I’m passionate about excuses, and while I admittedly tip toe the line with ticking some people off by challenging their excuses, it’s usually because I’ve began to see a pattern. Where did these patterns begin? When did they begin? I’m not quite sure. But if you dig deep enough, you probably know.
My buddy and fitness expert Derek Toshner spoke at an event I was part of last year and he shared with the audience that if you were to perform 5,000 squats with poor form that it would lead the neuropathways in your body to begin to hardwire, so-to-speak, that poor form. In other words, a poor pattern has been formed. That poor pattern would also likely lead to poor performance and injury. This got me thinking. Uh oh! 😉
Let’s switch gears for a moment. Think about your “thought patterns.” Think about your “excuse patterns.” If you’ve consistently run from fear and self-sabotaged yourself with excuses, you’ve quite literally began to hardwire this into your neuropathways. That poor performance and injury manifests itself differently, but kind of the same. Maybe the injury is some element of anxiety or depression. Maybe it’s guilt. Maybe your unfulfilled. Maybe your health is out of control. Maybe you’re in financial crisis.
This is why I’m so passionate about excuses. Because it’s about so much more than just the excuse. I absolutely hate it when I don’t achieve something because of my own mental head trash. And I absolutely hate it when someone shares a goal or dream with me only to fall victim to their own head trash.
This is avoidable.
It starts at a young age. Over the years I’ve had the great privilege of coaching a lot of athletes in the sport of wrestling. This is a very mentally challenging sport. Maybe the most challenging sport there is. Too many times I’ve witnessed young men find excuses to not perform. Usually conveniently around the time they have to face some tough competition. Coincidence? Hmmm….. Sometimes these excuses are so obvious that you almost want to laugh. These excuses are as old as the sport.
(Back in the ol days you could of just laughed, nowadays, you’d probably get sued. Conversation for another day)
Sometimes these excuses are so pre-meditated that they are unchallenge-able, giving that excuse pattern a big ‘ol reinforcement in your hardware.
Important to note this happens EVERYWHERE, not exclusive to the sport of wrestling. Wrestling just happens to reveal quite a bit I’ve noticed.
The good news is, we are all programmable. You can get an upgrade! We have the most amazing capacity……TO CHANGE! You can extract that trojan virus from your mental hardware.
Your excuse pattern can become a SUCCESS pattern.
You just have to choose. Take those thoughts captive. Make the tough unnatural choice.
You know, the one you probably don’t want to do.
The one that makes you nervous? Yeah, choose that one.
The one that is unpopular? Yep, probably that one too.
Look, you aren’t a robot that can’t change. You’ve been created with immeasurable potential by a creator with infinite wisdom. Yet our plight as humans is that we are the only living things that will purposely become less than what we could become.
Let’s all win the day in our thoughts today. No more excuses. Start the reprogramming process. Begin your upgrade TODAY! Because procrastination is just an extension of your excuses.
