If you don’t want to do it, just say so. Stop hiding behind your well-crafted excuses.
We all get it.
There is some part of today you’d rather skip. Of course. We all have parts of this very day we are dreading. The problem arises when you hide behind excuses. Let’s face it: coming up with a fake reason to avoid what you or someone else is expecting you to do is a lie.
You’d say no.
Chances are, if someone asked you point-blank if you are a liar, you’d say no. None of us want to think of ourselves that way. And yet, if you make excuses, you’re lying. It’s just a well-crafted easy lie, and you meant no harm by it.
Excuses make you weak.
But while you might not realize it, your made-up reasons for not doing your pushups and situps, not to mention making up some reason why you didn’t follow through at work or in your relationships are making you weaker day by day. And the sad thing is, you actually think you’re getting away with it.
Excuses are more difficult.
Mark Twain said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” You know how it goes. You make an excuse, (which, remember, is a lie), and then you have to remember the lie you told, so you don’t get caught by the truth. Rememering all those lies (they do stack up, don’t they?) takes a lot more energy than just telling the truth.
Weakness is a slow drip.
Excuses are like a leaky faucet. When they first start, it’s just one small drip, occassionally. So you walk by and don’t fix it. And after awhile, even though the drip has become much worse, you don’t really notice it anymore. You don’t even notice it as you lock the back door on your way out of town for that vacation you so deserve.
It’s not until you unlock that same back door a week later that you find your kitchen floor ruined by the slow drips that continued every day you were away. The stopper was in the drain, and kitchen sinks don’t have an overflow (why is that?) What a mess.
You get the idea.
Start today. Be honest. Say, “I’m not doing my situps today,” instead of “I would, but I’m late for work.” Just tell the truth. That way, when your belly is soft and you feel bad, at least your moral core will still be intact.
Start here.
Be honest with yourself. Most of your excuses slip in because you’re overextended. What can you do to change that? Make a list of the things that are important to you, and start saying no to the things that aren’t — so you can show up to your commitments and feel better at the start of your day, instead of dreading the growing pile of excuses.
Key Point
There’s only so much you can do every day. Be honest with yourself and others. Stop making excuses.
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