It helps to remember human nature if we want to stop making excuses. Anyone who has raised children realizes that we pretty much begin life with this amazing ability to make excuses. It doesn’t matter if you catch them in the act. A child’s natural tenancy is to make an excuse. These excuses can be outright lies, twisting of the truth, or even strange yet imaginative proclamations.

Stop Making Excuses – A wild story

One day, I caught my son taking one of my ‘forbidden to touch” tools. He stood there with the tool in his hand, inside the house, right next to the toolbox. Instead of telling me he wanted to use the tool, or apologizing for taking the tool, he decided to come up with an excuse.

It was a whopper of an excuse that went something like this –

“Some guy across the street asked me if I had some pliers. I told him my dad does.  Then he said, why don’t you go get it and bring it here. I will give it right back. But then I said, I wasn’t allowed to touch it.  But he said that it was an emergency and that it would be all right. I told him I would get in trouble, but he said he would talk to you after he was done. He seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t want to get it for him. But then I remembered you said we should help those in need. And this guy really needed it. So, I decided it would be alright. And then you came now, and……

At first, I was ready to scold him for making up such a ridiculous story. Then I decided to play along and said – “OK let’s go over, and see him together maybe he needs help.” I could see the fear in his eyes. But being a true nature’d human (and not wanting to get caught), he blurts out. I, I think it’s too late, he is probably gone by now.

When we take responsibility for life’s, we free ourselves up to make the right adjustments along the way, and become more successful in our endeavors.

The sad thing is, we adults can still make these same kinds of lame excuses. Not wanting to be held accountable for our actions or decisions. Trying to shift the blame elsewhere. 

If these inclinations are few and far between, no problem. But if excuses become a habit they will inhibit and even prevent us from reaching our companies highest and greatest potential.

To become successful, we have to build the fortitude to stop making excuses and begin to accept accountability for our own actions or inaction. The same tired excuses that hold us back need to be stopped.  There are always outside forces that inhibit us but these are just roadblocks not a reason not to perform.

Stop Making Excuses – 8 ways to start

1. Recognize our own inabilities. When I first started my company it was easier to blame the economy, poor distribution networks, or lack of support than to blame my inability to perform well. Once I realized that my company rose or fell with me, it was easier to stop making excuses and find the help I needed.
2. Ask for help. Business owners can try, but they cant do everything. So stick to what you can do well and find others to do what you cant. There are lots of gig workers, temps, subcontractors and technology now a days.
3. Stop thinking like a victim. Yes, life is not fair, and there are many variables we can fall victim to. However, in the end, the only one to blame for a negative, excuse-filled attitude is ourselves. Shifting blame elsewhere may make you feel less guilty, but it won’t help you become better or obtain success.
4. Focus on the positive.  It’s easy to spend our attention on negative things and events and overlook the positive.  Try thinking of, and writing down, all the positive things in your company. Begin to focus on these regularly throughout your day.  It’s amazing how focusing on positive things can even make our excuses lame in comparison.
5. Begin to be thankful throughout the day. An easy way to start is to begin to say “Thank You”. We can say thank you to the person making our coffee, our hard working employees, our thoughtful spouses,  when our kids say nice things, or the stranger holding open the door.  It’s also important to establish routines, like being thankful for the everyday things in life, and regularly express it to those around us.
6. Read or listen to positive music, books, and other inspirational input. Like the old computer adage GIGA, if you put garbage in, you get garbage out.
7. Be aware of the natural tendency to make excuses. Find out what makes us and our employees tick. – What things set us off. Our pet peeves. Things that discourage. Why we focus on various excuses etc. By being more self-aware it’s easier to uncover the real problem, and what we can do about it. 
8. Stay organized. Sometimes having significant disorder around gives us a lot of reasons to make excuses. Like they say maybe its time to start “cleaning up our act!”