Things get really tough sometimes, don’t they? Unplanned emergencies arise, things break, people don’t follow through like they said they would, money falls short, time runs out, you feel sick—bah humbug….

Did you know that some of the greatest accomplishments of human kind have been done by people who had all sorts of barriers, limitations and illnesses. What they didn’t do, was make excuses.

An excuse really doesn’t help. It’s a way to disown responsibility. And, it may be true that you didn’t break the printer, so it’s not really your fault you couldn’t print out the paper—right? Ever heard of a flash drive and Kinko’s/FedEx?

Instead of choosing to make an excuse—choose to make some progress. Own what happens and any part you may have in the situation. Because when you do, you feel more calm, your brain kicks up a notch to work faster, you begin to experience possibility thinking for options, and your self-esteem and confidence take a boost. All this, is the result of honoring yourself.

Are there things that are totally out of your control? Is there a situation in which you were truly an innocent bystander who just got sucked in? Certainly, these happen. YET your choice to take action and be proactive about moving forward from this unfortunate moment, is just that—your choice. Choose to make excuses, or choose to act. Your choice.

Even a tiny effort is better than an excuse. Plato said, “Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.” Any progress at all, is far better than the best excuse. Keep on moving forward.

Well, how to we break through excuses? Compelling reasons….

Here’s a fundamental truth. Everything humans do, they do because they will either be avoiding pain, or gaining pleasure. Very simply, those are the drivers of all action and inaction. To break free from an excuse, you need to think about the painful situation you will get to avoid by your actions, or the pleasure you’ll receive from action, or some combination of the two.

Remove your handcuffs of useless excuses. You were not born to fail—you are meant to rise up and thrive! Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Release your excuses, and move proactively into your ever expanding opportunities and success. You deserve all the good you can claim—excuses be gone!