Leslie Gail is a Certified Life Coach that helps her clients achieve personal and professional success without compromising their values. Leslie appears regularly on KOSI radio show, publishes her articles in The Rocky Mountain News and appears on TV.
So, we all have excuses in life that we fall back on time and time again. Maybe because of difficult upbringings, or hardships, certain beliefs have laid their imprint on you. Excuses keep you from venturing forward, in that they keep you safe from possible heartbreak. Having an excuse excuses you from facing the truth, while keeping you in your comfort zone. Maybe someone uses the excuse that they never have enough time. Sound familiar? Then, they create a lifestyle that feeds into this excuse. They keep extremely busy, they over commit themselves, they take on far too many responsibilities. Then they tell themselves "See, I told you I never have enough time". Well their wish is granted. Others tell themselves that they will always be overweight, it's just in their genes. Because they believe this excuse, they continue to eat unhealthy foods and stray from exercise. Why bother, they tell themselves, if they are always going to be out of shape anyway. This plays into the victim mentality. Not very empowering. What if you didn't have any excuses to fall back on? What if you took responsibility for all of your choices and all of the subsequent consequences? Would this make your life harder in that you would have to venture out there and face some of your fears? Or, would it make you stronger and more confident because you would be taking responsibility for all of your actions? You wouldn't be using excuses as your safety net. In order to move past your excuses, you first have to admit you have them in the first place. This is the difficult part. Once you've admitted that you don't need to be overweight for the rest of your life, then you need to do something about it. Something to think about.
ACTION STEPS FOR THE WEEK:
1. List your top excuses
So, what are the top excuses you use? "I'm always going to be single, so why bother" or "I've always struggled with weight, so what's the point" or "With young children, my life is just going to be chaos for a while". Just list the top excuses that you use in your life. Again, you need to acknowledge these first before you can break free from them.
2. Foresee possible outcomes
Now you need to list possible outcomes if your excuses were no longer true. "If my excuse regarding________were no longer true, how would my life be different?" Write down 2-3 things that would be different if your excuses were gone. This will help you see the possibilities that exist when the excuses don't overshadow your life.
3. Brainstorm
Pick one of your main excuses first, and brainstorm ideas of how you can get rid of it. Let's assume your excuse was that you are going to be overweight for the rest of your life. If this excuse was gone, what could you pursue first? Work with a nutritionist to offer advice and help in regards to eating healthier. Ask some friends to meet you for walks? Set small attainable goals for yourself to keep you on track? Just the mere act of ridding yourself of the excuse will begin to push you in the right direction.
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