We’ve all got ’em. We’ve all made them at some point in our lives, even just the little ones. We’ve all done something we aren’t proud of and made one up to make us feel better.
Excuses. Those little buggers flow from our mouths like spit up from a babe. And don’t say that you don’t make excuses. We all do it. Some more than others.
“I’m too tired to workout.” “I’m so busy I just don’t have time.” “My dog ate my homework.” (I could never use that one, we didn’t have a dog.) “My baby was awake all night. I just can’t make it over.” (That one I get, and I let those slide….it sucks to be a tired mommy.).
Excuses come down to two things: A lack of ownership and accountability. It’s as simple as that.
Here’s our situation: We both have corporate jobs (my husband spends 3 hours a day commuting), I have my own side business, we have a family side business AND we’re starting another new venture (hopefully some of this is very short lived), I write this blog, we have a child, our child has her own activities and we have a home with a yard that requires a lot of work. We still need to find time to eat, sleep and stay fit.
And guess what? We do! Do we do all of these things every single day? No we don’t. But we do spend time on these things every single week. Do we make excuses? Yep, sometimes. But we hold ourselves accountable when we don’t get something done.
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K didn’t have time to go to the gym at work because he had too many meetings. Is that an excuse? Yes, but he still holds himself accountable and finds time to fit in exercise at home. Even if it’s just a 20 minute workout, he still does it.
Did we work on our businesses 3-4 nights last week, like we have in our schedule? No we didn’t, we had other things going on. But we know that if we aren’t successful with something in the next few weeks, it’s because we didn’t spend the time we should have on our businesses. We still take responsibility!
I don’t tell you about all we have going because I think we’re awesome and fantastic and we’re super heroes. We are far from that. I tell you this because it was life changing for us when we started taking 100% responsibility for our actions. Taking responsibility puts the power back in your hands and allows you to focus on moving forward, rather than dwelling on what you did or didn’t do. It took me a long time to fully take ownership of my excuses. A long time. But I am in a much better place in my life now, we have a happier marriage and far fewer regrets.
So you’re not happy with your job? Look for a new one or change your attitude about it!
You’re unhappy with your body? Make diet and exercise a priority! We all have 20-30 minutes a few days a week to workout and we all have the ability to stop ourselves from buying junk at the grocery store or stopping for a burger and fries. Need some healthy food ideas? Check out yesterday’s post and start eating those things.
A lot of people would rather make excuses than actually put in the work to change their situation. It’s time to start really looking at our lives and figure out ways to stop making excuses and start taking action!
We all have the same amount of hours in a day; life happens to us all; we all have to buy food to eat; we’re all busy. Stop the insanity and start being accountable!
What excuse are you going to stop making today? 😉
Girl this was amazing!!! I think I make excuses like 40% of the time, the rest of the time I think I try to over compensate LOL!! It’s sometimes a challenge because there really isn’t enough time in the day and you do sometimes wish you had beyonce’s army of staff to help you get stuff done, because lets be real that’s how she does it! LOL! xo, Biana – BlovedBoston
Well now you just motivated me to run a marathon! 🙂 haha
I really have no excuses.
I’m definitely guilty of making excuses! I’m glad I got up and went to the gym this morning or else I would have felt SUPER guilty after reading this :-p
I totally agree!!!! This is so true!!! All it takes is a good attitude and commitment and people could conquer so much more!!!
Yes! Attitude is a big factor I agree! My outlook on things has changed so much lately and a lot of it has to do with me changing my attitude.
Inspiring with a side of ‘give yourself a swift kick to the rump.’ 🙂
Yes, I believe we make time for the things we want to and then make excuses for the rest. If it’s something we really want to do, we’ll make time for it. 🙂
Everything you wrote is SO true! I definitely am guilty of making excuses… to not work out, to not make dinner etc. Although I’m definitely trying to get a lot better about it and not make so many excuses for things. Sometimes you just need to do whatever it is you don’t want to do and change your attitude on things! Love it!
Yes and thank you!! It’s also insulting to others when you give excuses to them, like “I don’t have time to do ________”. Especially if it’s something the other person does, because then you’re insinuating that that person just doesn’t have any responsibilities. I feel that way when people tell me they don’t have time to blog, as if I’m drowning in free time over here. It’s like uh no, unless you’re Obama or have 20 kids, I’m sure you have time to do whatever it is you say you don’t have time for. It’s called planning and devotion! Awesome post Tiffany, I loved reading this reminder!
What a great, motivational post!!! I really have no reason not to workout, other than being tired, but you’re right. I have 30 minutes a few times a week! No excuses!!!
YES I agree with you so much. I don’t run anymore and it’s hard for me because i’m allowing my illness to be an excuse because I can still do it I just choose not to because it’s so uncomfortable/hard. People are always like “well that’s a good excuse” but to me it’s not necessarily an excuse, it’s just a choice 🙂 I also have some BIG decisions to make in regards to my job in the next year or so… I need to sit down and really figure out what I want because what I’m doing right now is just NOT making me happy… so what’s the point, right? Thanks for the motivation, Tiffany!!
Yes! No excuses! I used to make excuses all the time… it’s a victim mentality and it’s not healthy – at all!
Love this motivational “pep talk”! What an inspirational read before the weekend.
Thanks for sharing.
xoxo
Yes! This is so talking to me. I’m always making excuses, and sometimes I just need to suck it up and do it. I find that when I make a plan and then execute, I feel so much better about myself. Thanks for this, my dear!