Excuses: The Harsh Reality

Let’s cut to the chase: I can’t stand excuses. I’m not talking about valid reasons. I’m talking about the mental gymnastics people do to make their lack of action seem acceptable. The truth? Excuses destroy you. They keep you running in place — burning energy, spinning wheels — only to end up right where you started. You’re tired, you’re frustrated, but you’ve got nothing to show for it. Why? Because you let your own excuses become your shackles.

We all know someone who has an excuse for everything. And honestly, I’m at the point where I can’t even hear what they’re saying anymore — it’s just white noise made up of empty justifications.

“I just had my teeth worked on.”

“I didn’t see it.”

“I had plans, but they got cancelled.”

“I have so much laundry to do.”

“I had to let the dog out.”

Come on. *insert eye roll*

These aren’t reasons. They’re stall tactics. And you know what they really do? They ruin your credibility. People don’t see you as someone who’s busy — they see you as someone who can’t follow through. Someone who says a lot, but does little. Someone who doesn’t mean what they say.

Let’s be clear: I’m not judging you for not working out or eating healthy. If that’s not your goal, that’s fine. But if you say you want something — better grades, to lose weight, build muscle, get your life together — and then follow it up with a list of excuses, you’ve lost all credibility. You don’t look busy. You look foolish. Especially when you think people actually believe the nonsense you're selling.

Here’s the thing — you are not special. Your situation isn’t unique. People with fewer resources, tougher lives, and heavier burdens have still managed to do what you claim is impossible. They didn’t have superpowers. They had grit. Discipline. Ownership. And guess what? That’s available to you too, if you’d stop hiding behind your excuses and start showing up for your own life.

Excuses and results cannot coexist. Period.

You say you want something? Then act like it. Because those around you — the ones who are doing the work — they’re watching. They notice who keeps promises, who follows through, and who constantly bails with a convenient story.

"Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses." – George Washington Carver

Let that one sink in.

When you make an excuse, you’re not just breaking trust with others — you’re breaking it with yourself. Every time you back out, you reinforce the lie that your circumstances are in control. And every time you convince yourself you “can’t,” you weaken your own ability to believe that you can.

So the next time you’re about to explain why you didn’t do the thing you said you would — STOP. Go to the mirror, look yourself in the eye, and say it honestly:“I just didn’t want to.”Because that’s what it really is.

And here’s the truth no one says out loud: most people don’t believe your excuses anyway. They’re just too polite to say so.

But I’m not.

So here it is — raw and real. Excuses are the language of the uncommitted. And while you’re out there justifying your inaction, someone else is out there doing the thing — tired, busy, overwhelmed — and still showing up. You could be that person. But not until you drop the excuses and finally take control of your life.