Finding an excuse to not do something can be more fun than you think. Liz Krieger just shared an amusing list of excuses why you can skip your next workout. She found them in a new book by Jen Lancaster called Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist’s Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, OR Why Pie is Not the Answer.

Excuses on standby

I bet you have a list of standby excuses that you pull out whenever you’re looking to avoid….well whatever you’re looking to avoid. Some basic ones that have to do with your kids’ schedules or your workload or household chores. Default excuses that reflect your willingness to put others ahead of your own self care.

We all probably give some consideration to how valid or important they sound before offering them up to other people as a justification for why we aren’t following through on something we’ve declared is important.

It seems to me though that the only person who has to believe the excuse du jour is you. Most people aren’t paying any attention to the reasons why you aren’t doing whatever it is that you think you should be doing. They’re too busy compiling their own list.

We make excuses all the time - for not working out and 101 other things that are self-nurturing. It’s our way of letting ourselves off the hook. Excuses are a great way to run away from the things that probably serve us best. I guess its a form of exercise but not one that does our hearts any good.

There’s a big difference between an excuse and a reason.

Here’s the test:

If it’s really a reason, you won’t have to give it a second thought. If you’re weighing your options, chances are you’re making an excuse. I kind of like Jen Lancaster’s list. It lets excuse making become more of a creative outlet. If you’re going to fool yourself, you might as well have some fun while you’re doing it. 

My best excuse busting tip?

Find someone who will hold you accountable….a good friend, a life coach, a relative…someone who will smile at your amusing excuse but not let you get away with it. Someone who will lovingly say, “nice try” and then kick your butt.

I once had a pact with a running partner to meet at 5:30 a.m. (yes I know what was I thinking?). We granted each other one and only one “no questions asked” excuse for missing a run during a six month period.  Any time I contemplated using my freebie excuse, I carefully weighed whether this was the time that I really wanted to use it. Maybe there would come a time when I would want to use it more. So in the course of six months, I never used it once. You can hold yourself accountable. You just need a little structure.

What’s your best excuse busting tip?

Ever feel like you’ve got your head stuck somewhere? 

Had a moment when you say, “What was I thinking?”  That happened to a kitty named Wild Oats who had his head stuck in a peanut butter jar for 19 days before he was finally caught and rescued from his glass prison.

You have to imagine that Wild Oats must have had what seemed like a good reason to shove his head into a jar.  Maybe peanut butter was an appealing treat.  Maybe he’s just one wild and crazy cat always up for a challenge.  Whatever the reason, I bet as soon as his head was in the jar he had one big oh-oh moment.

So here’s the thing…

before you go sticking your head into something that might not be such a great idea, STOP and weigh the pros and cons.  One of the reasons why life feels out of balance is because you make unconscious choices.  You jump into something without really asking whether you have the time, energy or desire for it.  And then once you’ve said yes, you feel stuck in the commitment.

And if you go ahead and end up getting stuck, often the best thing you can do is get some help rather than running around trying to avoid it. 

Life is meant to have a few risks.  If you feel like sowing some wild oats, go ahead.  Just be sure you have a plan for getting your head out of the jar.