Excuses and Taking the Easy Road

By Guest Blogger: Shawn Anderson

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

I’ve said it in my life. A lot.

“I’m tired…it can wait.”

Yeah…I’ve liked that one a few times, too.

“Oh…what’s one more day?”

That’s a good one, too, isn’t it?

Excuses.

They make us feel better for a moment, but get too used to using them and they can wage war on our goals and success. Excuses chain us to the world of mediocrity and eliminate our chance to experience uncommon results.

Forever.

Tell me, have you ever heard that little voice in your head sound like this?

“Why should I go after a big goal? I’m not going to achieve it anyway, so why start? It’s not that important. Besides, I’m really interested right now in watching Entertainment Tonight and seeing the evolution of Kate Hudson’s hairstyles over the last seven years.”

Embarrassing to admit, huh?

Why is it our inclination to take the easy road? Why is it so easy to submit to doing the less challenging or demanding task?

Here are THREE possible reasons:

1. Taking the easy road requires less thinking.
2. Taking the easy road demands less energy.
3. Taking the easy road requires less willpower.

Often, taking the HIGH road (the more productive, positive, and valuable road) isn’t as appealing as watching Entertainment Tonight. But that’s just our brain trying to convince us that the Kate Hudson interview has more value than doing something to positively move us forward. We let ourselves become convinced that it is okay to let our goals slide.

But is it really?

What do we truly gain by taking the easy way out at any moment? The answers are ugly, but let me tell you:

1. Take the easy road once… and we make it easier every time that follows to take that same path. Follow that route too many times and our lives end up being filled talking about others’ success rather than living our own success.

2. Take the easy road again…and we begin to get comfortable setting a low bar for ourselves in life. We stay in first grade forever.

3. Take the easy road too many times…and we begin to lose faith in our own ability to take on really big life goals. And that’s a discouraging shame.

So I ask us all this final question:

“Don’t we really…truly…unhesitatingly…deserve the very best?”

Funny thing is, when I ask myself that question, I see everything more clearly. And that’s good; that’s self-awareness; that’s bringing my thinking into the moment…the “NOW.”

And when that happens…I do make better decisions about what to do with my NOW; I do understand that the NOW affects the TOMORROW. And when I get to this point in my awareness, it makes moving past current tiredness or distractions much, much easier.

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