Excuses: Pillars of Failure!

DreamBodies BLOG

This BLOG raffles off one FREE 2LB Tub of Whey Protein weekly! All you need to do to be included in the raffle is post your comments. You can post as often as you like, but your name can only be put into the raffle for a maximum of seven times per week. This would require posting at least once daily. To post a comment, just scroll down to the bottom of the post and click on the "comments" link. Then Scroll down after the others, and add yours. Be sure to include your email address so that we can contact you if you are the WINNER! Also, please include last name "initial" for Blog Raffle purposes.

Excuses: Pillars of Failure!

Monday, 12 April 2010

STOP THE INSANITY!

If making excuses was the sport of football, some of us would win the Superbowl all of the time. Unfortunately, we find it way too easy to make excuses and we hide behind them almost with pride sometimes.

Why? Why do we make excuses? Knowing some of the triggers can sometimes bring about a definitive commitment to move forward and stop procrastinating. I have TONS of reasons but only want to get some discussion going here :)

Here are a few reasons:

1. We have our priorities all Wrong! I can't count how many times a client told me that they "deserved" a glass of wine after work. What! Why? Explain that one to me.

2. We want things NOW and we're impatient. Instant gratification Baby! McDonalds Mentality. Fast drive-thru to my dreams. This is why the info-mercial world majors in health and weight loss. People keep buying into the hype.

3. Making excuses is EASY. Eating healthy and training can sometimes be challenging and difficult. But, think about it, which one pays better?

4. We believe tomorrow will always come. This one is HUGE and in many ways, very sad :(

5. We do not have solid Goals.

I think your dreams are worth more than a piece of cake, glass of wine or something passing. What about you? Do you struggle with this? Have you overcome making excuses? How?

26 Comments

POSTED BY: Tony AT 08:34 am | Permalink | 26 Comments | E-mail this

Comments:

OH YES!! It took me years to come to the realization that I was just making excuses....for everything! "Oh...everyone else has it easier than me. If I could afford more things, it would be easier. Others haven't been through what I have, they just don't understand that I have it harder".....yep....I've tried them all and they lead to the same place: mediocrity and disappointment. Coming to the point where I realized that I HAD MORE CONTROL THAN I GAVE MYSELF CREDIT FOR was pivotal. My life hasn't changed, but it has. I say it that way b/c circumstances haven't changed, but I HAVE. And, therefore, I am not moved to excuses the way that I once was. It is no one else's fault if I don't reach my goals....continued in next post LOL!

Posted by Blondell D on 04/12/2010 08:16:33

It's not my coach's responsibility to MAKE ME lose bodyfat. It is not my hubby's responsibility to not bring food that he and the kid's like into the house. It is MY responsibility to drop bodyfat.....my responsibility to not eat the things that take me further away from my goals rather than closer to them! Good post. Too often,we sell ourselves short by making excuses! :)

Posted by Blondell D on 04/12/2010 08:17:22

Unfortunately it took for a doctor to tell me get fit or else to finally stop making excuses. My diagnosis scared the heck out of me enough to really contemplate changing my lifestyle but when the complications occurred, just as the doc said-that was my catalyst for change. I overcame it because I had to do a real cost versus benefit analysis. "is my current lifestyle worth me getting sick/late for work/unable to enjoy my leisure time/getting another prescription to counteract my self destructive habits?" once I knew that, I was able to set goals with a timeline/benchmarks/due dates.

Posted by Janessa on 04/12/2010 08:18:02

There is pizza in the fridge right now and I want it... it's going to drive me nuts all day because I want it. I could start the lies right now to convince myself it's okay to eat that pizza... One taste won't make a difference... blah blah blah blah blah... The truth is it might not hurt that much but what about all the crap food at work and when I'm hanging with friends... and lets face it those temptations are there everywhere everyday... and we are good at telling ourselves lies... I'm one of the best. And I don't really have any goals right now... so what is keeping me from eating it ??? I guess right now... knowing how I feel when I am going strong on my program, I have energy, I rarely get sick, my jeans slide on :)

Posted by Tina E. on 04/12/2010 08:35:41

I'm also working on a post about the negative effects of sugar right now... which I know you could probably post better... BUT... we act like we have a choice about eating clean... but really in essence we don't... and the general public has no idea the negative effects there excuses are causing... really they don't even come close to understand it fully.

Posted by Tina E. on 04/12/2010 09:08:25

Ugh! This is like a dagger to my heart. I feel exposed! I did this all weekend to myself. We had a family emergency and I allowed myself to make excuses to justify my missed work outs. In reality, no one would have missed me or thought less of me if I took an hour away for myself. I would have felt better. Instead, I woke up made at myself this morning and three days further away from my goals. It's all rubbish! Blondell thanks for pointing out the control over one's self issue...that's exactly the type of mentality I need to embrace and force myself to exercise EVERYDAY! No more excuses!

Posted by Danene on 04/12/2010 09:40:23

I loved this post Tony. It's so true..excuses get you nowhere. I love telling people about my eating and workout schedule. No one has TIME for it. Then I tell them about Tina E. She's an ER nurse for pete's sake. TIME is not an excuse. Just say you don't feel like doing the work!!

Posted by April J on 04/12/2010 10:19:36

This is a GREAT post Tony! I found myself wanting to make excuses this weekend (one week into your program), to have that one piece of pizza, or that one itty bitty glass of wine... But then I said to myself: "Cami, you've got a choice here, whether you see it or not. You have a choice to eat the pizza, you have a choice to drink the wine. Or you have the choice to build a beautiful, muscular, lean body. Choose." I realized that up until now, I have chosen the excuses, the 'reasoning' on why I 'deserve' this that or the other. It brought me here, 40 pounds overweight, and unhealthy. I've LIVED what those choices bring me, and I'm fulfilled with it. I choose my health and vitality, right now in this moment - every moment.

Posted by Cami K on 04/12/2010 11:16:15

I deserve to have a great body!

Posted by Diane M on 04/12/2010 12:26:51

This is some good stuff going on here. I'm in the middle of a crazy day, but I will be back later to touch on a lot of what was posted. Really GREAT thoughts all over the place. I also think I will post Part-2 to this post. I have so much more that I could say. This goes much deeper than just "making Up" some excuses. Keep it coming people :)

Posted by Tony on 04/12/2010 12:53:10

As a young girl I was made to recite these lines from a poem whenever I was making up excuses: Excuses are the tools of the weak and incompetent. Used to build monuments of nothingness. Those who excel in it seldom excel in anything else but excuses. So, good little girl that I was, I rationalized that my excuses were EXPLANATIONS. And I explained away a lot of bad food and health choices over my lifetime. Now that I've grown up I've learned the difference. I honestly try not to make excuses, but accept them for what they are without justifying them. Being honest with myself is harder than being honest with others and then....Sometimes it really "Is what it is." And other times, it's nothing more than a lame excuse.

Posted by Jacqueline P on 04/12/2010 20:41:25

Tony, Up until a few years ago, I used to make up excuses and justify my actions/decisions. I now take responsibility daily and acknowledge that I have to live with my choices. IMO, God loved us enough to give us the power to choose how we live our lives. I know that either my choice brings me towards death or life, simply put. I know that what I choose either brings me closer to my goals/vision or it pushes me away from it. The phrase I keep coming back to is "there are no excuses, only results." Choose LIFE!!! :) Btw, thanks for this wonderful blog!

Posted by Sarah on 04/12/2010 22:01:02

tony it's sad but we live in a " post-gratification" world . in one's search for happiness the " finish line" keeps changing . example-"i'll be happy. once i get out of school , now once i get married , now once we get that house , now once we have kids , now once the kids are on thier own , now once i retire . they never seem to get there. people must understand " there is no key to happiness , the door is always open" many times in the gym i hear you say " come on you can do it " well thats what people have to say to the mirror every morning

Posted by ronnie on 04/13/2010 07:37:29

Blondell, YUP! You hit it on the head. Your circumstances haven't changed, YOU have. The road of excuses is one of torment because people keep using the same ones over and over again only put different names on them like Ronnie said. Own the problem--which in many cases is the person, not circumstances. Great words :)

Posted by Tony on 04/13/2010 07:47:02

Janessa, this is so true. How I wish people wouldn't let it get that far. For example, I can think of two new clients both almost the same age (women in their late 50s). One has signed up because she wants to be healthy, and a HOT grandma who can set examples for her grandchildren. The other was told by her doctor that if she doesn't change, she dies.

Posted by Tony on 04/13/2010 07:53:16

I think the first thing one has to do is ADMIT that they make excuses. As long as you are lying to yourself, you cannot get pass it. Yes, it is a hard pill to swallow at the beginning. I know this. HOWEVER, facing it pays for itself many times over. Also, catching yourself when you realize you are making them. Often, we KNOW that we are just making excuses, yet we continue to do it! When we catch it, and stop it b/f it gets going, we will be that much closer to reaching a goal. just some extra thoughts...

Posted by Blondell D on 04/13/2010 19:53:39

Danene, the decision to stop making them and stick to your convictions is the first step to overcoming. You CAN and you WILL do it. Cami, thanks for sharing and your passion will rise I above the excuses--this I know :) Diane, let the desire to have it grow and don't surrender. The more you SEE what you want, the closer it comes.

Posted by Tony on 04/14/2010 05:59:38

Ronnie, for years I have been using the word "Sad" to describe it. I get calls every year from the same people. They want me to convince them as to HOW I can make their dreams come true. My answer is always the same, "I will convince you of nothing. YOU convince ME why I should spend my time." I mean, YES, I can and will empower, inspire, guide...heck I'll even carry sometimes. But you MUST truly WANT it. I can't GIVE that.

Posted by Tony on 04/14/2010 06:30:29

Jacqueline that was truly deep and I thank you for sharing. Sarah, thanks for opening up. Others are being helped...I hear from them. Thanks to all. Tina, you have all you need inside of you and you have already showed the world that. You will again :)

Posted by Tony on 04/14/2010 07:01:37

I really enjoy the blogs you post on the mental aspects of working out and eating right. A lot of people seem to quit their workouts or fail at their fitness goals because they lose that mental battle.

Posted by Mark on 04/14/2010 11:38:21

Mark, Thanks a lot! I agree. That's why my focus with all my clients and MORE importantly with MYSELF, has always been to build an unshakable mind. If you have this, you can and will do it all. Keep in touch!

Posted by Tony on 04/14/2010 13:51:30

Mark, You are right on with your post... and Tony has dealt with the primary source, not simply just the symptoms(!) of the challenges we face with having a healthy lifestyle! (it's not a 3 month stint; I have made it a part of my life, I love it!)... For myself, it doesn't matter if I used to weigh 220, inside I still had the self-sabotaging mindset of a ho-hum mindset. Tony is helping me to transform my mind, not just my body... and I know this will last b/c I'm dealing with the root issues here.... D3 is outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A must! Thank you Tony!

Posted by Sarah on 04/14/2010 16:59:19

Speaking of D3, is it gonna be available for the 'general public' anytime soon? I could use some SUPER mind conditioning. lol

Posted by Blondell D on 04/14/2010 20:38:35

Excuses...absolutely...Tony...did you hafta tell everyone i crave my vino after work?...lol...well that haS STOPPED...i usually stopped when the bottle was empty....eating the junk food and candy cause it was there and i deserved the pick me up,,,a patient or my boss got me a frappachino...i give it to someone else...now i go to work armed with my protien...green tea..tuna,,chicken,,protien drinks.the biggest excuse i made was not doing the treadmill,quads locked...boring...couldn't keep up the pace...well today i did it for 13 min...running aT 2-3 min intervals and it felt AMAZING!,never thought i could do it,I WAS WRONG!thank u Tony!

Posted by Donna M on 04/15/2010 11:02:58

Donna, congrats to you!!!! That's so wonderful about the progress you've made on the treadmill... I'm continually amazed how our bodies are able to adapt...I've found that the mental hurdles stop or slow us down from our potential...God created the body well equipped. I just started jogging this week on my interval cardio at the end of the workouts(haven't been able to jog/run since last yr. w/o pain in my feet/calves from developing plantars fasciitis during military training). Keep up the great work Donna!

Posted by Sarah on 04/17/2010 18:55:48

I'm having a hard time with this one a lot... for instance I quit closing cardio after 3 minutes, half an hour ago, because I leg pressed more weight then ever, and "wasn't feeling it." What does that mean? What is it like to feel it? I was feeling it when I was lifting, but somehow I made the excuse that I'll just do extra cardio tomorrow. I gave most of the workout 110%, just gotta figure out how not to cheat myself out of the whole thing!

Posted by Michael G on 04/23/2010 22:15:47

Listen to DreamBodies BTS Body Xtreme on internet talk radio