Don’t be good at making excuses

I don’t know about you, but as for me I’m so good in making excuses — especially when I don’t want to do something I know I should have done already yesterday! I would rather clean and iron and do who knows how many other insignificant tasks that I usually don’t really enjoy in then sit and warm up my chair and work on, for example, my final research project for graduation. But I know that this is not only mine life story…
Two years ago I started seriously working out.
I was never really athletic type of a person. I was so clumsy that in school, I couldn’t even do a front roll correctly.
I remember one time when we played handball. I was really enthusiastic about it and I decided I will give my best. And I did! I was trying so hard and running like a little puppy all over the hall and after so many unsuccessful tries, YEAH! Finally I saw MY ball shaking the net! I was so happy! I can still see myself with a huge smile on my face, with my hands raised high, running towards my team mates! And then, in a short moment, my euphoria vanished! I saw all the angry, red faces and tight fists. And then I realised what happened. My ball really shook the net, but in the wrong goal; MY team’s goal! …😏
I hated PE. While others were scared of math or chemistry, I felt sick before every PE class.
So, how have you become a workout freak, you may ask.
Let me then share my experience.
Quite often I was thinking about starting working out, but on each occasion that idea still stayed only an idea. I always found so many excuses; and good ones really, as I thought; “I don’t know anybody there; what would people say if I can’t do all the exercises; I’m not capable of something like that; I’m ashamed; I might do it, but tomorrow. And then tomorrow became next month and next month next year, and next year never…
Excuses and assumptions based on my previous experiences, and moreover, on image of myself and low self-esteem, which is interesting story, I will write some other time.
But what was the main turning point for me?
One day I was going home from my work and I realized that I can’t climb even the lowest uphill without serious body strain. I was out of shape; my legs ached and I was breathing heavily, sweating even though it was the middle of winter!
And, also, one other event moved me.
I realized that I am getting thicker and thicker and that’s the worst nightmare of every girl, right? Even when you are married and above 30, like me.
One Sunday, after the morning service in church, one of the older ladies, shouted from the last row so that all the congregation could hear: „Are you pregnant, my dear?!” O, my God! I was so embarrassed; more than that, so angry! 😠 And that was the moment I decided: it’s enough! I will do something with my body and I will be proud of what I have accomplished! Doesn’t matter how hard it will be, I will make it! I will reach my goal! And this time, I will not give up!”
And that’s how everything started…
First, I started attending group training twice a week, then three times a week, and today I am going every day except weekends.
In the beginning it was really hard work. During the training, sometimes, I thought I would die because too many exercises seemed so hard; my whole body shivered from exertion and I would shed so much sweat that I soaked the whole workout area beneath me. 😓 Often I came home with painful and sore muscles; I could hardly walk or raise my hands, but I didn’t give up. And with the time, it became easier and I really couldn’t wait to go. I started to enjoy it more and more.
And not just that I lost my weight (but don’t think you will lose all extra weight if you only work out and in the same time eat all the cakes and chocolates you can get your hands on; I had to change my eating habits too) and gained muscle mass, but I felt so much better physically; I didn’t catch a cold for two years now. Before I was ill very often. In this bustling world which we live in it’s so easy to be under the stress and pressure and working out relieved me significantly. I also met so many new girls whom I would never meet otherwise and with whom I had so much fun and loud laughter. I felt that my life is finally getting new dimension I never thought I could reach.
And since I experienced so many good stuff with my trainings, I wanted my friends to be a part of it too. And I decided to invite them to come with me.
And now we are going back to the main subject of this article.
You wouldn’t believe how many different excuses I heard!
The first friend I kept on asking to come needed more than one year to finally make a first step. And it happened in the way that, after once again I asked her to join me, and after she again said that she is not sure about it, I wrote her a message and said: “Let’s get in the car. We’re going to buy you all that you need for training and on Tuesday you will come with me and see for yourself if you want to continue or not. If it’s too hard, that’s OK, but at least you would now that you tried it.” And that’s how she started. And she stayed. She is currently the one and only that became persistent and is still training with me twice a week. And I’m really proud of her!
But all the other ones… and all the excuses I heard… 😂
“… It’s too far for me (even though she has a car!), it’s too late for me; I don’t really have time (training is usually at nine o’clock in the evening; what might you be doing at that time?! Could it be watching soap operas and eating chips?); I don’t have a right shoes (that is unsolvable problem, right?); I have so much to study! (one hour spent on activating your body could only do you good and it would not take too much time). And the best one on which I often laugh about was: “Well, it’s spring time; I prefer going out and doing some workouts outside, on the fresh air!” (the truth is, she never went).
It will never work. I know from experience. Let’s not fool ourselves; if we are not persistent in one thing, we will not be persistent in the other ones too.
Seems to me that it’s in our human nature to come up with excuse every time we are given the opportunity to work on ourselves. It’s easier that way, leaving the things as they are. We might be strong on words, but when we need to do something that requires real effort, we rather find a good excuse and convince ourselves that is it better that way.
Everything good in life, comes with a price. Are we willing to pay that price and accomplish extraordinary things? Things that we would be proud of, knowing that nobody gave it to us for free, but that we actually earned it. Only what we earned with sweat and effort has distinguishable value in our life.
If you found yourself in this text, know that I am no better than you. I only managed to bring some facts to my consciousness and I am fighting every single day to be better myself than I was yesterday. It is one small victory after another. And yes, it’s hard, but it will pay off. It brings pleasure and builds your self-confidence. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t say that we should nurture pride; pride (thinking yourself better than others) is sin and it will not do you any good, but if we don’t love ourselves, can we really love others? Can we accomplish anything in this life which is a miraculous gift from God?
Excuses are often consequences of lack of self-confidence.
Benjamin Franklin once said: „He that is good in making excuses is seldom good in anything else.“
I don’t want this quote to be true for my life. I want to be loyal and trustworthy in every aspect of my life and that’s why I won’t let excuses become way of how I live.
Every big change starts with small changes. For me it was working out. For you it might be something else.
The crucial thing is to recognise in which area of your life you need a victory, and then work on small changes, so you can slowly make huge achievements. Little by little, step by step, one more closer to your goal.
If you ask me how to start, I’ll tell you: Stop making excuses!
If you want to encourage me, please do it by hitting the clap button. If you want to help me get better please leave the comment. Thank you for reading till the end 👏
