So What's Your Excuse?
by Maria Marsala
Summary:
Want to be happier? Start to remove all the excuses you use... and gain more time and energy too!
I'm not sure what the history of "excuses" is, except to know that a majority of the time excuses equal some sort of self-dishonesty.
They're part of what we thought we "should do" vs. being a "must do"! Excuses come from us not being able to take our own "no's". They're what we say to people so that we "don't hurt their feelings". Excuses are what we say so that others don't hurt us. Excuses are part of what we're tolerating in our life (that which draws out our energy and squashes it)!
Excuses come back to haunt us unless we look at them as gifts from clients or friends or ourselves. Have you ever received an excuse for "something" and thought -- Is that person kidding with that excuse? Why didn't they just say NO? OH! ... I am doing the same thing to "so and so".
Say NO!!! Sometimes saying "NO" to someone means saying "YES" to someone even more important -- YOU!
What can you do when you give someone a "no" that they don't accept? Take the time to think about what type of answers you can give and things you can do to protect your boundaries so that you can raise your standards.
Check out this articles about boundaries. Ways People Invade Your Boundaries
by Coach Tom Coccoran
Integrity Lesson
This month, write down all the excuses you hear yourself giving others and giving yourself. Look for the patterns. Are you not setting boundaries? Are you setting boundaries and the person isn't listening? Are you setting boundaries and you're not enforcing those boundaries? Or what other patterns do you see.
And remember: Yes, No and Maybe are all complete sentences.
© 2012 Elevating Your Business. An unstoppable entrepreneur, Maria Marsala is a business strategist, financial advisor coach, speaker, and author. Her clients are independent accounting, financial, and insurance advisors. She guides them to increase their productivity and profits, growing their businesses to serve their lives — not the other way around. Download her free Business Evaluator to quickly learn which areas of your business are screaming for your immediate attention and which areas deserve a big hurrah! Visit www.ElevatingYourBusiness.com
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