Excuses are the crutches of the weak.
They make look like the perfect escape but in reality they become the traps.
If your first reaction is to give an excuse for not doing something, it straight away puts you in a poor light, doesn’t matter how ingenious your excuse.
Dog eating my homework or the alarm not working are too lame. You can get creative with them, look for more people or things to blame but the truth remains the same – you didn’t do what was expected of you.
The sad part is when you’re giving an excuse, you think you’re being smart, fooling the other person into believing your tall stories.
But that’s far from the truth.
90% of the time the other person knows you’re just fibbing your way out. They’re just indulging you, giving you a chance to get away before you dig yourself in too deep.
Why do you want to give excuses instead of owning up your lapse?
Why do you spend more energy trying to think of something creative when you could use the same energy to complete your work?
Is giving excuses helping you or holding you back from really reaching your true potential?
Reasons why you keep making excuses
For starters it’s the fear of failure. Rather than appear like you’ve failed and avoid the embarrassment of criticism, you quickly come up with excuses, doesn’t matter how silly or absurd or far-fetched they are.
Two, it’s the desire to be in control. Excuses give you a feeling that you’re still in control of the situation. The delay is just a minor setback.
Why haven’t you got the report ready? – XYZ didn’t provide the required document so I was delayed.
Why are you so late to work? The elevator was stuck / the phone’s battery was dead so the alarm didn’t ring / I had a minor accident on the way to work.
Where’s your assignment? I had completed it but my dog tore it up.
Haven’t we heard these before?
Three, it’s your deep seated insecurities that make you act defensive. Your self-doubts manifest as excuses. You use your excuses to postpone dealing with the outcomes and consequences.
And finally, it’s too much effort moving out of the comfort zone. So better give an excuse than lift a finger. It buys you more time and makes you look like you’re still working on it.
What it says about you
You may feel proud of getting away with your excuses but you do realise that it’s working against you?
Your excuses are exposing the flaws in your personality, showing you in a poor light.
Your frequent excuses show your attitude towards responsibility, that you lack accountability. You’d rather work on the reasons for not doing your work than actually doing it.
It shows your mindset, which is certainly not focused on growth or progress. You’re happy where you are and are not excited to move forward. You lack the growth mindset needed for progress.
Your credibility takes a hit. You can’t expect people to rely on someone who will come up with a dozen excuses at the last minute for not completing a task. You appear less trustworthy and competent.
Imagine a colleague repeatedly missing deadlines and giving excuses creates doubts about them. It impacts your relationships at work and your image.
How does it impact you
- Hinders your personal development. Your excuses prevent you from building on your skill set. Your scope for self-improvement reduces as you lose opportunities. It raises red flags, potentially closing doors in the future.
- Reduces your career opportunities. Your excuses set the wrong tone, restricting your growth. Your lack of accountability or reliability decreases the chances of recognition at work.
- Reduces your self-esteem. Your habitual excuse making may get you out of a tight spot but it gives rise to negative self-beliefs. You think you’re being clever but its showing you as unreliable. It also brings down yourself worth.
Final thoughts
The excuses may be the most innovative, creative or novel, but they’re still excuses.
An excuse is your way of showing you’re not committed to the expectations. This attitude can ring the death-knell to any aspirations of progress or growth.
The next time you want to make an excuse, take a pause. They’re a waste of your time and energy. Adopt the no-excuses approach for personal growth, both personal and professional.
By striving for honesty, accountability and open communication, you don’t have to use excuses for not completing the task. People will be more willing to invest in you if they know you mean it.
Develop a positive mindset and watch genuine growth and stronger relationships build around you.