Remove the ones that apply to you from your mind

Excuses are one of the biggest obstacles to success in life.

It often starts with a harmless sentence like “I am too tired today.” Over time, however, little excuses grow into roadblocks. And before you know it, they create apathy.

In the words of Marcus Aurelius,

“Hold yourself to a very high standard, and don’t make excuses when you fail to meet it.”

We set standards for ourselves. We have a mental framework that regulates what’s acceptable and what isn’t. And those standards define our tolerance for excuses.

In simple terms, the more excuses we accept, the lower our standards. And one day, they disappear.

So, how do we prevent seemingly harmless excuses from holding us back? The answer is straightforward: once a behavioral pattern doesn’t adhere to our standards, we reject it.

Read also: 7 easy ways to boost your productivity (amazing wisdom)

On this basis, here are seven excuses to banish from your life if you want to be successful.

I don’t have time to do X

I don’t have time to go to the gym. I am too busy to start a side hustle. And finally, I have too many commitments to take on novel challenges.

These sentences are the mother of all excuses.

Here is a simple truth: we all have the same amount of time. Our days have 24 hours, and our hours have 60 minutes. As such, not having time is nothing more than an excuse. It’s not about having time. It’s about managing time.

If you look at the world’s top performers, there’s one phrase you’ll never hear from them. I don’t have time.

If you want to take your life to the next level, start by improving your time management. Instead of “I don’t have time,” ask yourself the following:

“Why is there no available spot in my schedule?”

If I try this, I might fail

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” — Paulo Coelho

Not trying something because you might fail is an easy way out.

Every single decision you make has some degree of risk. You could fail your driving exam. Is that a reason not to try to get a driver’s license? Likewise, you could fail one or more university papers. Is that a reason not to go to uni?

If you want to make serious progress in your life, you need to accept that failure is inevitable and that you will make mistakes.

There are two ways to deal with failure and mistakes.

You can either bury your head in the sand and use past mistakes as an excuse. Or, you can accept their existence and learn from them.

Once you transition from making excuses and chasing the wrong things toward utilizing the lessons of failure, you’ll transform your life.

I am not good enough

Much like being afraid of failure, doubting your own qualities is an easy way out.

When I wrote my first-ever blog post in 2017, I was terrible at writing. In that same vein, my first Youtube videos weren’t “good” by any standards.

A few years ago, one of the most successful content creators I know gave me a brilliant piece of advice:

“If you want to become successful in content creation, you need to allow your content to suck for a while.”

The idea is simple: in the beginning, you won’t be a master at what you do. But if you use your lack of quality as an excuse, you’ll never start.

The excuse of not being “good enough” is an easy way out. It will give you the perfect reason not to show up every day and do the work. And one year from now, you’ll be in exactly the same position. Is that where you want to be?

There are no opportunities in my city/country

The excuse of not living in the right city or country was questionable ten years ago, but today, it’s utterly laughable.

First, the advent of online opportunities and remote work have leveled the playing field for people all over the globe. It doesn’t matter where you live now. You have internet, right? If you do, you have a treasure trove of opportunities that doesn’t care where you were born.

Secondly, you might come from a developing, not-so-wealthy country. Or, you might come from a challenging background in a Western country. Those are all macro-socioeconomic indicators. They describe a general situation, but they do not affect the individual.

You can’t change where you were born and cannot alter the macro indicators of your residence.

Consequently, using these factors as excuses is a surefire way to never make any progress in life.

I have no help from my parents

Some people have no parents or just one. Be thankful for every little piece of help you get. If you have parents that gave you fruitful advice as a child, they already helped you.

In many cultures, children help their parents once they start making money — not the other way around.

That’s why using your parents as an excuse isn’t just counter-productive but outright disrespectful.

I don’t have the looks, ethnicity, or background to become successful

Much like your birthplace, you have traits that you cannot change.

You can’t change your ethnicity and your cultural background. That means you have two options: you can either accept your background and celebrate it — or believe that the world wants you to fail and that you have no chance to succeed.

The latter is the easier option. It is, however, also an excuse to remain inactive.

Here’s a fact: it doesn’t matter what your background is. Someone will always be smarter, stronger, better-looking, and wealthier. Is that a reason to give up?

Read also: 6 steps to build confidence (Highly recommended)

I have no experience

Finally, another excuse that holds people back is a lack of experience.

Akin to thinking that you’re “not good enough,” highlighting your lack of experience only does one thing: prevent you from starting.

If you embark on a new challenge — like starting a side hustle, you will, by definition, have no prior experience. And that’s the point. If you had experience, it wouldn’t be a challenge.

Experience comes from trying new things. As such, using a lack of an experience as an excuse creates a negative cycle because it will prevent you from building that experience in the first place.

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Contributed by Jack Krier

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