If you don’t want to do something, one excuse is as good as another. Yiddish Proverb
Excuse busting
An excuse is just a justification with evidence? “I can’t do this today and here are the reasons 1. no time 2 no energy 3 no help”.
The dilema
Spending too much time on excuses gives them a lot of power, while not allowing yourself to acknowledge your challenges can leave you feeling unvalidated and silenced. So when the urge to give into your excuses strikes try injecting a little balance.
Be honest about how you are feeling without drawing a conclusion about what that means
Instead of: I’m too tired to go to the gym tonight
Try: I feel tired and drained and I would love to go to bed
Don’t argue or disagree with yourself, just because it is an excuse doesn’t mean that it isn’t true.
Instead of: Don’t be ridiculous other people have it much harder, I’m just being lazy.
Try: I am so tired, it was a hard day, I’ll think about how good I’ll feel when I get home from the gym, I’ll probably even have a better sleep
Be compassionatewithout sabatoging yourself
Instead of: This isn’t going to work, I’m too tired after work, this goal is too big, take the night off
Try: I’ll re-assess this goal tomorrow and see if I need to make a change, but for tonight I’ll get myself all ready to go, change into my workout clothes, drive to the gym, go inside and if I’m still really too tired to work out I’ll get myself a hot tea and read my book in a cafe for 1/2 an hour
Respect the power of your mind
“Whether you believe you can or you can’t you are right”. Henry Ford
