Sonia Cullington say's "STOP MAKING EXCUSES!"

“Where the heart is willing it will find a thousand ways, but where it is unwilling it will find a thousand excuses…” Dayak proverb

Do YOU find yourself making excuses when YOU do not perform in any area of your life? Shed the excuses and face reality. EXCUSES are the loser's way out. They will mar your credibility and stunt YOUR personal growth.

NO MORE EXCUSE DAYS!!!

5 weeks of 2012 have gone!  So, this week, it's time for a nudge from WOW - to stop and rid yourself of any excuses you make for not eating well, loving well, working well, exercising regularly or making your fitness a priority.

An "EXCUSE DAY" is a day where you've decided to let excuses win and YOU don't eat, live, love, work well or exercise.

In my line of work I think I have heard every excuse on the planet, if I was given a £1 every time someone said to me “I am starting today!” I would be a Millionaire not a Healthionaire!!! Some of my favourite common excuses include;

·        NO time (The one thing we are all equal in is TIME, every single one of us has access to 24hrs in a day, I see people spend ages queing up for a hip & trendy coffee, yet seemingly don't have time for a walk....)

·        BUT I can’t  because…I’m too old (hmmm, too old for what? age is just a number unless you are a bottle of wine! It's not about chronological age, it's about YOUR mental age, i.e how youthful are you in the mind and how much zest and spirit you have in life)

·        I have got to live, I could be run over by a bus (OK!!! That is true, BUT don't you want to look and feel good before the bus comes along...)

·        I have an injury…so I can’t exercise (There isn't any reason on this beautiful planet why anyone should become unhealthy or overweight just because they have an injury, if you can't move your arms, move your legs and vice versa, try reading Christopher Reeve's (actor who was Superman and lived 9 years of his lfe as a paraplegic ) inspirational book "Nothing is Impossible"

·        Big is Beautiful and I am fat and happy ( FAT is NOT ATTRACTIVE!!!)

·        I am only a bit overweight (YOU ARE FAT!!)

·        The kids love McDonalds (Does your child or children have a gun to your head saying " Take me there!!")                                                                                                                                                           

·        I have tried it all before and IT doesn’t work for me (The truth is there is no 'IT' - IT IS YOU' "it will work if YOU do' IT' If you fail to do it, then IT hasn't failed YOU HAVE!)

·        I eat as a response to EMOTION (This just does not wash with me...I could write a whole blog piece on this!!!! Have you ever heard anyone say "I am really pissed off today. I need a grape!")

·        I know it ALREADY… (I love this one!!! Just knowing it doesn't mean anything...what do NIKE say "JUST DO IT!!!)

When you hear these or any other excuses in your head, replace the words with "NO more excuse days".

Doing this will give you a mental kick to make a wiser choice, see results and FEEL WOW!

The next time you catch yourself making an excuse, whether for exercising, for love, for food, the late project, the unmet goal, or the job you work, gently remind yourself - no excuses. Spend your thought time planning your next successful meeting, fitness session, venture etc. Positive thinking becomes a helpful habit. Excuses fuel failure

 

Sometimes it helps psychologically and emotionally to make up a phony excuse for something. We may not want to reveal too much about ourselves (or a family member) to others, and will make up a phony excuse. Other times we will make excuses to help us feel better about behaviors which we are trying to justify.

Being a chronic excuse maker in the workplace or in your relationships is a whole other can of worms. Excuses generally are merely a ploy for shirking duties or avoiding unpleasant situations. Are your excuses getting in the way of leading a responsible life, loving whole heartedly, attaining your goals, or securing that job promotion? THINK about it.

 

Why Do We Make Excuses? 

If you are someone who is a habitual excuse maker it might be a good idea to ask yourself why you deliberately choose to be less than truthful. Do you fear the scrutiny of friends, family, or coworkers? Are you uncomfortable with opening yourself up to others? Are your excuses meant to inflate your worthiness in the eyes of others? The reason why we make excuses is probably not as important as the "feeling" associated with being less than honest. Excuses are meant to hide our shortcomings or give a better light to our failures. Everyone gets that. We can all justify our reasons for making excuses.

Taking responsibility for your actions is the grown-up thing to do. Admitting your failures and accepting that you are not perfect may be hard to swallow at first. But, as you stop making excuses for yourself, you will soon realize how emotionally freeing your life can be. I know it is cliché - but "Honesty (really) is the best policy."

 

Recently I’ve been making a lot of excuses to myself. Reasons not to complete assignments, finish de- cluttering my home see my friends, reply to emails etc And it’s mainly because things have been so crazy lately, lots of other little things have cried out for my  attention in my  life. Have I taken on the role of ‘victim?’ Well, er Nooooooo, “I have probably made EXCUSES!” 

I have always led my life by my values…(as some of you may know them by, “my F’s…”) 

FUN, Family, Fitness, Friends…(to name a few…) 

And yet when my world gets crazy, those things that I know make me Feel Good, Look Good, Do Good are often the first things to go!!!

And so, I’ve decided to turn my excuses into reasons. When life gets crazy, instead of using it as an excuse “not TO”, I’m going to use it as a reason “TO”. I will make sure I DO the things that give me more energy and when I have energy, I pass that on to anyone who comes into contact with me!

 

 “It is easier to find an excuse than to find a reason” Doug Brown, author

 

And so what excuses are you going to turn into reasons this week

Don't make excuses, make good… Now you try... why is today NOT going to be an excuse day?

Sonia Cullington - Founder WOW Fitness