No Excuses Flashcards
Awareness leads to change…
For seven days, be on high-alert for any attempt to rationalize bad behavior. Write them down in your journal. Write about the incident that sparked your excuse.
Remove the Criticism
Excuses are produced from negative self-talk. When there’s looming judgment, you’ll scramble for justification. Removing criticism also removes the need to make excuses.
It doesn’t mean indifference towards your faults, but detaching yourself from the shame.
Shift to Solutions
As you get better at catching your excuse-making, begin to shift your mindset from rationalizing to creating solutions.
Instead of saying you were too busy to meet the deadline, tell yourself you need to get up earlier and schedule your day better.
The straight-shooter
This is the friend nobody wants, but everybody needs- The one who will call you out on your faults. Give the green light to someone in your circle to nudge you whenever excuses are attempted.
For extra motivation, let them penalize you; put something on the line for every excuse you make.
Less talk, More action
If you weren’t so public with your goals, you wouldn’t have to backtrack with excuses when failing to meet them. While there’s evidence that sharing goals with the right people helps keep you on track, it’s more satisfying to simply get it done and avoid any possibility of excuse-making.
But Find the Sweet Spot
Overcommitting leads to excuse-making. To-do lists are great for clarity and productivity, but overloading leads to frustration.
Stretch yourself but be aware of your breaking point. If you keep failing to complete tasks, you’re overestimating your ability and time. Find that sweet spot where expectation meets accomplishment.
Reflect Before You React
Habitual excuse-making causes visceral reactions to negative experiences. Taking a moment to pause and reflect creates a mental break and allows for a better response.
Instead of immediately getting offended or frustrated, learn to take any criticism contructively. Detach yourself and don’t take things personally.
Live According to Your Standards
It’s hard to find motivation when you’re living up to other’s expectations. It opens the door to failure, and excuses.
You’ll kill the two birds of people-pleasing and excuses with one stone once you aline your actions with your own beliefs and goals.
Take Responsibility
We’re all human and prone to mistakes. But to blame others when you’re responsible is a destructive way to excuse your behavior.
Shirking responsibility feeds a “victim mentality”, and creates more negative traits, including passive-agressive behavior.
Become “Process Oriented”…
…As opposed to solely goal oriented, where failure to arrive at a destination or meet a goal causes a sting and subsequent excuses to ease the pain.
Becoming process oriented means seeing the value and learning in every step of the journey, not just the destination. Mastery is not a static but progressive destination. It releases the unneccessary pressure you place on yourself.
A Worthy Reason
Successful change is meaningful change. You need motivation to stick to goals, and that comes from purpose- seeing the positive effects of removing excuses.
Think through the benefits of having an excuse-free life: healthier relationships, increasing productivity, living your dream.
Remind and Reinforce Your Changes
As with any behavioral changes, positve reinforcements make new habits stick. Any time you check off a step on this list, have a glass of wine and pat yourself on the back. Give yourself a daily mantra: “I make progress, not excuses.”
Always recognize your little wins; They’ll lead to big ones.
