What’s an excuse?

The “No Excuse!” approach to life is for people who grow and accept that success and failure are simply outcomes of their own behavior! Failure is just a stepping stone, a lesson to prepare you to achieve what you want. Many people see success only in the lives of others, which can cause them to develop an apathetic and defeating attitude. But it’s difficult to recognize your own success if you are caught in a web of negative thinking.

 “No Excuse!” means you accept responsibility, throw out negative thinking, and no longer allow others to control your potential for happiness and success. “No Excuse!” supports your efforts to identify, work toward, and achieve your dreams and goals. The “No Excuse!” philosophy is meant to challenge you to explore your thoughts, feelings and perceptions, so you can realize wisdom, goodness and strength. You can then give more of your energies to serve others while building your business. It’s important to let go of the need for approval while you begin traveling the road to fulfillment. The real or imagined expectations of others simply don’t matter. If you still have a job, you may need to align some of your personal expectations with that of your boss. Just be careful your actions are in line with your value system.

Although your decision making process can be influenced by others and the environment, it is ultimately your decision to act or not. The actions you take largely determine how you live your life, and whether or not you make your dreams come true.

How good are you at making excuses?

The following list of questions will help open your eyes to the excuse making that may exist in your own life today. Read them out loud so you can hear your own voice. This will make it easier to be truthful with yourself.

• Do I use the words can’t or couldn’t, when actually won’t or wouldn’t is the truth?

• Do I procrastinate and not do what I need to because after all, I’m only human?

•Do I avoid meeting new people because I’m in my office all day, or I live in a small town?

• Do I accept defeat, convinced that nice guys finish ast?

• Do I excuse myself from blame for a wrong doing because I was only doing what I was told?

• Do I fail to make phone calls because I lost the number?

• Do I smoke or overeat because I simply can’t help myself?

• Do I fail to show the plan because I can’t find anyone that would be interested?

• Do I blame my business stagnation on my upline or the economy?

• Do I neglect setting goals because I can’t find the time?

• Do I say, I don’t have time to avoid taking action to become more successful in my life and in business?

• Do I say, I don’t have the money, when it’s not true?

• Do I say, It’s in the mail, when it’s no

• Do I say, I’d do it, but, when I’m about to offer an excuse?

• Do I make excuses instead of doing whatever it takes to give myself the life I want?

If you answered these questions honestly and, like many people, said yes to some of them, you are well on your way to eliminating excuses from your life and on the road to living a life of self-responsibility.

What are some of the decisions you are preparing to make this week, month or year? Which will have the most impact on your personal life and in your business? Are those decisions personal, financial, educational, family or spiritual? Are you willing to make the decisions necessary and take action to move forward? Are you willing to accept responsibility for the outcomes of those decisions? Be courageous. Write a list of decisions you’ll soon be making that will impact your life and the lives of people around you. This heightens your awareness of the excuses you may have frequently used to either avoid facing decisions or taking responsibility for the results.

How to keep excuses in check

We all live largely by behavior patterns and habits. They are practical solutions to our need to have ready responses to everyday situations. They are necessary and, for the most part, serve us well. In certain circumstances, however, our logic can falter. We may fall back on excuses to explain a failure or justify a fault.

Keep these things in mind:

• Initially, the challenges of ”No Excuse!” are just that challenges.

• Relinquishing excuses requires effort.

• What’s true for you is true for me. We all face problems that have a certain degree of similarity. We all need reasons to live, people to love, work to do, and job to share. We all have sorrow and disappointment to bear

• We’re all better off when we’re on the path of responsibility and action. Most of us are immobilized from the habits of blaming and excuse making.

• Will you grow rich with " Excuse!” living? in “Rich” may or may not include more money. That depends on you. “No Excuse!” living will:

• Enrich your own life and others you come in contact with.

• Give you the elements to create the success you want for yourself, your family and your business.

• Begin with a self-responsible act; accept that time is what you’re born with, and your life is what you make it.

Take charge of your life -- you can do it!

Create your life based on your own dreams and goals, not those of others. We all have the ability to accept or reject who we are and what we’re doing. Think about it. How often do people try to mold themselves to someone else’s expectations to please them? If we do, we will probably suffer in silence or denial, the tragedy of not accepting ourselves and what we choose to do--like not following our dreams by building a networking business. Owning your life means having the courage to face up to such truths. It means risking, and maybe even taking relationships to the edge to accept yourself. That’s OK. Just be yourself.

The bonus is, you’re likely to generate more respect from others. If your parents, siblings or friends don’t approve of what you’re doing, that’s their choice. You may have noticed that the less you seek recognition from others the more you are at peace with yourself. To a point, it’s appropriate to seek advice from or model your behavior after a few select people whom you respect; people whose lives are worthy of emulating, such as leaders in the business. It is also human nature to desire acceptance from others, but don’t do it at the expense of your values. Focus only on those people who have your best interest at heart, whose value system is admirable to you, and who love and support you. By getting in the business, you’ve probably already examined your life and decided to head in a new direction. You weren’t receiving the outcomes you desired, and saw the business as the way to get them.

Practicing “No Excuse!” principles will enhance your feelings of self-worth, self-love, and self-esteem. You’ll also have an opportunity to learn to let go of people you may be using as protection from the fear of rejection. You’ll learn how to create new relationships and live life on your own terms. As you let go of beloved people who don’t support you, and stop hiding behind them, you and they will experience a freedom to love each other beyond anything you’ve ever known. You will experience life more fully when you realize that you determine your future. With “No Excuse!” thinking, you no longer blame events or other people for your shortcomings, failures or timidity in taking action. You have the opportunity to lay the foundations of a future of living your life to the fullest.

You may want to ask the questions that anyone on a new path might ask: Am I ready for this? Am I responsible enough? Am I capable of dealing with success? Am I capable of dealing with failure? Am I prepared to accept the impact my new found self-responsibility will have on my family and friends? Am I willing to take responsibility for my actions when things don’t go my way? Am I willing to stop weaving an intricate tale of “inescapable” coincidences to tell the world how everything conspired against me? Am I willing to say “No Excuse!?”

There’s “No Excuse!” not to live your dream

The greatest thing I have learned so far in life is to accept responsibility for my own life. Realize we are where we are today, because this is probably where we chose to be several years ago. If you’re not where you want to be, it’s time to move on. It’s the “No Excuse!” thing to do.

I hope you embrace the “No Excuse!” lifestyle, practice self-responsibility, and take charge of your family, yourself, and your business. Follow the dreams in your heart and become the best you can be. You’ll be more successful with your business when you treat it as a “No Excuse!” experience. When the going gets tough, just say, No Excuse! It can help you achieve your goals, build your business, become free, and live your dreams.

I dare you to get started living a “No Excuse!” life right now. Call your upline and say “No Excuse! - I’m Doing It”  You’ll both be excited. Go for it. You can do it. There’s “No Excuse!”

Jay Rifenbary is a professional speaker, consultant, trainer, and founder of the Rifenbary Training and Development Center. He is a graduate of West Point, was a qualified Airborne/Ranger and Military Commander, and sales and management executive. He ‘s sought after as a speaker and author on success, motivation, leadership, communication, team building, and family and interpersonal relationships. To order click  “No Excuse -- I’m Doing It,”