Excuses, excuses. Do you know someone who really wants to do something differently this year but won’t? They might just have the perfect excuse. Maybe they…

Have dreams to start a meaningful business but “now is not the right time”…

Want to make their health more of a priority but is, “too busy with work”…

Need to break off a crappy relationship but “is waiting until X happens” or thinks (after years of repetitive behavior) the person “is going to change”.

Or maybe you know someone who “maximizes any example of poor health to never get anything done.”

Maybe you are one of these people! We all are at one time or another in our lives.

[tt]Excuses are not only completely disempowering, often false and even infuriating[/tt] – they are the greatest preventer of growth, success and fulfillment.

An excuse is defined as:

An attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify.

– Encyclopedia.com

The very definition is depressing! And we all know an excuse when we hear one. This post is about empowering you to achieve your highest potential with no more excuses!

Here are 5 reasons we need to stop defending and justifying our reasons for not improving our lives and getting what we really, really want:

No-one cares (not even you)

At the end of our life, we will have results and experiences or excuses. The latter does not mean anything to anyone – not even us. And we secretly know it. It doesn’t matter how justified you think your excuse is. And if you take a second to research any excuses that you use in your life, I promise you that you’ll find people who’ve succeeded with the same perceived impediments. 100% of the time.

Excuses snowball & strengthen with time

Our minds are so powerful that whatever thoughts we allow to surface, we will find evidence to support their truth. The good news is – this is the same for confident and positive thoughts. Choose these – no more excuses!

Peak mindset = no more excuses

A life rich is excuse is poor in substance. Period. Who likes someone who is always full of excuses and desperate to explain the rationale for why they are not where or who they want to be? It’s not attractive on any level. Nor is it inspiring or exciting. It’s dull and predictable and boring. Because it’s self sabotage at it’s best.

Excuses create a reduced and inferior reality

Every time we repeat an excuse it affirms its truth and our fear is strengthened. We slowly become paralyzed without knowing it. It’s as if we become a shadow of who we truly are when we give full consent to our growing excuses.

Over time, our excuses compound and we realize our life is totally unsatisfying. Because what’s holding you back is less important (and real) than the thing that we really, really want. The sooner we ditch our excuses the sooner we take a step on the path that’s waiting for us. It’s always there and it’s very patient. We just have to kick the block to the curb and walk forward. That’s where life is fun, rich and high-def! It’s always beckoning you.

Excuses attract more excuses

Like everything else, what we focus on expands. When our thoughts and words are self-defeating, we only generate more excuses as we have no choice – our behaviour negates any possibility for good outcomes and over time we justify more and more away. Unless kicked to the curb, our excuses increase to no end. It’s a vicious, ugly downward spiral. And it feels gross.

When considering the month, season, year ahead – add on 1-2 excuses that you want to drop altogether… Don’t think them. Don’t speak them. Dissolve them.

I am dropping my excuses that I am missing the “enjoy exercise” gene (sometimes I actually do like it a barre class when the music is good and the teacher is fun) and that, as a creative people person I am not good at creating business systems and structures.

Perhaps I am a highly functioning systematic machine who is a secret running addict (well, probably not!), but I am neither of these things will get easier for more the more frequently I repeat my excuses. And I don’t know about you but I want to go through life being on my side.

Meditate on this for a moment – how do my excuses serve me? What would happen if I eradicated them? What possibilities can unfold when I free myself from them? Oh the sweet possibilities… they’re endless…

Now tell me below, what excuse will you drop going forward? And where will this take you? Buckle up!