Lesson 14 of 26 · 2 min

N is for No Excuses

There is a real difference between a reason and an excuse, and only you can tell which one you are using.

N is for No Excuses2 min

A reason is a genuine constraint. Real constraints exist — illness, injury, poverty, caregiving, a job with impossible hours. Naming them honestly is not weakness, and pretending they are not there is not strength.

An excuse is a reason you have decided to hide behind. Same sentence, different function. "I have no time" can be either, and the test is simple: if the outcome mattered enormously, would you find a way?

The point of this letter is not to shame you out of your circumstances. It is to help you sort what you genuinely cannot change from what you have merely stopped trying to.

Practice this

Write down your top three obstacles. Mark each one as a reason or an excuse, honestly.
For each real reason, design around it instead of arguing with it.
Retire one excuse this week. Say it out loud so you notice when you reach for it again.

Sit with this

Which of your obstacles would disappear if the stakes were high enough?
What have you been saying for years that is no longer true?
What would you do if your favorite excuse were unavailable?

Going deeper

Longer sessions from the Doc Russ archive that expand on this letter. Optional, but worth your time.

I’m Sure You’ve Got Your Reasons2 min