My Answers
Here are my answers for the worksheet in my last post. I REALLY recommend this exercise. It's a real eye-opener...
Three excuses you are using to avoid making the changes you need to succeed.
1. I DESERVE A BREAK/TREAT. I have a lot of stress in my life and sometimes I just need to treat myself (indulge in food/drinks) in order to feel better. After a hard day, I’d rather do something mindless (eat, surf the Internet) than something that requires effort (exercise, cook, work on my writing).
2. I ALREADY WORK HARD ENOUGH. I’m very active, so I should get to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I shouldn’t have to sit down at a computer to write after I’ve sat at a computer all day at work.
3. I SHOULD NEVER FEEL DISCOMFORT. Feeling even a little bit hungry is horrible. I should eat often so I won’t ever feel hungry. If I don’t feel like writing, I shouldn’t have to.
How have these excuses affected your life? What have the excuses stopped you from achieving? Write down 3 very important things that you have missed out on because you've allowed yourself to make excuses.
1. Achieving a healthy weight.
2. Running a marathon.
3. Writing a book.
Now how do you feel when you fall victim to one of your self-sabotaging excuses?
I feel weak and lazy and horrible. I feel like I’ll never have the life I want because I don’t have what it takes to go for it. I feel like I’m selling myself short and giving up on myself.
What benefits do you get from the excuse? Is it simply that you get to remain in your comfort zone? That's a big one for me. If I can convince myself that I need to check my email, then I get to remain in my comfort zone and avoid the hard work and fear of failure that comes with writing an article. Or is it the fear of the unknown that is holding you back? Write down 3 ways you benefit from making excuses.
1. If I convince myself to do mindless things like surf the Internet or eat, then I don’t have to push myself and stretch my limits by writing.
2. If I don’t stick to my exercise plan, I won’t try to run a marathon—but at least if I don’t try, I won’t fail.
3. If I indulge whenever I feel like it, I won’t have to develop and exercise self-control. I’ll never have to learn moderation—I can keep being extreme.
So now we both know why we've created our excuses - to avoid something. All we need to do now is find a way to overcome these bad habits. I want you to write down 3 behaviors you want to stop.
1. I want to stop eating when I’m not physically hungry and stop overindulging in food/alcohol.
2. I want to stop skipping my strength training workouts.
3. I want to stop surfing the internet when I should be working on my writing.
Now write down why you end up doing it...were you bored, fearful,lazy, etc.
1. I end up eating when I’m not hungry or overindulging because I’m bored, lonely, anxious, or in a social situation where I either feel pressured to join in or where I feel resentful and deprived if I don’t join in.
2. I end up skipping my strength workouts because I’m lazy after work and want to sit on the couch and drink wine instead of work out.
3. I end up surfing the internet instead of writing because deep down, I’m afraid I can’t do it. I’m afraid that I don’t have what it takes to be a writer. It’s scary to try, so I take the easy way out and waste time on silly things. Then I claim that I don’t have time to write.
Now give yourself the permission to change. "Envision the rewards you will get when you make the change to your life and habits," Lee tells us. Give yourself a powerful list of reasons for fixing the habit.
1. I want to achieve my goal weight because I want to feel great about myself on my wedding day and not feel self-conscious about my body on my honeymoon.
2. I want to stay committed to my training plan—including strength training, because I want to be strong and toned and able to finish my marathon without getting injured.
3. I want to focus on my writing because if I stick with it, one day I’ll be able to quit my day job and write from home for a living.