🧭Why excuses are affecting your health and success

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Here’s where we’re headed today:

• Arnold Schwarzenegger on excuses

• How excuses affect your well-being

• Using the 5 Why’s to conquer excuses

• Michael Jordan’s trainer on excuses

Arnold Schwarzenegger on Excuses

"You can have results or excuses. Not both."

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

How Excuses Affect Your Well-Being

Excuses are often seen as a way to justify our failures or shortcomings. We tell ourselves and others that we didn't succeed because of external factors, such as a lack of time, resources, or support.

However, the truth is that excuses aren't necessary. In fact, they can be a major barrier to success. A study conducted by the University of Zurich found that people who make excuses for their mistakes are more likely to experience negative emotions and have less self-esteem than those who take responsibility for their actions. The study found that people who made excuses experienced higher levels of stress and anxiety, and had lower levels of self-esteem and self-worth. In contrast, those who took responsibility for their actions reported higher levels of satisfaction with their lives and were more likely to achieve their goals.

This study highlights the importance of taking ownership of our actions and choices, and the negative impact that excuses can have on our well-being and success. Taking ownership means recognizing that you have the power to shape your own life, and that your actions and choices have a direct impact on your success and well-being.

Success is not a matter of luck or circumstance, but a result of your own choices and actions.

Using the 5 Why’s to Get Rid of Excuses

The Five Why’s": This framework involves asking "why" five times to get to the root cause of your excuses. For example, if your excuse for not pursuing a new opportunity is that you don't have the skills, ask yourself "why" five times to get to the root cause. It could be that you lack confidence, fear failure, or have a limiting belief about your abilities.

Example: “I’m too busy.”

1. Why are you too busy? Because I have a lot of work to do.

2. Why do you have a lot of work to do? Because I have a lot of responsibility at my job.

3. Why do you have a lot of responsibilities at your job? Because my boss and team rely on me to complete important tasks.

4. Why do they rely on you to complete important tasks? Because I have a lot of knowledge and expertise in my field.

5. Why is it hard for you to prioritize your personal goals when you have a lot of work to do? Because I am afraid that if I don’t put all my focus and energy into work, that I won’t be able to maintain performance and might lose my job or miss out on an opportunity.

In this example, the root cause of the excuse "I'm too busy" is fear of losing the job or missing out on career opportunities. By recognizing this fear, you can then work on addressing it directly, for example, by finding ways to balance work and personal goals, or by discussing your concerns with your boss to see if there are alternative solutions.

Michael Jordan’s Trainer on Excuses

Below is a brief video from Tim Grover who trained NBA stars - Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, and others.

He talks about the importance of mindset and choices.

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