Make 2013 The Year You Stop Making Excuses

Excuses are a way of saying I did not have the guts to do it. I was afraid of the outcome. I see an excuse as a way of saying I'm normal. I am just plain lazy or it wasn't that important. Why would I stretch myself? Take a hard look at yourself. If your saying this to yourself and your OK with that your in trouble. I'm suggesting you dig down deep. Make a resolution, that 2013 is the year you stopped making excuses.
How many times have we heard governments say we did not make our target budget because the revenue did not come in as expected. The economy performed below expectations. We all just roll our eyes and say it's government. What else would we expect. Forget the fact they are ruining the future for our children. We have actually allowed the excuse to creep into our every day lives to. It's somebody else's fault. Would you be willing to have government or external forces tell us to turn left and turn right at their will. I sure hope not. Why do we continue to allow this to happen in our every day lives. You will never grow as a person and more importantly as a parent if we accept an excuse of ourselves.
Here is what I believe happens when we stop making excuses.

• When we stop making excuses we actually take control of our lives. Yes, there is a catch. It means that you will actually have to do what you said you were going to do.
• You will gain trust and respect from others. "Now there's a person of their word".
• It causes us to think before we open our mouth and commit to something knowing full well you have to do it.
• Yes is easier than saying no. No is often the right answer especially if you won't do what you said you would do. Think of the consequences on your character.
• Make no mistake that it is only by your actions you are remembered.
• When you stop making excuses you don't have to remember what you said.

I suggest you start to listen to yourself when you talk. Have the guts to say no and mean it. If you think your hurting someones feelings by saying no, think again. You are hurting your reputation even more by saying yes and not doing it. Live your life excuse free. Convince yourself that you resolve to not make excuses this year. Your credibility needs an awakening. Make 2013 the year you will actually do what you said you will do.

How to Increase Will Power - Learn to Say No and Mean It

I feel that learning to say NO is a test to our will power and commitment to success. There is always someone or something that wants our time to help them achieve their goals and objectives. It can feel good to say yes at the time but when we are faced with not meeting our goals and objectives we ask ourselves. What did I just do?

Over the past six weeks I feel into the trap of not being able to say no. To my readers you will have noticed I have not published an article in over a month. It is due to a couple of things. I took a weeks vacation sailing with family and friends but I also over committed to some volunteer work. The unfortunate part about all this is I knew it each and every time. I felt the burning desire to help someone else who was in need. I broke my own rule of saying yes before I thought it through. When we over commit, it impacts many things both personal and business. We hear the term "Life Balance" It's not a myth. I understand life balance to be a good split between ones personal life and ones business life. When we over commit the time has to come from somewhere. Saying yes without clearly understanding the impact is dangerous. When busy people like myself do this we end up doing less than 100 percent of what is required to meet our own goals and commitments. It's that simple.

We also have to be careful of what I call time wasters. We get busy doing "Stuff" further down the list of "have to do". I feel this is really disguised as procrastination. We have friends and colleagues who drop into our lives venting about things that are not going well in their lives. Friends and family looking for some help or assistance in one of their projects. Saying no to friends and family is the toughest of all. I personally find the best way to say No, is to say. "I would love to help you. I am in the middle of a project with a close deadline right now that needs my full attention. I could give you a hand later in the week or for an hour on Saturday morning." Look at it this way. Your friend needs help right now. You do not have time right now. If they value your friendship they can wait until you see yourself clear to give them a hand.

Saying "No" takes will power. Saying "No" and meaning it, is a learned experience. Saying "No" and clearly explaining why builds your credibility. Saying "No" with compassion and understanding is an art. When we do say "Yes",we know it is for good reason and it has meaningful results for all.

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