Are you making excuses for the lack of success, abundance and results in your life?
Why do we make excuses?
Psychologists place excuse-making in the ‘self-handicapping’ category – that is, it’s a behavior we express that hurts our own performance and motivation.
It serves as a distraction of sorts that prevents us from achieving the task, but it stems from a deeper, unconscious desire to protect ourselves (our Ego, if you asked Freud) against anxiety and shame.
Excuses aim to shift the focus from issues pertaining to our sense of self to issues that are relatively less central.
Why do we keep making excuses?
There are many reasons why people make excuses. In fact, everyone has a variety of reasons for making them. However, we mostly only make excuses for the following key reasons:
Fear of failure
Fear of embarrassment
Fear of change
Fear of uncertainty
Fear of responsibility
Fear of making mistakes
Perceived lack of confidence or resources
To successfully eliminate excuses we must first look at removing all traces of fear.
Fear traps and locks us away in the confines of our comfort zone. However, for the most part, fear is very much misunderstood.
Our fears typically emerge due to a lack of understanding, information, resources, experience or perspective.
If for any reason you lack in these areas, you will naturally struggle with self-confidence.
You will, therefore, tend to make excuses for your life and circumstances in a feeble attempt to boost your self-esteem. However, all you’re really doing is creating the illusion of security.
If we know we are making excuses why can’t we stop?
The answer is simple. Just like anything else that we repeatedly do, it becomes a HABIT!
Excuse making is often a subconscious process, breaking a habit requires conscious effort.
Habits are neural pathways carved deep in the brain’s basal ganglia, fed by dopamine neurotransmitters that reward and generate pleasure associated with the task at hand.
Consequences of Making Excuses
Living a life of excuses can have dire and lasting consequences. Not only will excuses prevent you from reaching more of your potential, but they will also hold you back from recognizing opportunities, strengths, and skills you might have that could help you overcome your life’s problems.
New opportunities lie hidden around every corner. However, you will never find them if you riddle your mind with unending excuses.
If you persistently make excuses, then you may very well succumb to the following consequences:
A lack of responsibility and growth.
Self-made self-limiting beliefs.
Continuous regrets and “what if” scenarios.
A pessimistic outlook on life.
Poor judgment when it comes to making critical decisions.
A paranoia that prevents you from taking decisive action.
The constriction of your comfort zone.
Mental blocks stifling proactive action and creativity.
These consequences certainly don’t result in a very fulfilling lifestyle. In fact, they paralyze us and prevent forward movement in all areas of our lives.
Even though excuses vary from person-to-person, there are specific excuses that we all tend to make.
I don’t have enough time
I don’t have enough money
I don’t know how
It’s just not the right time
I don’t want to fail
Cultivate Four Critical Inner Game Qualities
To overcome your excuses always cultivate patience, optimism, confidence, and persistence.
And if you must make excuses, then at least keep them private. Nobody respects people who don’t take responsibility for their decisions and actions.
Now is the time to eliminate your excuse making and start achieving your dreams and goals. You have put off your personal growth and development long enough. No more making excuses about not having enough time or money.
If you would like to eliminate excuses in your life and start to achieve your goals and dreams that excuses have been holding you back to achieve, just contact me today at tanya@tanyagordon.ca and invest in your future NOW!
It All Starts Within!
To your success,
Tanya
xo
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