We’ve all been there, you think you’ve finally convinced yourself to take the plunge and make meaningful changes in your life. Then, right at the last minute, just as you were about to start, you talk yourself out of it.
The excuse might not even be valid, it could be something that you’ve used on yourself time and time again and you’re more than likely aware of that.
Being conscious of what tends to feed your excuses will help you recognise and overcome them as soon as they arise. Instead of convincing yourself that there is something else you really need to do, take a step back, observe the thought, and see it as past programming that is trying to justify your excuse.
The three most common excuses we tend to use will relate to our feelings, emotions, surroundings, and time.
1 – Feelings & Emotion are easy escape routes. You might wake up and tell yourself that you are too tired, you have a headache, or that you don’t feel up to the task. Whenever you use feelings as an excuse for change, you will always talk yourself out of what you need to do.
2 – Your surroundings will be used to justify staying as you are. Whether there are people you need to see, places to go, or things to do, just understand that you are prioritising them over what should be the most important aspect of your life. These things can wait, just as you have made the much-needed changes wait in the past.
3 – Time is a very easy excuse to use. Seeing as we are so pushed for it these days, it is even more vital that you prioritise what little you might have on the most important things, such as change. You always find the time to do things that you enjoy the most, so you know deep down that there is always enough time, if you are really willing to change.
Don’t allow these common excuses to seduce you back into an all too familiar reality. Take the sting out of these programmed persuasion techniques and recognise what you are doing to yourself as you are doing it before you talk yourself out of change.
When you take a step back to observe what is going on, you can disassociate with your past programming and make a distinction between the old you, and the new you, one that is willing to make positive changes that will improve your life.
