January 18, 2012

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Everyone who works has to deal with the hazards of the job. For some jobs the hazards are life threatening and for other jobs the hazards may just be irritating and stressful.

In my line of work excuses are one of my hazards. For me they are irritating to deal with, but for my client, I guess some of them could become life threatening if left alone.

The new year brings an influx of new people wanting information. People who suddenly wake up and decide they need to do something about their weight or lack of exercise (or in most cases both). How do I lose weight? How do I start a program? What is the best form of exercise?

As I begin to talk to people the same trends arise. The beginning of the chat is very inspiring, the client informs me of what they are doing wrong, what needs to occur to fix it and lastly, you can tell they are overjoyed about taking this first step.

As I begin to lay out the actually game plan the transition starts – excuse mode goes into action.

When we begin to talk about the things that need to be done differently and the new things that need to be put in place I am hit by a long list of reasons about why or how that is not going to be possible.

I liken the whole situation to my 12 year old son and his school work. If he comes home without his notebook or homework, I am going to hear a list (never less than 10) of reasons why it was left at school. Why can’t he ever just say “sorry Mom I forgot it”?

Excuse - (as defined by Dictionary.com)

to regard or judge with forgiveness or indulgence; pardon or forgive; overlook (a fault, error, etc.): Excuse his bad manners.
to offer an apology for; seek to remove the blame of: He excused his absence by saying that he was ill.
to serve as an apology or justification for; justify: Ignorance of the law excuses no one.
to release from an obligation or duty: to be excused from jury duty.
to seek or obtain exemption or release for (oneself): to excuse oneself from a meeting.

Excuses in all forms and in all subjects are crippling. They never allow you to truly see how you are doing.

And more importantly, if you are in excuse mode you will never be able to reach your full potential.

Stay Motivated,