Stop Making Excuses; Start Doing Something About It

We all have goals that we want to reach in life, and you may have even made some New Year’s Resolutions, but the sad fact is that many of us will never achieve those goals. In fact, only 8% of people ever realize their New Year’s Resolutions.

The reality is that when it comes to our goals, what really determines whether or not we reach them is us. We have a choice every single day to do our best and continue to push forward. This means that if your goal is to live a healthy lifestyle, you have the choice to make healthy decisions every day. We have the option to choose nutritious meals, and we have the choice whether or not we make the time to exercise.

No matter what your goals are, you have the choice whether or not you want to live up to your full potential or if you want to quit. This means taking a look at your environment and deciding what is conducive for your success and what isn’t.

Ask yourself; What environments are you in on a weekly basis? Which ones are conducive to your goals and which ones are getting in your way? Once you figure this out, you can begin to shape your environment to make success possible.

We all deal with failures along the way, but it is what we do with these failures that matter. You can either let your failures beat you, and really allow yourself to fail, or you can learn from your failures, grow from them and adapt so that when you try again, you do better. The key isn’t to just be successful, but to continuously do better day after day regardless of failures.

You get to make the choice.

How many days, months, and years are you going to let pass you by until you decide to start taking your goals seriously?

Stop Making Excuses and Start Achieving Your Goals

I know what it is like to make excuses.

I used to make excuses all the time for why my life was turning out a way that I didn’t want. Excuses are so easy to make, and we tend to blame everyone but ourselves. We blame our parents, siblings, friends, teachers, and random people we meet on the street.

The reality is we are in control, which means that there is no one that we can blame but ourselves.

Six years ago, life wasn’t how I wanted it. I was overweight, on drugs, going through a divorce and had just filed for bankruptcy. I had hit rock bottom and realized that what I was doing, and how I was living my life was not working for me and my goals.

I was always making excuses.

Then, one day I decided enough was enough. I made a choice to stop making excuses and start making decisions. I decided that if I wanted to improve my life and reach my goals, I would need to change my environment.

To do this, I left Wisconsin. I packed up my family and my dog and drove out to Arizona to start a new life away from all of the negative influences that were not conducive to my goals.

On some level, we have all been where I was. We have all hit that metaphoric wall where we just say, enough is enough.

Once you decide that you’ve had enough, and you have made the decision to stop making excuses and take control of your life, you can’t go into it with the same mindset. You have to shed your beliefs and the conditioning that led you to the life you are trying to change. You have to let go of being let down, let go of the frustration and the fear of being judged by those around you.

You have to wipe the slate clean and begin again so that you can do better.

Knowing Your Reason “Why”

At the moment I am running a fitness challenge with my community, and for many, it was their New Year’s Resolutions that inspired them to take the challenge.

Everyone in the challenge has their own reasons for joining. Some want to live a healthier life so that they can be there for their children, while others just want to look better and maybe get some abs. Some of us make our goals based on our own wellbeing, while others may just create surface goals, and that is okay.

If you just want to have abs, that is okay when you first start, but your goals should change and evolve as you do. You need to want to progress and grow continually.

When you have big goals, failure is no longer an option, and when you do fall off track it isn’t that big of a deal, because you can look back at your reasons, your “why,” and continue to push forward. When your why and your goals are big enough, you learn to pick yourself up because your purpose is so strong.

Whatever your reasons, don’t let them stay small. Don’t let them be mediocre because we are not mediocre people. We are meant for bigger things, so find your purpose and your “why” so you can reach your goals.

Creating SMART Goals

If you want to reach your goals, you should have a great purpose behind you to push you forward. For me, it was knowing that I was going to be a dad. It makes me want more than just abs, and it made me want to be a better person.

However, if you want to reach your goals, you need to be sure that they are smart goals.

Smart goals are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and measured by time. This means that to reach your big goals you will need to create smaller ones that you can achieve within a realistic time frame.

For example, if I wanted to lose 30 pounds, I wouldn’t start by just trying to lose 30 pounds. I began by setting a goal that is more realistic, such as losing two pounds in one week. The goal is specific because I know exactly what it is I am trying to achieve. I’ve done it before, and I see others do it all the time. It is measurable because I know I will succeed by losing two pounds. It is attainable and realistic because I have done it before or I have seen others do it before. And it is measured by the term, one week.

Whatever your goals may be, use this philosophy to achieve them. They need to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound.

If you want to hit your goal, you have to know what you are aiming for.

Do this, and you will succeed.