Have you ever caught a friend or family member making a million
excuses for why they shouldn't do something? Maybe your friend decided they don't have enough money to travel, or it's too difficult to be in a long distance relationship, or they don't have the grades that they need to go back to school...Maybe you have even made some excuses yourself when it has come time to get out of your comfort zone and do something different, or when you are wanting to accomplish something big. When it comes to ourselves, we often describe it as
being responsible, rational, or realistic. However you slice it, it is still walls that you are putting up and obstacles that are getting in the way of you reaching your goals and achieving dreams. Have you ever had a moment when you realized that you actually reached a long-time goal or overcame a challenge?
It's an amazing experience and it's what life is all about!
If you find yourself in that state of mind where you are coming up with a hundred and one reasons to NOT do something, I would like to challenge you to think about the reasons that you are giving yourself for not following through.
Try asking yourself these questions to help identify if you are making excuses and letting fear rule you:
- Have people been telling me that I am making a lot of excuses as to why I shouldn't do _____?
- Do I get nervous or feel resistance when I think about working towards my goal or trying something different?
- Have I felt this way before when I have come across a challenge?
- Are these realistic fears that I am experiencing?
- Have I ever seen or heard of anyone else being able to overcome these issues in order to accomplish ________?
- If someone else can do it, why can't I?
What comes up for you when you start to think about other ways of looking at your situation? Is there ANY possibility that things could work out for you? What do others who care about you think? What is one small step that you could take to test it out and see if there is any possibility of things working out in your favor?
Please share your experiences with this exercise in the comments section and help to encourage others to go for their goals and dreams as well!
If you live in San Diego County, I'd be happy to help you work through these challenges personally. Please check out my website for more information and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.
http://www.counselinginsandiego.com/
