The 12-Step Program for an Excuse-Free Life

If there’s one habit that cripples more dreams than anything else, it’s making excuses. Life rarely goes according to plan, but responding with excuses only turns a bad situation into worse.

There’s a big difference between giving an explanation, and making an excuse. Excuses harbor guilt and shame—a protective veneer for avoiding a deeper issue. They rationalize bad behaviors, and set the table for a mediocre life.

Here are 12 steps to permanently remove excuses from your life:

1. Awareness leads to change

How often do you make excuses? For seven days, be on high-alert for any attempts at rationalizing bad behavior. Chalk them up in your journal. Write out the incident that sparked off your excuse.

2. Remove the criticism 

Excuses are produced from negative self-talk. When there’s looming judgement, you’ll scramble for justification. Removing criticism also removes the need to make excuses.

It doesn’t mean indifference toward your faults, but detaching yourself from the shame.

3. Shift to solutions

As you get better at catching your excuse-making, begin to shift your mindset from rationalizing to creating solutions.