About this episode:
Some REASONS why we make excuses and a 13-step process we can use to stop making excuses in our lives.
And 13 Steps to stop making excuses.
Be sure to tune in next week for the stories we tell ourselves and how they are holding us back.
Links Mentioned:
The book - The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Toxic Positivity Girl on IG: www.instagram.com/miriamfried
The book: Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
The podcast episode Ed Mylett and Tony Robbins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc4Kfbgze30
Blog Post: https://www.kathieowen.com/blog/excuses
About this episode:
Some REASONS why we make excuses and a 13-step process we can use to stop making excuses in our lives.
And 13 Steps to stop making excuses.
Be sure to tune in next week for the stories we tell ourselves and how they are holding us back.
Links Mentioned:
The book - The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Toxic Positivity Girl on IG: www.instagram.com/miriamfried
The book: Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
The podcast episode Ed Mylett and Tony Robbins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc4Kfbgze30
Blog Post: https://www.kathieowen.com/blog/excuses
The number one excuse or reason I hear from my clients for not exercising or not getting in movement in the day is they are not motivated. And I got news for you. It's not motivation that will get you. What you want. And today we're going to talk about that. You're listening to the stop, the mind screw podcast.
I'm your host, Kathie Owen Certified Fitness Trainer, and Mindset Coach since 2002 transforming lives and magic fashion teaching. Stop the mind screw process. And today we're going to unscrew the mind when it comes to motivation.
Excuses. We all have them. We all deal with them, but when it comes to motivation and somebody tells me they're not motivated to exercise, I think to myself, I'm not motivated to exercise. Even David Goggins is not motivated to exercise. I'm sure. Even Tom Brady has his issues with fitness, getting in the gym and staying on top of his game.
And it's not motivation that gets them there. It's like almost like, um, a secret thing to people thinking, oh, all I need to do is get motivated and I'll want to go to the gym. Or I wanted to go do the exercise that I was planning on doing no, not going to happen. My friend, stop mind, screwing yourself out of health and wellness.
Here's how to stop making excuses and start to take action. Did you have to give in to those extra donuts in the break room this morning? Or are you procrastinating tasks for that big project? What about hitting the gym this morning or every morning for the last year, we all make excuses from time to time.
This is a simple habit we use to rationalize why we didn't follow through on a specific. If you develop this bad habit of making excuses all the time, it might be time to start curbing that bad habit. You know, I was reading toxic positivities girls. You want to know who that is? Go look at the link in the show notes.
I've linked her there, but I was watching her stories a few weeks ago. And of course she was supporting the excuse mentality in a weird way. Of course, duh. Typical. It was in the true victim mindset mentality. She spoke of reasons why some may not be able to exercise. And honestly it rubbed me the wrong way.
Here are some reasons why we make excuses and a 13 step process, which you can use to stop making excuses in your life today. Reason number one, you are experiencing. Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear. That's a quote from George Addare. People are often afraid of things because they do not understand them, or they are lacking all the information they need.
The good news is that someone somewhere has been through the challenge you were facing right now. All you have to do is find out how they overcame it, and then you can alleviate your anxiety. A great book on this and probably going to be the book of the week is the obstacle is the way the timeless art of turning trials into triumph by Ryan holiday.
Excuse number two, you don't want to fail or reason. Number two, you don't want to be. Every adversity, every failure, every heartbreak carries with it. The seed of equal or greater benefit Napoleon hill. Oh my gosh. Is this ever so true? So many do not realize that failure is part of life. It means that you are living failure happened.
When you realize that failure holds the seed of equal or greater benefit, you know, you are onto something. Notice how he said seed, not gift, be patient, and it will come wait for this seed and cultivate that seed. Number three, you don't know what to expect. When you say, I want to lose weight, that goal holds zero value.
Why? Because it's not specific enough instead make that goal more specific by stating what and how you want to attain that goal. Like for example, you could say, I want to lose 10 pounds and we'll do that by keeping an eye on my sugar intake and hitting the pool four times. Number five reason. Oh my gosh, this one is social media problem.
We all can face. And as you compare yourself to others, people often fear being compared to others, who they perceive to be more talented or better than themselves. And oftentimes we measure ourselves up to see if we perform better or worse than that. It is super important to not make excuses. So you won't be compared to other people because then you aren't even giving yourself a chance to succeed.
Who knows compared with someone else, you may be the best and actually only compare yourself to yourself. I know it's easier said than done. Reason number six, you're not motivated. Oh my gosh, here's the motivation word. I hear this all the time. You know why? And I write about it all the time. Motivation is a big mindset group and it's really not what you think of.
Of course, you don't want to make that healthy dinner. You don't want to try that new exercise routine. It's uncomfortable who look at the reasons I've already stated here, but without motivation, you can come up with it, any excuse and in dictionary to stay complacent. Just think of it like this. You're motivated or think of it like Tom, Brady's not motivated.
David Goggins not motivated, help. I even struggle with motivation. And I also liked the Zig Ziglar quote, where he says, um, motivation doesn't last, but neither does bathing. That's why we do it every day. Number seven, you think you lack the resource? The one prominent. Idea and toxic poverty positivities girls' post was, she spoke about some being enabled to afford the membership of a gym or not having access to quality equipment.
But I have news for her back in the old days, we got fit without any equipment or fancy gyms. In the end, it is about your choices, the way you choose to spend your time and your money is how you define your priorities. I know that one kind of hurts a little bit. Why is it so important to stop making excuses?
So why are all these reasons bad aside from the fact that they are probably not true statements when you say them, or when you think them out loud, they are causing you to limit your. AKA victim mentality. This episode was brought to you by fitness with Kathy. What is the one thing as a certified fitness trainer for 20 plus years that I recommend every body, no matter who you are, where you are, what.
What your fitness level is that is in this little guide here. And it has to do with cardiovascular exercise and exercising your heart, your most important muscle in your body. This is not discussed enough. Get this little resource guide it's simple and easy to do. Don't make an excuse, get it done and start exercising your heart.
It's at www.kathieowen.com/fitness. Backslash fitness. That's K a T H I E O w E N. Dot com. Backslash fitness. These reasons for making excuses, keep you going down the same old path, prevent you from growing or breaking. Here are some specific reasons why it is so important to stop making excuses, excuses, lead to failure and reaching your full potential excuses will make you regret the road.
Not taken excuses. Prevent growth. Excuses will teach your children the same bad habit, 13 steps to stop making excuses. Number one, stop comparing yourself to others. We already talked about that. Be grateful for the opportunities that are available to you to help you grow and start improving the way you feel about yourself.
If he gets stuck on how to be more thankful for what you have, then just start a gratitude journal. You can be grateful for just the fact that you're breathing, because if you're listening to me right now, you are breathing and that is something to be grateful for. It. We all have things to be grateful for.
No matter what, and gratitude will shift your attitude in. Magic fashion. Stop fearing the unknown. Get used to stepping into the unknown by doing it more often, break up your daily routine by taking a different route to work or going to a new exercise class. Try some of those wellness dates we talked about last week.
I gave you 28 ideas. Go try that. Prevent yourself from falling into a strict routine in the first place or disconnecting from your internal autopilot will help. Welcome the unknown. And take away that fear. So when you fear the unknown, when you do an artist date, when you do a wellness date, it helps you get out of that comfort zone.
Just saying, go listen to the last episode. On last Thursday, I'll put a link in the show notes. Stop blaming others. Oh my gosh. Take ownership of your life and recognize when you're blaming others. Exercise the authority you have over your life by taking charge of anything that is within your control.
Guess what your attitude is within your control. 100% of the time, no matter what. Across the board. That is the truth. It may suck to hear that, and it's not toxic positivity. And maybe the only time there is an exception to this is when you are going through the stages of grief, which I talk about all the time.
And I will be talking about that more in the future, but. That is not, that's forced positivity. When you tell somebody to just have a good attitude, even though they're going through the stages of grief and that's for a whole nother issue, but when you take responsibility for your life, instead of going, I'm not motivated to go to the gym.
I need my trainer there. Um, I hear that so often. No, you don't, it's not motivation. It's an excuse and you're not taking responsibility for your actions and for your choice. Number four, when you take responsibility for all your actions and there, you know, taking ownership is the same thing. We can't change some of life circumstances, like I said in a minute ago or how other people behave towards us, but we can control our responses to these things and change the outcome.
Taking responsibility also requires changing your mindset. This may sound cheesy, but reciting to yourself. If it is to be, it is up to me is a simple reminder. And we'll remind you that you are responsible for doing anything that you're able to do. If there is a need, you know, you, when you say you're not motivated, that's why you're not going to the gym.
You're not taking responsibility for your time and your time management, all it takes. His time and time management, if he could have gotten there and you were supposed to be with your trainer who who's responsible there, you're just putting your trainer in charge of all your responsibility. And that's not fair to you.
It's really not fair to you. Number six, take action every day. Recognize that the first step will be the hardest you are. The only person who can make it happen though, act on it. So challenge yourself to do at least one thing every day for each of your goals. Number six, set, small attainable goals. Create a milestone map.
Your milestones are still significant. But they help shift your mindset to focus on the smaller things you need to do that will accumulate towards completing your long-term goal. Doing this will help you recognize the necessary steps toward achieving your goal. You know, setting small attainable goals is great.
And I attend a group on clubhouse called, Hey girl, you can on Monday morning. We talk about our goal that we have for the week. And then on Friday mornings, we come back and we talk about what happened and, and if we got it, or if we didn't, it's always positive. It's always upbeat. But what I like best about it is the moderators in that group.
We'll, we'll hold you accountable, but they'll also tell you, is this a smart goal? Is it specific? Is it measurable? Is it attainable? Because they tell you to set small attainable goals. And if somebody in the group is saying, my goal is dah, dah, dah, dah. And it's like a really big, outrageous goal, the moderator or the person that's talking to them and coaching them will coach them down and, you know, break it down into smaller steps.
That's easier and it's more attainable. And that is so helpful. The smart method is also very helpful and I will put a link in the show notes about that. Number eight don't focus on your weaknesses, perform a personal SWOT analysis. This means writing down your strengths, your weaknesses, your opportunities, and your threats that are relevant to achieving your goal.
This will help you recognize your weaknesses. But allow you to take your focus off of them. As you are also looking at the factors that you have in your favor, you're weighing out your, your goals and your benefits and your weaknesses. And that is a great thing to do because you're not going to be perfect at everything.
You're going to have your weaknesses. If you need help, reach out to a coach. Number nine, change your attitude. Oh, that right there is all I teach, you know, be proactive without expecting to see a result while the steps you take are based upon the results you'd like to see. Um, don't go into it with a high and immediate expectation.
This will only be setting yourself up for disappointment, do your best, but don't obsess about for the ultimate. I was listening to ed Violet's episode with Tony Robbins this weekend. It's, it's funny because listening to Tony Robbins always feel like I got a cough. His, his voices are very scratchy and I don't know it D it almost irritates me, but Tony just ha is full of such great wisdom and advice.
He talked about expectations in that episode. And Tony's known to talk about that and I'll put a link in the show notes to that as well. Number 10, believe in yourself, take a few minutes to list the things you are good at doing and the successes you have had in the past. Oh my gosh. I can't stress this enough.
And all of my business coaches, my business mindset. We talk about this a lot. We talk about celebrating our wins. We talk about, um, re reminding yourself of these, because we can forget them so easy. It's just human nature, you know, um, recognize that everything you listed is evidence that you can in fact succeed.
Sometimes we forget how successful we've been in the past. You know, next time you think you can't do something, alter your focus to the things you have already accomplished and about how you can make your current. Into a reality, number 11, visualize your success. Oh my gosh. Visualize, visualize creative vision board on Pinterest.
I do this and I actually do this in notion as well, but anyways, next time you make the mistake. Find the lesson in it. Remember this seed of benefit and fail. And move on after you find the lesson in it, analyze your decisions, correct your behavior and get back on the right path. I talk about this all the time to, you know, stop the mind screw basically.
And number 13, no, you can change your excuses. Habit is easy. Okay. It's simple. Maybe it's not easy, but these steps will have. The next time, any sort of opportunity presents itself to you that is relevant to helping you meet your goal. Agree to it without hesitation, say yes. In closing, it's important to note that responsibility is a big step towards overcoming excuses.
Honestly, sometimes people get so used to making excuses that doing so is their default answer to everything they hardly consider actually saying yes or taking on responsibility, have it. That's where it lies responsibility. They are just wired to come up with one of these. That they hold. I'm not motivated, Kathie.
It is important to make the best of every situation instead. And don't make an excuse. That is not that all right. That's my episode for today. I hope you liked it. Be sure to share it with somebody who can benefit and till next time. I'll see you next time. Peace out and Namaste. .