How often do you make excuse? Instead of doing something, you usually find ways to explain your inaction. Those who make excuses are generally perceived as weak, lazy or cowardly. I think it's an unfair generalization.
We all make excuses from time to time. Sometimes we give excuse and sometimes we stop rationalizing and taking action. I am sure that most of us can remember times when we postpone days and waste time before we start a project. I am also sure that most of us remember the times when we started immediately and finished earlier than planned.
The differences between these two cases could be described as differences of willpower. If you carried it off, you had no willpower. But it is not useful. If the will is beyond your direct control, pretending that the will is a solution will not work. Instead, I think the answer to giving up lies in two steps:
Organize your priorities
Break the important and uncomfortable steps into manageable pieces.
- Organize your priorities
What is most important to you right now? Expand your finances? Academically successful? Improve the quality of your relationships? Excuse is the result of contradictory priorities.
If you do not have a system to make decisions, the trend is to go with what feels better right moment.
You can clarify this by defining your priorities. The goal is to help when one event conflicts with another. If you have to decide to work on a school project or spend a date, you should analyze your priorities. Which is the highest? relationship or academic success.
In terms of priorities, it is important to define your main goal and your secondary assignment. An important assignment should receive all the extra attention you need to devote to it. minor assignment should not be abandoned, but their goal is to put them on autopilot, so that most of your mental energies are dedicated to their primary purpose.
To give an example, my main focus is this business. Earlier this year, I realized that if I concentrated my efforts on it, I could pull the film to the place where the company could support me full time. I'm close now, but not quite on the line.
My little priorities are my health, my relationships, my social life, Toastmasters and my school. These little approaches still work if I improve my income. But most of my mental attention is focused on ways I can develop this page and offer more value.
Dividing your priorities into one main goal and several smaller approaches makes it much harder not to give excuse. Whenever a conflict arises and you usually offer excuse, you can only think of your priorities. If the priorities are clear, it is difficult to justify their removal.
- Breakdown your discomfort
Mixed priorities are only part of the excuse. The unwillingness to enter unpleasant situations is another. Success in almost every effort requires taking risks and coping with mistakes. To become a great speaker, you have to get up in front of a large audience and maybe give a terrible speech.
The problem is, if your priorities dictate that you have to take a big step, and you can not do it. This could mean improving your business but not being willing to make cold calls or market your product.
The solution is to break through the uncomfortable steps. Laziness is just another manifestation of fear. If you can not move to the next step, divide it into smaller parts that you can manage. If you can not go on stage to talk, try to keep your speech in front of friends. If you can not make a cold call, try to call someone you already know.
Sometimes, however, a step can not be broken down. Either you have to tackle it completely or not at all. In these situations, you have to influence yourself
Give a friend $ 100 of your choice so you can hold it until you're done. Make a public commitment. Each of these steps will work.
The next time you find an excuse, ask yourself. Is that one of my priorities? If this is not so, and you still excuses, ask yourself if there is a way forward in the next stage.
