In the society we live in today, success is what we are taught we all should strive for.
Inversely, with the presence of insecurities and self limiting beliefs, we will create excuses to justify why we aren’t currently successful or why we won’t be in the future.
It would be wrong to say that no successful person ever had these thoughts or feelings, because they most certainly did.
However, they chose to not identify with them and moved through them in order to become successful.
Here is a list of excuses successful people don’t ever make.
15 Common Excuses Successful People Never Make
#1. I Don’t Have Time
I have heard many people say this and even I myself have uttered it a time or two.
It isn’t that the individual doesn’t have the time to practice playing guitar or that it isn’t the ‘right time’ to start developing one’s business plan, but that the individual simply won’t make time.
If you won’t make the time to do what you are passionate about, how are you honoring the freedom within the paradigm of your human experience?
If you want something badly enough, then you will create the time for said experience in your life.
Prioritize, it’s as simple as that.
#2. I Can’t (I Won’t)
Sometimes it seems like we literally “can’t” do something considering the circumstances of our lives.
It isn’t uncommon to hear, “Yeah, but, I have a good job and I’m making good money. I can’t just up and leave.”
When in all reality, you can just up and leave.
That is one of the many options available to you in this life: To do whatever you see fit in your personal experience.
So, when you or I uses the phrase “I can’t”, we aren’t saying that we can’t, we are actually saying that we won’t.
We often stay where we feel safe and comfortable, even when we’re unhappy.
Instead of chasing what we truly want, we cling to what we know.
Why do we willingly hold ourselves back from living the lives of our dreams?
Perhaps the reasons vary from person to person, but there is a way that we can all change this behavior: Engage in self awareness.
Change the vocabulary we use in our self-talk and in doing so, change our beliefs.
If you begin to use terms such as “am” and “is” as opposed to “will” and “want”, then you will reprogram your own beliefs and bring that which you wish to manifest into the present moment.
Hence, creating the very reality you desire from within.
#3. I’m Not That Good
Many people express that they want to take up a craft but they are “not that good” at it, and many people declare their lack of talent and skill without actually attempting it.
This excuse is quite common and is simply another way of saying, “I am afraid of my ego being hurt.”
There is much truth within the saying, “Practice makes perfect,” in that, no one is a master of their craft right out of the gate.
Granted, some are prodigies and have a natural talent for certain crafts, but many masters have devoted their attention to perfecting their art through deep levels of practice.
The only way to truly know if one isn’t ‘good’ at something is attempt it.
#4. I’m Broke
I have heard this excuse many times and have even made this excuse in my own experience.
A common form of this excuse that many of us have heard is, “I want to travel but I don’t have the money to do it.”
Alright, so how can you work toward what it is that you want?
Use the present as a stepping stone to get where you want to be instead of fixating with anticipation on the future and placing it outside of yourself.
We declare these limitations on ourselves out of fear and comfortability.
We are conditioned to settle for stagnation and suffering even if it is unpleasant simply because it is familiar and we know it.
#5. It’s Too Hard
If you have tried it and it is difficult, then you simply need to do it more to become better at it so that it becomes easier.
This excuse is very similar to “I’m not that good,” but differs in that it is saying “I have tried and wasn’t that good the first time.”
Whether it is taking up painting, music, bodybuilding, mechanics or carpentry, if you don’t make the time to practice the craft and test your ability to learn, how will you ever know if it is too difficult or how ‘good’ you are at the craft?
#6. What if I am Not that Good at It?
‘What ifs’ are one of the biggest limiting phrases available to human beings.
‘What ifs’ are what keep us from acting out of genuine spontaneity and keep us from honoring our truly innate sense of adventure and exploration.
No human ever truly knew anything without actually trying it and developing an opinion for themselves.
#7. I Can’t Just Abandon What I Have
Security and stability, while we are taught are what we should strive for and are things that once we acquire them shouldn’t be let go, give birth to some of our most debilitating limitations in life.
I have heard many people say things like, “Now that I have kids I can’t just do what I want anymore” or “I have a good job and nice things and I can’t just leave it all.”
It isn’t that one can’t do what they want anymore because of what they have or where they are, it just might be a little more difficult than it would have been before such things have occurred.
I feel like in this case, our sense of attachment closes us off from having the courage to detach and open ourselves up to the unknown.
Yet, the unknown is exactly what is required in terms of our exploration in order for us to grow and become successful.
#8. I’m Not Worthy
While this is more of a self limiting belief than an excuse, who is to say that a self limiting belief isn’t an excuse?
This excuse is far more common than one would like to think.
Due to certain things we experience or things we are told, we will develop the belief that we don’t deserve abundance, success or the abundance of success.
Believing in your own potential and rejecting self-imposed limits is one of the hardest transformations to make.
But once you break free from the comfort of stagnation, you see how vast your possibilities truly are.
From that clarity, success becomes inevitable.
#9. It’s Just Not in the Cards
Who is to say something isn’t in the cards for you other than yourself?
Even if you declare that something isn’t in the cards for you, that doesn’t make it true.
Everything is in the cards for you if you truly want it.
Nothing is out of reach when you consider the endless and limitless possibilities of life.
However, if someone says that something ‘isn’t in the cards’ they are simply saying that they don’t want to create that experience within their life.
#10. I Don’t Know How/ I Don’t Have Any Experience
More often than not, experience breeds the means to become excellent.
However, there are many circumstances, particularly within the realm of career and business, where experience is required and sought after and those who do not have it are denied the opportunities to learn.
How can one learn to be good at something if they don’t have/create the opportunity to gain experience?
In order to be experienced at something one has to want to become experienced and one must create that experience.
Experience doesn’t just happen to you, it is something that you must wish for, welcome and willingly create.
#11. My Friends and Family Don’t Think I Can Do It
Our self limiting beliefs that manifest themselves as excuses don’t always come from our own brains.
Many times, we are taught these beliefs and excuses from others when we are children, and even as we emerge into adulthood.
When you understand that others’ words and actions are reflections of their own beliefs and experiences, their opinions lose power over you.
Most of what people project is just smoke and mirrors.
If someone doesn’t think you can do something, don’t believe them and deny yourself the courtesy of surprise.
Let their denial fuel your willingness to be courageous and achieve what you have been told isn’t possible.
Then do it to prove to yourself that you can do anything you want in this waking life.
#12. What if I Fail?
What we have been taught about failure is so illusory and false that it is painful.
To fail is merely to learn and to learn is to grow in one’s understanding of how to succeed.
So many are afraid to fail because it simply hurts their egos to do so and instills a false belief that failure is a sign of inferiority or being less than.
No successful individual ever became successful without passing through failure.
Without being told “No” or without being told what they want to do is unrealistic, childish or insane.
They had a sense of who they were/are and acted deliberately and confidently in the face of adversity.
#13. There Are Others Who are Much Better
There will always be people who appear more skilled or successful than you.
While a few may have natural talent, most achieve success through effort and persistence.
These individuals who are on a higher level, as we might say, have dedicated their time and energy to mastering their craft and becoming the best they can be.
To deem other’s successes as a downfall within your own existence is just plain silly because it has absolutely nothing to do with you.
They took it upon themselves to be the best at what they do, not to spite and discourage you, but because they wanted to do it for themselves.
So, when you decide to be the best you can be for none other than yourself, you open yourself up to success in your own life experience.
#14. Why Are Others More Fortunate?
While this isn’t necessarily an excuse, it is certainly a self limiting belief that successful people certainly can’t afford to adhere to.
Successful people don’t spend their time and energy concerning themselves with the successes of others.
That doesn’t mean they ignore the success of others; they learn from and draw inspiration from it.
But they never use someone else’s achievements as a reason to dwell on what they lack.
#15. If My Competitors Don’t Have It, I Don’t Need It
This excuse commonly takes the form of people who will surround themselves with ‘unsuccessful’ people so that they feel less bad about being ‘unsuccessful’.
An applicable situation would be where someone really wants to be a successful musician but they don’t know how to go about doing it.
Since they are fearful to fully take a risk and give it a shot, they hang out with a group of friends who recognize their talents and instill a sense of false success.
This keeps them comfortable and staying in the same place and doing the same things instead of going out and creating the success that they truly desire.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, success isn’t reserved for the lucky few.
It’s available to anyone who’s willing to stop making excuses and start taking ownership of their choices.
Every “I can’t” or “I don’t have time” is really just fear disguised as logic.
The most successful people aren’t those who never doubt themselves; they’re the ones who feel the fear, question their limitations, and move forward anyway.
If you want to create a life of meaning, freedom, and success, it begins by recognizing that your excuses are stories you’ve been telling yourself for far too long.
Rewrite them. Replace “I can’t” with “I will,” and “someday” with “today.”
Once you stop waiting for the perfect moment and start acting in the present, you’ll realize the truth: success was never out of reach; it was only waiting for you to believe it was possible.
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Jon Dulin is the passionate leader of Unfinished Success, a personal development website that inspires people to take control of their own lives and reach their full potential. His commitment to helping others achieve greatness shines through in everything he does. He’s an unstoppable force with lots of wisdom, creativity, and enthusiasm – all focused on helping others build a better future. Jon enjoys writing articles about productivity, goal setting, self-development, and mindset. He also uses quotes and affirmations to help motivate and inspire himself. You can learn more about him on his About page.