Every excuse feels harmless in the moment. However, excuses stack. They accumulate and they harden. As I have often said “Every excuse you make is just another brick in the wall you are building around your own potential.” Most people never break through because they never stop building the wall. However, you are not most people!
Effort vs. Excuse; The Identity Split.
You may have heard me say “Excuses protect your comfort. Action protects your future.” That is why the shift is so powerful. When you follow my advice that you should “Choose effort over excuses because effort guarantees progress” you will start to realize that while excuses feel safe and effort may feel uncertain only one really changes your life in a positive way.
I understand the excuses feel good. Certainly, they can feel safe, but they are not helping you reach your desired goals and success. Excuses are a sort of psychological armor. They shield you from discomfort and protect you from risk. They keep you from having to take responsibility and even keep you from risking the possibility of failing. Excuses also shield you from growth. Every single excuse reinforces the identity of someone who avoids. Every action you take reinforces the identity of someone who performs. You see, identity is built in these micro-moments.
When I say “Excuses stall, performance scales” it helps to open some eyes to what is really going on. You cannot scale an excuse, you can only repeat them, however, performance compounds. One action will lead to another. Every win builds to the next one. One moment of courage becomes a pattern of confidence that leads to bigger and greater wins and achievements. Momentum is the most powerful force in human behavior. You want to have positive forward momentum if you are actually going to reach your goals and achieve your dreams. If you are to succeed you will need this momentum and not excuses. You will need to replace your excuses with a plan.
Many people think the opposite of an excuse is motivation. It is not. The opposite of an excuse is a plan! This is why I often say, “Instead of an excuse, create a plan.” Your plan does not have to be perfect. Your plan simply needs to exist. Once your brain sees a path it stops searching for exits. Now that your brain believes something is possible it starts searching for the solutions to make these possibilities a reality. Keep in mind “Performance begins where excuses end.” There is a point in your life where you meet a threshold. On one side you have comfort, hesitation, justification, and delay. On the other side you have action, clarity, momentum, and identity. The moment you cross that threshold everything changes. That is when my quote about “performance begins where excuses end” really starts to make sense to everyone. It is not after you feel ready or after you feel confident. It is not when the timing is perfect because the timing will almost never be perfect. Performance begins the second you stop explaining why you cannot do something and start proving that you can. Every move you make, even the small ones, is a building block for the future you are trying to build. When you make an excuse, you are subconsciously choosing to avoid the future you want and, in a way, you are sabotaging your own success. As I explained earlier your brain will search for what it believes. If your brain is believing there is no way to do something it will search for all the ways that you are incapable of doing it and you will just have more excuses. This is why I tell you “Drop the excuse. Make the move!” The move is what changes your identity. It is what builds your confidence and creates your momentum. Therefore, the move is what shapes your future. Now, make the move!
I have a challenge for you. When an excuse shows up, pause and ask yourself at least one of these questions. What is the smallest step I can take right now? What plan can I create instead of this excuse? What action protects my future? What move proves who I am becoming? You do not need perfection, and you do not need certainty. You certainly do not need permission. All you really need is movement. The moment you drop the excuse and make the move; you will stop living at the level of your limitations. You will start living at the level of your identity. That is the beginning of a successful life.
