Obstacle Or Excuse

Usually, we find excuses for not doing the things that matter. And we bring these excuses as obstacles that prevent us. In this podcast, I will share with you a powerful coaching question, that will bring clarity and help you unlock what is behind your procrastination.

Transcript

Hi,

My name is Spiros and today I would like to share with you a very powerful question.

A question that you can ask yourself to overcome procrastination.

But let me start with a story.

Yesterday,

A coaching client of mine kept on saying how difficult it is to find time for him,

Amidst work,

Chores and kids.

His target is to run 2 times per week,

So he becomes fitter.

But every single time that I ask him how the run was,

He says that he couldn't go.

He mentions various reasons,

Which seem valid.

For example,

I was tired after work,

So I couldn't run.

I had to look after the kids this evening.

I had to finish a task from work.

I had to,

I had to,

I had to.

Particularly yesterday,

He replied,

I was so hungry and after eating I got heavy,

So I couldn't go.

Then I asked him,

Is being hungry an obstacle or an excuse?

To which he replied,

What is the difference?

Well,

I told him,

An obstacle is something that prevents you from doing something.

If you had a broken leg,

For example,

That would be an obstacle.

You couldn't run.

However,

An excuse is something that you tell to yourself,

To justify why you are not taking the necessary actions.

After a minute of silence,

He timidly said with worry,

Yeah,

You are right,

It is an excuse.

I just realized that I find excuses for all sorts of stuff during my day.

That is why I keep on procrastinating,

I guess.

But what can I do now?

If it is an obstacle,

I said,

We could brainstorm together and find ways to overcome it.

If,

On the other hand,

It is an excuse,

You ultimately have two options.

First,

You can forget all about your goal.

Perhaps you don't really want to do it after all.

Or,

You can transform your excuse to an obstacle and find ways to overcome it.

Another minute passed in silence.

The next time that my client spoke,

It was with enthusiasm,

As he had clarity around his thinking pattern.

The pattern that he had just noticed for the first time.

To finish the story,

My client committed to go running immediately after our coaching session,

Regardless of being drained from his busy day.

And this morning,

Guess what?

He called me to tell me that he actually did run last evening,

For 40 minutes.

And you know,

Sometimes we need someone else to provoke the story we play inside our heads.

Because we are so used to the story that we don't see it clearly or objectively.

So,

To finish off,

I would like you to think about something that you procrastinate for so long now.

And try to remember the reason that prevents you from doing that the last time.

And I would like to ask you,

Is this reason that prevents you from doing what you wanted?

Is this reason an obstacle or an excuse?

Again,

Is the reason an obstacle or an excuse?

I hope you find this short podcast interesting and as a way to motivate you when you keep on procrastinating.

Keep on thinking,

Is this an obstacle or an excuse?

Thank you for listening.

Reviews

As I am doing the obstacle/excuse stage it was a good podcast to listen to.

These two little questions are so powerful! I needed this today. Thank you for sharilng!

Thank you for this very useful advice Spiros 🙏🏾☀️

A good question to ask myself when once again finding many excuses for not doing something, and think about ways to overcome that. Thank you! 🙏

This really opened my eyes. I cannot thank you enough. I have been making too many excuses, after listening to this I realized it's something I really need to work on.

As helpful now as it was the first time I listened to it. In my present situation, it is both an obstacle AND an excuse. There are physical barriers which are obstacles, but the excuse is not addressing and clearing them so action can be taken. I had not really looked that deeply at the situation before, but now that I have, the two parts are so very clear to me. I also have a much better sense of what to do about it (the excuse part) and how that may remove the physical barriers that are the obstacle. (Or at least move them enough out of the way to let me proceed.)

Thank you for making this available on Insight Timer. I bookmarked and downloaded it long ago, but am adding it to a procrastination Playlist I made now that we have those available. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I see you and the light within you. Be well. 🤲🏻❤🤲🏻

Amazing! Just what needed. Wonderful way of expressing it. Thank you so much! Bookmarked!

What a great little pep talk! I was smiling in recognition of myself all the way through. I’m putting up a sticky note at my computer reminding me to ask: is it an obstacle ... or an excuse? A key distinction to make! Thank you, Spiros!

Very good podcast.Simple points made, making it easy to understand.
Thank you!

This is a great thought to ask yourself when you feel like you aren’t getting anything accomplished.

This was very interesting, thank you Spiros 💜 x

I really liked this! I immediately grabbed my Japanese study materials and started... I make excuses, there are no obstacles regarding this! Thank you!

Wow! Astonishingly succinct. Almost passed this by. A very simple key. Thank you. I have it now and will see what I can unlock. 🙏🏻🌟💚

Very good and effective! I needed to hear that. Thank you!

Simple but profound. Thank you!

Great insight! I'm looking forward to a new way to deal with my procrastination. Thank you!

Smack! There it is... excuse, excuse, excuse, then your time has passed! Procrastination is a secret destroyer of succeeding in making dreams reality!! Thank you for the enlightening story!!🙏🏻🙏🏻and the deeper light of a healthier path♥️🙏🏻

Thank you very much, I look forward to more helpful insights, namaste 🙏

This is so incredibly wise and insightful!!! Thank you.

Finally I now understand... all along I thought it was from laziness! Thank you!