How to Stop Making Excuses and Start Succeeding

"I'll never be successful because of [insert excuse]."

How many times have you heard this before?

If I had to guess ... more times than you'd like to admit.

Be honest...

You've probably even thought or said something similar to this at some point too.

I have.

In fact, every single one of us is guilty of making excuses.

A lot of people make excuses to avoid pain...

...and because they're so scared to look stupid or fail...

They are forced to deal with the burden of regret later in life when they realize their excuses are ultimately what kept them from building the life they truly wanted.

If you want to avoid the same regret...

...and if you actually want to build an amazing life for yourself...

You have to stop making excuses and start executing.

Why Do We Make Excuses?

People make excuses for a lot of different reasons...

But the main reason that we make excuses is to stay comfortable and avoid pain.

These excuses simultaneously act as a scapegoat to avoid doing the work required...

...and a protective shield to avoid damaging our pride and ego.

I've been in the fitness and nutrition space for 25 years...

Do you know how many times people have told me they can't lose weight because they weren't "gifted a good metabolism" or they "don't have the skinny gene"?

Too many times to keep count.

The truth is, everyone can lose weight ... it's math...

A simple equation of calories in vs calories out.

It's not that these people are unable to lose weight...

They just make excuses because the pain of being overweight has not outweighed the pain of getting in shape.

At the same time, It gives them validation for being fat and unhappy.

Our excuses are a rationalization for our poor behavior.

That's it.

Excuses Will Hold You Back

If you're committed to becoming great and building an amazing life...

Which, I would assume you are since you're here, working on improving yourself...

You have to learn to identify and eliminate your excuses.

Your excuses will prevent you from accomplishing anything great and lock you inside a box of your own perceived limits.

You do not have limits.

You have excuses.

The sooner you realize this...

The sooner you can start making progress.

How To Stop Making Excuses

Excuses will always come across your mind...

That will never change.

...and if you have the expectation that you can make these excuses go away...

You will always feel miserable.

Instead of trying to eliminate your excuses...

Train yourself to recognize them for what they are ... and take action in spite of them.

This is a skill that you must build...

...and it's a lot like a muscle.

The more you train it...

The stronger this skill will become.

But, when you neglect this skill...

It will begin to atrophy and get weaker over time.

If you want to develop this skill...

There are a few steps you need to take...

1. Accept Responsibility and Take Ownership

Everything in your life today exists because of you and you alone.

That includes all that's good...

All that's bad...

...and all that's ugly.

You can be upset about that...

Or you can recognize this as truth, and use it as an opportunity to improve.

When you start taking responsibility...

You'll quickly begin to realize that the majority of your excuses come from an unwillingness to accept responsibility.

"I'm too busy" = Unwilling to accept responsibility for being unorganized and unproductive.

"I'm not smart" = Unwilling to accept responsibility for your intellectual development.

"I tried my best" = Unwilling to accept responsibility for your lack of real effort and commitment.

There are far more factors in your control than you may think...

Taking ownership is the first step in identifying these factors and mitigating any excuses you have surrounding them.

2. Eliminate Fear

Fear is one of the biggest reasons, if not THE BIGGEST reason why most people never become great.

It's also one of the biggest reasons why most people never even try...

They are terrified of what people will think...

What people will say...

How dumb they'll look in the beginning...

Or that they'll fail altogether.

Look ... I get it.

We're all scared.

Anybody who says any different is lying ... guaranteed.

But instead of giving up control when fear presents itself...

You need to find the strength and courage to act in spite of fear.

For me, I use fear as a tool to keep me driven and disciplined every day.

Here's how...

Yes, I'm scared of a lot of things that stand in the way of me achieving my goals...

But there's absolutely nothing that scares me more than the fear of regret.

I can forgive myself for doing my absolute best and falling short.

I couldn't ever forgive myself for not trying.

Start utilizing fear to your advantage.

Otherwise, fear will feed you every excuse under the sun for why you "can't."

3. Use Your Excuses As a Trigger

Next time you find yourself making excuses...

Identify it as an opportunity to take action.

When you want to snooze another hour because you "worked hard yesterday"...

Get out of bed and get moving.

When you don't want to compete because you "don't want to look stupid"...

Go compete.

When you don't want to work out because you've "worked out every day this week"...

Go work out.

It's not going to be easy...

It's not supposed to be.

But, this is a habit that if you develop...

It will drastically improve the outcome of your life.

4. Build Mental Toughness

Success is far more about what you do when you don't feel like it...

Not what you do when you do feel like it.

Everybody can execute when they feel good.

Very few people can execute when they don't.

But guess what...

Your goals don't care how you feel.

You either do the work and get the results...

Or you don't.

...and if you have to stop or slow down every single time you need to catch your breath or "don't feel like it"...

Your goals will not be possible for you.

Mental toughness is the foundational skill required to accomplish anything significant in life...

That's the truth.

...and if you're looking to stop making excuses...

Mental toughness will help.

I recommend that you start building this skill so you can confidently tackle any obstacle or challenge that presents itself.

If you're wondering how you can start building mental toughness and stop making excuses, look into 75 HARD.

This is a transformative mental toughness program that will help you take complete control of your life in just 75 days. The best part is, it's 100% FREE. You can learn more about the 75 HARD program and how it can help you here.

You can also read about the program and how to cultivate mental toughness in my new book, The Book On Mental Toughness.

Overcome Your Excuses

Your mind will always be prepared to make an excuse...

It's conditioned to seek what's safe, easy, and comfortable...

Which means it will present you with excuses to avoid pain and discomfort.

What you must understand is that your excuses will keep you from building the life you truly want.

Pain and discomfort are a part of the process of becoming...

The longer you make excuses and avoid taking the actions necessary...

The less time you'll have to accomplish your goals.

Light your excuses on fire...

Throw them in the dumpster...

...and get to work.

There is no such thing as a valid excuse.