Behind the excuse

The subtext beneath a lot of excuses has to do with time management and what we’ve chosen to prioritize. That is, “[consciously or through my default actions] I decided something else was more important.” Or, “My mind was elsewhere.” (Which is the same thing in a slightly different color.)

But other excuses have an unspoken coda: “… and I didn’t take the next logical step.”

I didn't have enough information …
I was confused …
I had a conflict …

… and I didn’t take the next logical step.

Which is another way to say, “So I gave up.”

When you feel an excuse coming on, poke holes in it. See if it passes muster. We like to tell the story, “Sorry! It was completely out of my control.”

But so often, we have plenty of control. We’ve just directed it elsewhere.