I can honestly say that throughout my journey, I have allowed quite a bit of bad habits to stand in the way of achieving goals; be it consciously or subconsciously. But there has been one bad habit in particular, that has undoubtedly impacted 99.9% of the world at some point in time. It is the art of making excuses. I describe this act as an art, because it’s incredible how people seem to effortlessly weave an excuse into a conversation. Unfortunately, I am not apart of the .1%. The truth is that excuses are linked to one of the most paralyzing emotions ever! Fear!
One of the reasons why I have been missing in action on A New Day’s Journey, is simply due to the fact that I have created excuses, that have inch by inch wedged a gap between myself and my purpose. Many would argue that they are valid excuses, but excuses none the less. And when I find myself drifting away from my passion, I tend to become consumed with irrational thoughts that begin to impact other aspects of life. Excuses are something like a line of dominoes. Once you fire out that first excuse, it manifests a series of excuses to follow. All of this resulting in a not so happy state of mind.
I’m definitely not saying that there is not a such thing as valid excuses, but what I’m saying is that you should really consider what is the root of the excuse. There are many types of fears, that can cause hesitation and self doubt. For example, if you state that you can’t do something because you don’t have time…is it really about not having enough hours in the day? Do you ever state that you couldn’t work out, because you’ve been working long hours? Then once you get home, you sit and binge eat unhealthy foods that dig you into a deeper hole. Truth is, you could’ve used this time, to do a few jumping jacks. Maybe it’s because you fear the unknown? Even with the idea of changing careers. You know that you are unhappy with your current job and that you have skills that can be used else where. Do you allow the fear of the unknown to generate excuses? The truth is that our mind reacts to fear by creating these excuses that we begin to self-sabotage our goals, moving in a cycle of procrastination. Fear is an emotion that we will all run into at some point in our life, but once we can get to the root of our fears, we can navigate life with much more confidence and rational behaviors. Life beyond your fears, is a beautiful place. I hope you desire to live in this space!
Of course there are many other bad habits, that bring about a negative impact on our lives. So what bad habits are limiting your ability to achieve in life? Are you ready to kick fear to the side?
Tips For the Journey
- Positive Affirmations: Gather some post it notes and write down some affirmations that are meaningful for your journey. I encourage you to put these post it notes in places that you will visit multiple times throughout the day. Places like your vanity mirror, office desk, car, refrigerator, and any other fun places like that. For me, I have found great benefit by placing these notes on my vanity and in my home office space.
- Breathing: When you find anxiety creeping through your mind, take this opportunity to breathe through the mental chaos and confusion. Whether you are in the office or at home, take a few minutes to find your breath. Breathe deeply and gently through your nose, down into your belly without too much force. Exhale through your mouth, releasing the negative and irrational thoughts that have invaded your mind.