We have our mind to thank for a lot of things. But at times it’s more of a nuisance than anything else. It can often act as a barrier between us and amazing opportunities in life. Our mind wants comfort. Naturally we are afraid of the unknown. Of change. Of stepping out of our comfort zone. So it uses lies to try and stop us. These lies are also known as “excuses”. And excuses should not be tolerated by anyone.
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
Benjamin Franklin
This means, you have a choice. Be the person that is good at making excuses or be the person that is good at something that actually matters.
Of course it’s not always so easy to tell when your mind is feeding you these lies. So here are some examples of common excuses to watch out for:
“I can’t do it”
The usual suspect. “I can’t do it” usually translates as “I’m scared”. Your mind trying to tell you that something bad’s gonna happen. Seriously, what’s the worst that can happen? What could possibly go wrong? Ok so you might fail? Failure is just a stepping stone anyway. It never means it’s the end. As long as you get back up and keep going, failure never even really occurs. The best way to call your mind out when it tries to pull this one, is to think of all the people that have done it, and succeeded. If they can do it, you can too.
“Just enjoy life the way it is”
If you really are 100% sure that you enjoy your life the way it is then that’s great! But….if you look in the mirror from time to time and know that you can achieve more, then this is nothing more than another lie. Life can be enjoyable even when you step out of your comfort zone. You will still enjoy weekends not spent in bed or lying on the couch. Things can be fun, even if you find them difficult or you’ve never tried them before. And how do you know that you won’t enjoy your life even more once you’ve changed it? The answer is, you won’t know unless you at least give it a try. And chances are, you will.
“Just this once”
Give in to this one and you’re giving your mind a free hall pass. Of course “just once” is actually ok from time to time. Sadly, “just once” rarely ever happens. Your mind is testing your ability to say no. Once it knows that you’re likely to give in, it will try to pull this one again and again. Especially at the beginning, when you’re still trying to train your willpower. Until you’ve mastered this, answer with a blunt “no” when it suggests missing training “just once”, staying in bed an extra hour “just once” or leaving reporting until tomorrow “just once”. It’s not just once and it’s never worth it.
One day you might just realize the only thing holding you back was your excuses. Realize this now and you still have time to change your life. Realize this too late and that ship will have sailed. Go through life leaving a trail of excuses and excuses will be the only thing you have to look back on. You have the power to take control of your life. It’s time to use it.
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Which lies does your mind try to tell you? How have you managed to turn your back on excuses? We want to hear from you. Leave a comment below.
