Stop the Excuses: Start the Results!  by Dave Anderson 

 The highest achievers in every field have a low threshold for alibis. In fact, if there were one word you could eliminate from your vocabulary that would ensure your acceleration to greater results it would be the word, “excuses.” The greatest day of your life is when you decide to renounce them. To lead you to that point, following are four thoughts on excuses designed to prod, cajole, nudge, push you and ultimately create enough personal disgust with excuses that you give them up for good:

While you can’t control what happens to you, you are still responsible for your response. And regardless of how noble your good intentions, you will be measured by results. Excuses are a waste of time and energy and only succeed in deluding and distracting you from getting the job done. Stop blaming your parents, teacher, coach, ethnic background, gender, the government or the fact that you never got in touch with your inner something-or-another and start accepting responsibility for your life! Problems, setbacks and disadvantages aren’t some special penance reserved especially for you. We all have problems and must deal with them so there’s no need to burden the rest of us with yours. Follow the 80/20 Rule: 80% of what holds you back is within your control and 20% is not. Focus like a laser on the 80% and quit giving energy to the 20% you can do nothing about.  

You have two choices each day: performance or excuses. You get to choose which it will be. Wherever you are in your life today is a result of these choices you’ve made over time. If you want to improve your position in the future you must improve your choices today.  

Excuses are the DNA of underachievers. The world is filled with wimps who go through life while assuming the position, embracing victim hood and dedicated to the mantra, ‘it’s not my fault.’ Don’t follow the lead of these losers. The bottom of the business ladder is filled with derelicts, complainers and whiners who gather each day to cry about how unfair life is and to rationalize away their lack of success. Each time you accept responsibility for your results you climb one rung up the ladder and away from the fellowship of the miserable and their devotion to indulging in the self-destructive madness of excuses. The good news is that it is not crowded at the top of your field; there’s plenty of room. It’s crowded at the bottom. Give up what’s been holding you back so you can go up. 

The best day of your life is when you give up excuses. It is a liberating, self-fulfilling assurance you’ll feel when you decide to be true to yourself, to others and to begin accepting responsibility for your own success or failures. The fact is that whatever results you’re getting are the results you should be getting. And a big part of growing up as a human being is to realize it is your inside decisions more than outside conditions that determine how far you go in business and life and to focus on what’s around you diminishes your ability to focus on what’s before you.

 One of the biggest excuse-inducers is procrastination. The longer you look at something but take no action the better you must become at generating excuses to rationalize your immobility. That’s exactly why I’ve never liked the Nike phrase, “Just do it.” While it sounds good, “Just do it” smacks of procrastination. It indicates you haven’t done anything yet, but are still planning it, talking about it or waiting for the perfect time to begin. Make the shift from “Just do it” to “Just did it.”  

Did you make the pay plan change? “Just did it!”  

When will you begin your diet and workout program? “Just did it!”  

Have you decided what budget cuts to make? “Just did it!”  

Have you read the new book on sales? “Just did it!”  

When will you hold the training meeting? “Just did it!”  

Have you started your new follow up program? “Just did it!”  

Stop studying the race and join it. Stop sticking your toes in and take the plunge. Stop discussing and decide. There is power in the word “now”. “Now” is used nearly 1200 times in the Bible whereas “later” is used 83 times. Do you think there’s a message there?  

It’s bad enough for followers to blame the world for their lack of success but as a leader, if you hide behind excuses and rationalize poor results; you give your people license to do likewise. But if you accept responsibility, admit when you are wrong and walk your talk you create a positive pressure for your people to do the same. The beginning of the end of excuses in your life and your enterprise can start today if you decide to give up your black belt in blame and weave three new words into your vocabulary: “I am responsible”.

Dave Anderson is a master sales and leadership trainer and president of Learn to Lead.  Dave has an extensive background in auto sales and managed one of the largest auto dealerships in the country.  The author of several books, Dave’s site www.learntolead.com has a wealth of sales and leadership resources.