Bag of Excuses

What keeps you from getting out there?

Not enough time in the day... Schedules too tight... Too much work to do at the office... It's too hot to go out... It's too cold to go out... Have errands to run... Have chores to do... It looks like rain... I don't have anything to wear... I forgot my sneakers... I'm still sore from the other day... I just ate... I need to eat... I don't want to miss my show... I would love to but.......

Any of these sound familiar? Liar.

My excuse? "I don't want to." It's the only honest excuse. I don't want to because I'm tired/hungry/mildly chafing. I don't want to because it's hot/cold/somewhat misting out. I don't want to because I'd rather be having coffee/watching Glee/picking belly button lint. I don't want to because I am... you fill in the rest.

Let's be honest, our own Bag of Excuses is what's holding us back from being more than who we are. It's heavy and bulky and a bitch to carry. It drags us down and stops us from getting to the finish line; but, more regrettably, it prevents us from ever showing up at the start. We should want to get out there and prove to the world, to our kids, and to ourselves that we haven't stopped doing. We haven't accepted the numbing futility of day to day miasma. We will not let the constant harassment of daily mundane responsibilities stop us from being alive!

Out goal is not to find excuses to why we didn't; it's having reasons to why we did.

Try something with me: Ask yourself why you didn't... run that 5k / 10k... do that Tri... cycle for that charity event... climb that wall... go for that marathon... wade through the mud... run through the fire... do something new... do something, anything out of your comfort zone?

What's your excuse? The following are not acceptable: any excuse you use.

We are not what people tell us we are, unless they tell us we are fantastic and capable of the impossible. We are superheroes and secret agents and rock stars. We are not meant to live life demurely. We are Aggressive!

Next time when you are asked "Will you?" what will your answer be? Will you reach into that big Bag of Excuses and pull out some old standards? Or will throw the Excuses away and start saying "Yes" to new challenges in your life?

How much lighter will your life be when you put that big Bag down?