6 Ways To Become Stronger Than Your Excuses – The Fire Inside

Becoming stronger than your excuses takes commitment, discipline, and a routine. It’s important to develop a habit with a strong purpose to remain motivated. Our brains are wired to want to keep us safe. When we’re about to push ourselves to do something difficult, there are often two voices in our head. One that is afraid and will let you off the hook and say, “You don’t need to do this, this can wait until later or when you feel ready, it’s okay.” Then you have the other voice that says, “Just do it, this is your chance to show yourself what you’re made of.” Deciding between which voice wins is the battle you’ll be having for your entire life. The voice that wins consistently more will determine the trajectory of your life. Life is a series of experiences and decisions. On a daily basis, the average person makes 35,000 conscious decisions. In order to turn your goals into accomplishments, you’ll need to make the correct decisions.

Below are six tips to implement into your life to become stronger than your excuses.

1. Set clear and realistic goals

Without goals, you are directionless. You’re basically navigating through life without a plan of where you’d like to go. Goals are the oxygen to your dreams. Without goals, your dreams will die over time. Set a target for yourself based on your main purpose. A Harvard Business study revealed that people who set goals are 10x more likely to succeed.

If you have goals that mean a lot to you, you won’t settle for an excuse because your passion will drive you. You must set a target for yourself that will keep you on your toes and keep your vision alive. I review my goals daily. I spend a couple of minutes every morning, staring at my vision board and list of goals for the year so that I remember why I’m working so hard. Your momentum will bring out the best in you.

2. Identify the high impact tasks required to complete your goal

High achievers who conquer life have clearly defined tasks that they work towards daily. Setting a goal is the first step, the second step is planning the tasks that will lead you to accomplish your goal. These tasks should be broken down into manageable items. For instance, if your goal is to increase your Instagram following by 100 people this month. A high impact task would be to create daily content and engage with 20 people who are your ideal follower. Then you can work this task into your daily to-dos to achieve your monthly goal. Consistency is key here! Without it, you won’t see the results you desire.

3. Don’t accept excuses from yourself

Behind your greatest moments is hard work, not excuses. Stop expecting massive results when you haven’t put in the work required to achieve such results. It’s the hard truth but it’s vital to develop the discipline required to be your best self. If you work a 9-5 like me, remember that you’re not working for the person you report to. You’re working on your skills, your connections, and your work ethic. You have the power to define your purpose and live up to it daily. Ask yourself; do you want to live like an owner or a renter of your life? Renters plan what they have to do to get by. Owners invest in themselves. They strategically plan their life and value their time.

If you’re an entrepreneur, also like me. You are in charge of the success of your business. If you don’t show up for your business no one else will. Sometimes you’ll be the only one who believes in the value of what you’re doing. Don’t let the opinions, social media stats, or even your bank account dictate your effort. The money and positive results will come once you start believing in your abilities and putting in the work. Entrepreneurship takes a lot of trial and error, research, and action.

4. Get an accountability partner

This is not just a friend you tell your goals to once. This is someone you share your goals with, plan and share benchmarks with, and someone who checks in with you periodically. This person must be dedicated to helping you keep your commitments. I suggest you become accountability partners with each other, that way it feels like a fair exchange for both of you. Plan your check-ins and take them seriously like you would a business meeting. If you don’t have anyone who can be your accountability partner, email me at [email protected] so I can help you develop a system to hold yourself accountable.

5. Plan your day before you go to sleep every night

My boyfriend and I do not go to sleep without a plan for the next day. Our plan for the next day always includes our top 3 priorities for the day. For more information regarding that, watch this video. Routines are life-changing! They can be challenging at first because they require you to develop a new habit, but with practice, they will change your life. Start by determining what you want to get done, then figure out how you’re going to execute it. For instance, my weekday morning routine consists of drinking a 16 oz glass of water as soon as I wake up. I also make sure to open my blinds as soon as I wake up because sunlight wakes up your body. Next, I pray & meditate for 5 minutes, then I write about how I’m feeling and what my intentions are for the day in my journal. Structuring your day is up to you so make it worth your while.

6. Improve your mindset 

I often see quotes on Instagram talking about getting rid of the negative people in your life, I definitely agree with those quotes but also, it’s imperative to take responsibility for the negativity you bring into your own life. If you find yourself angry often, easily annoyed, or down on yourself and the world, it’s time to rid yourself of negative emotions that may have turned into negative habits. One thing I’m working on accepting is that I’m responsible for every aspect of my life. No one is coming to save me. This life is 100% my responsibility. Feel the anger than let it go. Emotions only last for 45-90 seconds. All the time after that is you processing the emotion. You have the power to decide to release the emotion and move on. People who achieve their goals are optimistic about their future. They find ways to make the most of all situations even the ones they don’t want to be in.

**Bonus Tip** When you really need motivation, listen to your favorite music, podcast, or video that makes you feel like you can conquer anything! This always works for me.