Article on Stop Making Excuses

An excuse is a reason we give to avoid work. ‘I have no time’, ‘I am too tired’, ‘It is too difficult’ – these are common excuses. But look closely, and you will see that these are not real reasons; they are fears. We are afraid of failure, so we make excuses to stay safe. The problem is that excuses stop us from growing. The person who makes excuses stays at the same place, while the person who works moves ahead. How can we stop making excuses? The first step is to be honest with ourselves. When you catch yourself giving an excuse, stop and ask, ‘Is this really true?’ The second step is to start small. You do not need one full hour; start with just ten minutes of work. The third step is to stop waiting for the perfect time. The perfect time never comes; we have to start with the time we have. The last step is to accept that failure is a teacher, not a punishment. If you fail, you learn something new. Remember, successful people are not special. They simply stopped making excuses and started doing the work. So from today, catch your excuses, replace them with action, and see the difference in your life.