Excuses aren’t what you think they are or for who you think they are.
People who make excuses think excuses are for convincing other people. But how often do other people really believe an excuse? Almost never.
So who is an excuse-maker really trying to convince? Themselves. Pause for a moment and think. When was the last time someone’s excuse actually convinced you? You probably saw right through it.
Excuses are our internal resistance to responsibility, spoken out loud. As long as we convince ourselves we’re not responsible, the mission is complete. Anyone else who believes us just adds bonus reinforcement.
We use excuses as a psychological escape hatch from responsibility. The true target of an excuse is not the excuse-receiver, but the excuse-maker. Other people who hear our excuses probably don’t believe them anyway.
Every excuse you feel tempted to make is a conversation with yourself. You’re not trying to convince them. You’re trying to talk yourself out of taking responsibility.
Now ask yourself, “Why would I do that?”
Event + Response = Outcome. Do the work.
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