There will always be excuses to fall back on (if you allow them to)

Just because you have an excuse doesn’t mean that you need to take it

There are always a never ending list of excuses that come to mind with why you shouldn’t do something – there’s usually only a few reasons why you should.

I recently read the book “The Drawing of Three” by Stephen King, which had a relevant quote “Eddie knew there were a thousand excuses for getting high but no reasons”

There will always be an excuse.

Maybe you’re too tired. Don’t have enough time. Not enough money. Aren’t strong enough. Smart enough. Fast enough. Don’t have the right resources. Not the right timing. 

There will always be an excuse why you shouldn’t, and the hardest part is deciding to do it even when you have excuses outweighing reasons.

I recently had an opportunity to jump on my first Highline Slackline. I wasn’t sure if I should go, despite my intense desire to do so. My shoulder hurt, my groin felt tight, I was tired, and generally felt underprepared and that my skills weren’t up to the challenge.

Nonetheless, I didn’t allow those excuses to derail me. I didn’t allow the excuses to win. I got my ass on that highline and it was a memory I will never forget.

Although I had a million valid excuses I could have fallen back on, I didn’t allow myself to. I said to myself no excuses, and I meant it.

My brain tried to throw everything at me it could in form of resistance and doubt, and I merely weathered the barrage until I was on the middle of the highline 50 feet over the ocean.

This was a win in not allowing excuses to win. This was a win in throwing myself off the cliff and dealing with the doubt later. A win in putting excuses aside and operate from a place of following my heart. To put mind over matter to the test.

The experience taught me a lot about how the mind will always try to create reasons of why you shouldn’t do something. Fear will always find a way to creep in in subtle ways…but you can’t let that fear override your desire to do what you need to do.

There are so many examples that come to mind, that we see in our everyday lives as well.

My favorite example of this is meditation. Despite receiving countless questions on meditation, the vast majority of people always have an excuse as to why they don’t do it.

They don’t have the time, too busy, aren’t good at it, “not for me”, or “already do their own form of meditation” (eye roll)

Same thing for diet and exercise. People will ALWAYS have an excuse to justify their lack of exercise or eating like shit. There’s an excuse…and that excuse is never their fault.

Starting a business or pursuing your passions as well. Everyone and their mother has a business idea or passion project they are sitting on that they haven’t pursued – and a million reasons why they haven’t done it yet.

“It’s not ready”, “I need more time”, “I need to save more money” etc etc.

The timing will never be right. The idea will never be ready.

DOING is what makes the timing right. DOING is what makes the idea evolve and become ready.

But if you listen to your excuses and believe the stories of your excuses, you’ll never take the steps that you need to be at the right place at the right time.

All these excuses do is push us farther away from our goals. All these excuses do is create barriers between the person who you currently are and the person you want to become.

I also believe that excuses have a ripple effect – if you ACCEPT excuses once, you’ll be more prone to accepting them again in the future. The first time you justify an excuse will inevitably lead to a second and third time.

Stop the domino effect before it begins. The excuse will always exist, but it doesn’t have to set the chain reaction in motion.

Moreover, excuses allow us to blame the external world and external circumstances around us instead of holding ourselves accountable for our internal decisions.

It’s always easier to blame some external factor that is beyond your control instead of owning the fact that you’re a lazy fuck who doesn’t want to do what you know you need to.

Excuses = External Blame

Doing = Internal Ownership

Fuck excuses. Throw yourself out there even when you’re unprepared and have a million excuses not to. Even when the excuses are screaming in your ears, put on some headphones and don’t allow them to derail you.

Excuses are the chains that hold us back from becoming our best selves. Excuses prevent us from doing what we need to accomplish in life.

There will always be an excuse to justify not doing something. You might not even have any strong reasons TO do it, other than you know deep down it will be good for you in the long run despite the initial discomfort. Do it anyway.

Don’t allow excuses to win. Take ownership and life your best life.

Note/Example – I was supposed to publish this article an hour ago and I didn’t….because I couldn’t find a good picture for it. In my mind I said, “I have to start work, lets find a picture tomorrow and wait to publish.”

NO. I will not allow excuses to prevent me from doing what I need to do. It goes out as is, as a fuck you to the excuses that hold us back from execution.

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Also published on Medium.