Excuses! Excuses! What would people do without their excuses? Excuses are pesky, self-​destructive things that help people avoid responsibility. The ability to focus on the task at hand is seriously underrated.

How many times have you made an excuse? I don’t have time. I don’t know how. I’m too busy. I’m not good at that. I don’t have time to go to networking events. I’m too busy with marketing activities. Making excuses is common. Believing them is terminal. 

It’s rare when people accept the challenge. People who have a rainmaking and success mindset say, "Even though I’m busy, I will make time for marketing this week. I will work a few extra hours and network on LinkedIn. I will attend an association lunch meeting, even though my schedule is tight."

People would rather resort to making excuses. Sure, things happen, and at times, you may get busy and get pulled off of your business development plan, but making business development a priority is important to your success. 

Excuse-​making is becoming the norm, and it’s a whopping reason why so many businesses fail. Chronic excuse-​making is a way to evade the necessity of doing the hard work. The only cure for this chronic condition is action. Sharp professionals know that if debilitating excuse-​making is not cured, their business may be crushed.

Ultimately, you are the only thing that you can control. Pay attention to how often you catch yourself making excuses. Excuses fuel failure. Remember that every time you rattle off an excuse, it’s like pressing down hard on the brakes of your business or practice.

The life and the business that you make for yourself are shaped through your actions or your excuses. We become a mirror image of them. Your actions either catapult you forward or hurl you backward. 

We make up excuses to justify why we’re not doing what we know we should do. Professionals occasionally tell themselves white lies to avoid the pain of reality. However, refusing to face the facts may have real consequences.

It is time to enter the no-​excuse zone! Stop making excuses and start making sales.

Liz Wendling is the author of two books (and counting): The Unstoppable Business Woman and Everyone Sells Something, a columnist for Colorado Biz Magazine, and one of the first nationally credentialed facilitators for Napoleon Hill Mastermind groups. Learn more at lizwendling​.com.