Get Rid Of Excuses

Steps to overcome the excuses and spur oneself to action, and ultimately, success.

Step 1 – Catch yourself making the excuse when it happens.

We most often aren’t even aware that we are making excuses for not doing something. It is because we are so accustomed to making excuses that we aren’t even aware that they are excuses; we assume that life should be difficult and that these challenges are insurmountable.

But the truth is that the more you make excuses, the more excuse-making becomes a part of you.

And the only way to eliminate excuse-making from your life is to catch it immediately when it rears its ugly head.

So the best way to catch yourself making an excuse is to pay close attention to your thoughts, especially when it comes time to make a decision, take action, or try something new.

Some key words and phrases that pop up when we make excuses are:

“Can’t”

“Couldn’t”

“Shouldn’t”

“Maybe”

“Difficult”

“Impossible”

“But”

“I’m too busy/old/young/inexperienced/etc.”

“Should have”

“What if”

Step 2 - Reframe the excuse and either state clearly or write down why it is not true.

Identifying the excuse is not enough to eliminate it. We must then reveal it for what it is – untrue and unnecessary. 

Write down why the excuse is not true, in clear, concise words. You often won’t need any more than a sentence or two to reveal why the excuse is untrue.

Step 3 - Prescribe a course of action that will eliminate the excuse for good and set you on your way to success.

This is perhaps the most important part of the three-step method, because even though you have identified the excuse and written down why it is not true, if you don’t continue on a course of action, you’ll let the excuse “live” and come back to haunt you again another day. 

So what needs to be done here is to write down exactly what you are going to do to move toward your goal, when you are going to start doing it, and finally, take action.

Another important thing to remember is that you don’t want to get tied down writing pages and pages about your “problem,” nor do you want to get stuck on semantics or start analyzing or thinking too much. The purpose of this three-step method is to get you to dismiss excuses that hold you back from success and get moving in the right direction – toward success.