An “excuse” is defined as “an explanation offered as a reason to be excused from a certain thing or task.”
True. At times. But sometimes…
Instead of an explanation, an excuse is often an exaggeration.
So I’m not talking about eliminating the inevitible, occassional, permissible excuse (Ex – We couldn’t make it last week because my child was sick.) I’m talking about the consistent exaggerating excuses…one in particular that is used more than any other.
“I don’t have the time to _______________.”
You have time. I have time. We all have time.
We are each given 24 hours a day, and we make the decision daily how we will spend the time we are given.
So instead of making the outlandish claim, “I don’t have time,” there are two steps that will help you eliminate this excuse from your vocabulary.
Start replacing the claim “I don’t have time” with the a true statement of where you spend your time.
Example #1: Instead of saying, “I don’t have time to read God’s Word every day,” say, “Instead of reading God’s Word, I scroll through my Facebook newsfeed five times a day.”
Example #2: Instead of saying, “I don’t have time to exercise,” say, “I slept until 7am this morning instead of getting up to exercise.”
Check if your new statement reflects your values/priorities.
Example #1: Checking Facebook is more important to me than my relationship with Christ. True or False?
Example #2: Sleeping in is more important to me than my health. True or False?
Are the statements generally true for you? Or not?
If you find the statements to be false, don’t feel defeated. Simply follow these five quick steps:
Call yourself out. Tell yourself you’ve been making an invalid excuse.
Identify your time suckers.
Eliminate your time suckers.
Replace your time suckers with an activity(ies) that reflects your priorities & values.
Never say, “I don’t have time” again. :)
