced to make a tough decision without an answer from outside sources–the brain will prefer making excuses over reacting proactively.
2. FEAR OF FAILURE OR EMBARRASSMENT
The fear of failure or looking bad in front of others is what usually motivates people to make excuses for their actions and choices. Fear can come from many places, such as feeling like a failure, embarrassment, or self-doubt but there’s always an easy solution -face your fears and stop making excuses.
3. LACK OF PURPOSE OR VISION
There is a lack of purpose behind every excuse. The problem isn’t that people are lazy, it’s simply their goals and passions which do not inspire them to take action in life–this leads us back once again towards finding what brings meaning into our existence so we can live an inspired lifestyle free from excuses!
HOW TO STOP MAKING EXCUSES:
1. ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY
You are in control of your own destiny. No one can take away what you’ve done or whom you have become, so stop making excuses for why things haven’t worked out yet! The first step to stopping the cycle is realizing that it’s all on YOU; YOU alone determine your future by how much ownership and responsibility you take as well as whether you’re willing to face reality when failures happen.
2. LEARN FROM MISTAKES
Life is full of mistakes but you have to find the silver lining in a situation that didn’t work out as planned and look closely at what went wrong and apply it to your future decisions.
3. CHANGE YOUR PARADIGM
Taking responsibility is like shifting your perspective. You begin to see that problems are opportunities, not obstacles in life through this new lens of being proactive and solution-focused rather than reactive & defensive about what’s happening around us every day.
4. LET GO OF WORRY & REGRETS
It’s easy to get caught up in thinking about what has happened or could happen and spend hours analyzing every possible outcome until there are no possibilities left without taking any action at all! The truth is that we cannot change our past decisions so instead, let’s focus on moving forward right now.
5. DON’T RESTRICT YOURSELF
We all have limiting beliefs that keep us from achieving our goals. It’s time to uncover yours. Don’t be afraid of success because you don’t believe in yourself, have low self-esteem, or just fear failure. You are the only person who can make your life extraordinary. You must take responsibility for yourself and shift your perspective on what you think is possible in order to achieve success.
6. DEFINE YOUR VISION
Do you wake up each day feeling excited and energetic, or do the hours just drag by with little motivation? If you are lacking the motivation you need, go back and define your vision. What do you really want in life? This will be your driving force to take on each new day with enthusiasm.
7. SET AND ACHIEVE GOALS
The power of goal-setting is an amazing thing. It’s not only the first step to achieving your purpose, but it also helps you take that invisible and turn it into something visible. By making actionable goals that force us out of our excuses so we can start creating a compelling future for ourselves!
It’s easy to find yourself in a rut. The key, however, lies not just with what we do but also in being prepared for our challenges before they arise – and thankfully these days this can be helped through various means such as getting support from friends/family members or joining mastermind groups where individuals will hold each other accountable while providing expert advice along the journey towards success!
If you are struggling in your business or areas in life, reach out to me. I understand the daily challenges you face when running your business. I have over 30 years of experience running 12 successful companies. That is why I started the Ascend Mastermind because it is my mission to help business owners succeed in business and life. Schedule a complimentary 1-hour call with me at the link: https://bit.ly/GaryWilbers-HABC. As always, If you find value in this article please share it. Thank you and make it a great day!