The Morning Mindset

Eliminate Excuses: Foster Growth by Embracing Full Responsibility

• Craig Skelton • Season 1 • Episode 70

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Ever find yourself wondering why progress seems just out of reach? What if the biggest barrier isn't external but internal—a mindset of excuses? Join me, Craig Skelton, on the Morning Mindset Podcast as we tackle this pervasive issue. Excuses can be the silent saboteurs of success, especially when you're self-employed or steering your own business ship. It's time to confront the illusion they create, one that shifts responsibility and stifles real growth. Learn how excuses morph into barriers and discover the immense benefits of kicking them to the curb. Together, let's explore how freeing your mind from this habit can lead to clarity, accountability, and a more proactive approach to business and life.

Shift gears from reactive to proactive by embracing the transformative power of full responsibility. You'll find that obstacles transform into challenges to conquer, rather than reasons to halt progress. This mindset shift will help you regain control over your time and actions, empowering you to make decisions based on concrete facts and strategic thinking instead of fear or avoidance. By honing an action-oriented approach, you unlock the potential to execute your best ideas and turn opportunities into realities. Leave behind the justifications and step into a world where your success story is written by your own hand.

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Looking for one to one mentoring, visit my website to see how it works craigskelton.co.uk

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Morning Mindset Podcast with me, craig Skelter. Take off your morning with positivity, actionable insights and the motivation you need to conquer the day. Whether you're looking to develop a positive mindset, habit of persistence or simply starting your day on the right foot, this podcast is your daily dose of inspirational and practical advice. Well, it is Monday morning and I wanted to kick off the week with a topic that holds more people back than any external obstacle. It's the thief of time, it's the destroyer of progress, the ultimate illusion that keeps us from reaching our potential, and I'm talking about excuses. If you're self-employed or running your own business or striving to build something meaningful, you cannot afford to let excuses run your life. Excuses don't work for you. They don't work for your business or your future. Today, I want to explore why that is, the benefits of not falling into the excuse trap, and also the consequences if you do.

Speaker 1:

It's Monday morning. Let's begin by wiping the slate clean and getting rid of every excuse that's been holding you back. First of all, let's get clear on what excuses really are. It's a justification we create to explain why we didn't take. It's that moment when we tell ourselves I couldn't do that because of this, or if only this had happened, I would have succeeded. Excuses are rooted in avoidance. They allow us to shift responsibility from ourselves to external factors the people, the economy, the weather or even timing. It's a way of protecting ourselves from discomfort, because, let's face it, responsibility can be uncomfortable that we didn't follow through with something or that we could have done things better. But the thing is, excuses are just an illusion. They're a way of deflecting from the real issue the need for action, for accountability and for growth.

Speaker 1:

The longer you indulge in excuses, the further you get from your goals. So why don't excuses work in business? When you're self-employed or running your own business, excuses are especially dangerous, unlike like a normal employed nine-to-five job, where someone else might pick up if you don't do something or carry the weight in your business, it's so much difference all on you. If you don't make it happen, no one else will. If you're not progressing, it's not because of circumstances, because of the choices you're making. And the harsh reality is excuses cannot pay the bills, generate income, get your next client or grow your brand. The more you rely on excuses, the more stagnant your business will be. How many times have you caught yourself saying I didn't have time, the market is too competitive, people aren't ready to spend money or I'm just too busy. They're valid in the moment, but just distractions. They shift your focus away from what you can control.

Speaker 1:

So now let's look at the benefits of not using excuses. What happens when you stop making excuses? You take full responsibility for everything in your business, even the stuff that seems out of your control. That's what really matters, the benefits of of so. What happens when you stop making excuses? When you take full responsibility for everything in your business, even the stuff that seems out of your control? This is when you will truly grow. Here's the benefits of ditching the excuse mindset.

Speaker 1:

And when you stop making excuses, you take back the power. You're no longer at the mercy of external forces because you realise that you have the ability to make things happen. You move from a reactive state to a proactive one. Suddenly, obstacles become challenges to overcome, not reasons to give up. You take control of your time, your actions and, ultimately, your success. The second thing is it gives you clarity.

Speaker 1:

Excuses create mental clutter. They make it hard to see the path forward, but when you let go of excuses, you gain clarity. You look at your situation objectively and you make decisions based on facts and strategy rather than fear or avoidance. When your mind isn't busy justifying inaction, it frees to focus on solutions and opportunities. And then the next thing is action orientated mindset. Once you stop looking for excuses, you develop a bias towards action. Instead of spending time rationalizing why something didn't happen, spend time now how to make it happen. And in business, action is everything you can. Can have the best ideas in the world, but if you're not executing them, it's worthless. Ditching excuses leads to more consistent action, and that's the key to growth.

Speaker 1:

And the next thing is resilience. When you stop making excuses, you start to develop resilience. Every setback becomes a lesson, not an excuse to quit. This mindset shift makes you stronger over time. The more you take ownership for your business and your decisions, the more resilient you become in the challenges that you face. So what about the flip side of this? What happens if you continue to rely on excuses? If you keep justifying why things aren't happening? Taking ownership, you'll just find yourself to the first consequences stagnation.

Speaker 1:

Excuses are a recipe for stagnation. If you're always blaming external factors, you're never going to make any changes necessary to move forward. Your business won't grow and neither will you remember, growth requires discomfort. If you're constantly avoiding discomfort by making excuses, you're avoiding growth. And then the next thing is lost opportunities, exit.

Speaker 1:

Every excuse is a missed opportunity. When you tell yourself I can't, you just close the door to possibilities. You don't pick up that phone and make that call, you don't pitch that new idea or you don't take that leap. Opportunities don't get around for you to be ready. They come and go, and if you're too busy making excuses, you'll miss them. Then the next thing is damaged reputation. If you're constantly making excuses, it doesn't just affect you how others see you too, whether it's clients or those partners you work with or your team. If you've got a team, people will start to lose trust in your ability to follow through, and trust is everything in business. Once people start seeing you as unreliable or flaky, it's hard to regain that trust. And the final thing is a life full of excuses is a life full of regret. You'll see the opportunities that you missed, the moment you didn't seize, the potential you didn't reach.

Speaker 1:

So how do you eliminate the excuses? How do you start this week off on the right and leave the excuse mindset behind? First, be honest with yourself. Look at where you've been making excuses and be brutally honest. The next thing is take responsibility for everything, even things feel out of your control. Own it all. And then the next thing is focus on solutions, not problems.

Speaker 1:

When you catch yourself trying to make an excuse, ask yourself what's the solution, and then the next thing is develop a bias for action. Instead of waiting for the perfect time or perfect circumstances, just start, move forward, even if it's small, and you need to hold yourself accountable. Set goals, make commitments to achieve what you want. If you don't, no one else will. But today's monday to start the week, leave the excuses behind. You have the power to create the business, and the life, too, that you want. But it starts it all starts by taking full responsibility for everything in your control. Remember excuses don't save you, they don't save your business and they hold you back. Let's make this week one of action, empowerment and growth. If you like this podcast, as always, like share, leave a review. You can have an amazing day. Stay motivated, stay focused, stay positive and run your own race.