Podcast Episode 118 — Excuses We Use When We Want to Quit

And alternatives to quitting for each one.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Today I want to talk about finishing what you start and some excuses we tell ourselves when we want to quit.

Sometimes finishing what we started is hard, and we make excuses to allow ourselves to quit. Don’t feel bad if you see one you’ve used before — we’ve all been frustrated at one time or another. Instead of quitting, use the suggestions I’ve provided to help keep yourself on track when you find yourself making one of these excuses.

I’m bored.

If your goal involves a lot of repetitive tasks, it is easy to become bored, especially if the tasks take a long time before you see any concrete results. To keep from quitting, remind yourself of the end goal. And then keep reminding yourself again and again.

This isn’t what I thought it would be.

Sometimes ideas we thought were great in the beginning turn out not to be, and when we’re in the middle of doing the hard work to make them a reality, we realize we’re not where we thought — or wanted — to be.

Quitting at this point, although tempting, could be a mistake. Discovering a different path could lead you to experience something better than you’d initially planned. Evaluate carefully if your new direction is something you want to abandon before you stop.

I bit off more than I could chew.

If you’re feeling this way, take a good look at your goal. Chances are it was much too big. Instead of quitting altogether, try breaking the big goal into smaller, more manageable goals. Know that each time you complete a smaller goal, you’re closer to reaching the big one.

I don’t want to do this.

This is a tough one. Perhaps your circumstances have changed, and your original goal is no longer aligned with what you want and where you’re going. That’s ok. But before you quit, ensure that the task isn’t something you need to finish, whether you want to or not. For example, if you have an accident and need physical therapy, you will probably get to a point where you feel like you don’t want to keep doing it. Quitting, however, could be detrimental to your health, so you need…