Dishing Out the Excuses
I was running through the list of excuses in my head. All the reasons I should skip my workout class today.
I should be home working on my blog post. I had not hit publish the night before because I was too tired to finish editing. So I decided to hold the article in the queue for Thursday. Call me weird or superstitious but I don’t publish on my non-scheduled publishing days- even if it means skipping a post here and there.
Really, I should go home right after work and finish this up so I can get started on the next one and not fall behind.
And I really need to go through my Pinterest and Twitter strategy for the week. Then there is my monetization strategy. A few ideas in the works. Too early to tell if one is working and wanting to try a few new ideas.
Oh, and I need to work on my email-marketing account and learn more about effective email strategy. I also need to work on my e-book outline.
Then there is the fact that I haven’t been getting much sleep. Will I really give my workout the energy it deserves anyway?
Yeah, and I have to run to the store and figure out what I am cooking for dinner because I have seriously been slacking on making some healthy food this last week. With my kids’ sports and youth group schedule, I’ve been on the run quite a bit.
Yep, Even More Excuses
Speaking of my kids, I really better get home and help them with their homework. Maybe play a board game or have some quality conversation before shoving them into the shower. Then I’ll get my kitchen cleaned up and start some laundry.
Dang it! I was going to call my friend Nicole yesterday. I’d better get that done this evening.
Oh shoot, I forgot that I was going to send out an email to my friends encouraging them to visit my affiliate pins on Pinterest…(insert exhausted sigh here)
But Dear Lord, if I don’t make it to this workout class and keep ignoring my body I am not going to have a single pair of pants that fit. My immune system is going to go to crap.
Any of this sound familiar? Insert your own lengthy list of obstacles, excuses, reasons, whatever it is you want to call them.
Some days the excuses seem as stormy as the sky and long as this winding road in the above photo. (Beautiful Mountains in the pic are my backyard)
Life has a very profound way of running amok somedays. The above ideas are just the ones that popped into my head before going to a workout class with my trainer.
Yes, I went.
The “Aha” Moment
I know what my body needs and I know that exercise makes me feel better. I never regret it after the fact so I simply tuned out the excuses on my way there. And trust me, they kept coming.
The thing is, I am pretty good at prioritizing most of the time. And I had better be because a huge chunk of my college thesis was on the very subject of prioritizing what really matters.
[bctt tweet=”Many of us find ourselves in these little mind battles daily.” username=””] Trying to decide which to do first or what to scratch because we just can’t seem to fit it in.
It’s ok. These types of things will happen from time to time and you need to give yourself a little grace in dealing with the occasional overload.
The problem occurs when our priorities are skewed or when are excuses begin to undermine what is best for ourselves and the people we love.
What if it isn’t a workout class but something on a much larger scale that we are avoiding or excusing our way out of?
Here are some examples of situations that are not ideal.
- A woman stops going to the gym. She says she doesn’t have the time, the right clothes, or she won’t fit in with the crowd there. (FEAR)
- A man starts gambling and says it’s okay because at least he gave up smoking so this really isn’t a big deal. He’s only a little behind. (ESCAPISM)
- A woman just can’t start that business right now because the “time” isn’t right and she doesn’t have the money. (LOW SELF-ESTEEM)
- A man refuses to take a job transfer because he is afraid to leave the comfort of his current town, even though he has no real ties to it. (FEAR)
- A woman continually puts off having a baby to focus on her career or wait until she has more money to “afford” kids. (PRIORITIES)
Yeah That’s Not Me
You may read some of these and think no big deal. But what happens to woman #1 when her frequent excuses lead her to gain 70lbs? What’s worse, the fear of going or the result of not going?
How about man #1 when he sinks into credit card debt and loses his home because he has developed a gambling addiction. Was the “fun” worth losing what he had on the line?
Woman #2 stays in a dead end lifeless job because she is too afraid to take a chance on herself or seek investor opportunities.
Man #2 loses out on the career of his dreams because his comfort zone has sucked him in like a venus fly trap.
And woman #3. Suddenly it’s too late and she can no longer have children. She is considering adoption but her husband isn’t so sure he’s on board. FYI, while it’s smart to save while in college to help prepare for a family, there is no such thing as the “right time financially” to have children. Even if you think you are prepared, unexpected can arise at any time.
[bctt tweet=”So what’s worse, the excuses or the results from them?” username=””]
Justify.
That’s what so many people do with their excuses. They use words like need, have to, should, can’t. I do not like that word. Can’t. I would love to erase it from the dictionary, minds, and memories of the entire human race.
Your situations are probably completely different from the examples above but I am not sure I have ever met a person who doesn’t make excuses for something, to get out of something or to get away with something.
But we can’t do it all. Nor do you have to. However, you should prioritize and do what’s in your best interest. Being true to yourself nearly always serves all of those around you as well.
If your excuses are just a little hiccup here and there, great. So you skipped work to watch Netflix all day because you couldn’t stomach your co-workers bragging one more day this week.
Fine, hall pass for you.
But if you are consistently making excuses to not take care of yourself physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially, or financially please take a moment to click here and consider what’s truly best for you.
[bctt tweet=”Excuses, in general, are hiding places for low-self esteem, self-worth, and fear.” username=””]
And if your excuses are leading you to hurt others, please just stop.
Regrets or Rewards?
I don’t want people to look back on their life with more regrets than accomplishments. I have seen this and it makes my heart heavy. Sincerely, I want people to smile and cherish their amazing moments and know that they experienced a full life.
To take chances, love the little victories and miracles that occur each and every day.[bctt tweet=” Don’t Regret your life, Reward it.” username=””]
If you have been putting something off or making an excuse for something, big or small, in your life I would love for you to share below. Trust me, we all do it. The key is to recognize and review!
xoxo-Deanna