To be free from excuses and be more successful do 8 things.

We can learn a lot by listening to people.  Their language says it all.

Human beings love being comfortable, and they love making excuses.

Failed politicians dream up imaginary adversaries to explain their failures.  When those failures are significant, the rhetoric intensifies.  It’s a diversion designed to keep people from focusing on the facts.

When people refuse to take personal responsibility for self-improvement, they often recite a litany of explanations for their inability to “get ahead”.  The results are the same.  Stagnation.

I would be more sympathetic to these predictable patterns of self limitation if I hadn’t come from humble beginnings and understood the sacrifice required for success.

When people lack a growth mindset they gravitate in the direction of justifying their failures.  In many cases, political leaders are incompetent because they’ve never "built" anything by using resources responsibly.

It’s easy to dabble in success with taxpayer donations when the ramifications for social experiments have little consequences.  Such is the life of a glorified activist.

The stakes are much higher for entrepreneurs and ambitions individuals. We don’t have the luxury of failing consistently and passing blame until people forget about our failures.

When we fail, we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and make one of two choices.  Embrace blame and excuses or take responsibility and grow.

“The best excuse is to have none”. Ivan Panin

Here are 8 suggestions for making sure excuses no longer keep you from succeeding:

Small steps

Most people underestimate the importance of taking small steps.  People are told to dream big but fail to appreciate the significance of each small step to make those dreams a reality.  It’s a process that requires patience, persistence, and determination.  Set big goals but prepare for the arduous journey.  One day at a time.

Focus

I appreciate people that advocate working on our weaknesses.  However, we don’t get far in life until we get good at something.  Developing mastery takes time, practice, and perseverance.  When people focus on their weaknesses it’s easy to get frustrated and give up.  Building genuine self-confidence based on relevant skills is a better strategy for success.  

Action

Most people never get past the dreaming stage. They scribble their business idea on a napkin with a group of friends that validate their plan.  They attend Tony Robbins seminars but go home and remain complacent.  They get stuck in a persistent procrastination loop.  The best way to break this trend.  Action! 

Remember

Make sure our goals are aligned with deep rooted values with intrinsic desire that burns brightly.  When people set off to “make lots of money”, build a billion-dollar business.  They lack the stamina to succeed.  Understand WHY you want success, and make sure the REASONS are highly motivating.     

“Once your excuses are gone, you will simply have to settle for being awesome”! Lorii Myers

Embrace

Embracing uncertainty is imperative for success.  Learning to navigate the tumultuous terrain of the unpredictable is mandatory.  It’s easy to make excuses when fear takes over.  However, we need to develop an aptitude for confronting obstacles and learn to be content with discomfort.

Stop

We can’t get far if we constantly compare ourselves to other people.  I have lost friends over the years because they "feel" they can’t keep up.  When we compare ourselves to other people, we inflict daily damage to our self-esteem.  Focus on our plan for success and put the blinders on.  There’s a dangerous trend to make successful people the subject of our animus.  Stop subscribing to this destructive way of thinking.  Redirect all our negative energy toward building a brighter future for ourselves.     

Positive

Being positive and optimistic will take us far in this life.  The alternative is blame and outrage.  Pathetic leaders encourage this type of division because it’s EASY to leverage hatred.  Can you imagine how much better the world would be if the message was positive, non-divisive, honest, and dedicated to evangelizing personal responsibility.  Creating an enemy for people to despise enables them to marinate in excuses and never get anyplace.  Don’t buy into it.   

Responsible

It all comes down to personal responsibility.  If we don’t take school seriously, we perform poorly.  If we don’t get ambitious, we stay comfortable.  If we don’t make good choices; we make dumb mistakes.  If we get swept up in ridiculous movements, we fail to think for ourselves.  We need to learn to swim up stream to get to the cherished waters.  That requires a decision to do what’s required and take full responsibility for the outcome.        

“Don't make excuses, make something incredible happen in your life right now”. Greg Hickman

Sum it up.

Any other tips for developing genuine self-esteem?  Any other suggestions for staying positive and avoiding the temptation to complain?  Share your thoughts in the comments section and please like and share this article. I love learning from you as well.

About Steve:

Steve Wohlenhaus is CEO of Weatherology, the leading company in the world at disseminating audio weather information.   Steve began his career as a major market television weather anchor in Minneapolis, where he received several Emmy Awards for science programming.  Steve is an author and host of the podcast program Anatomy of Success.  Reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn.  Learn more about my work and grab the free Weatherology mobile app by clicking any picture in this article!