Stop the Excuses, Start the Work ⚒️
“Nothing so conclusively proves a person’s ability to lead others as what they do from day to day to lead themselves.” — Thomas J. Watson
"Real acceptance isn’t about excuses. It’s not a free pass. It does not mean condoning every aspect of who you are. It’s looking yourself in the eye, no filters, no soft focus. Facing yourself with unflinching honesty, neither excusing nor condemning. It’s the courage to say, this is me, and I’m ready to do the work to grow."
For a long stretch, I was that person who always postponed things until the clock was about to run out. My desk would stay pristine (because I wasn’t actually working) but inside, my nerves fluttered.
Each day, the clock on my laptop stared me down. Mocking me. I’d sit there, scrolling, fidgeting, pretending I wasn’t avoiding the inevitable.
I’d say, “Well, I’m a perfectionist, I need the pressure.”
Yet deep down, I was simply afraid to fail before I even tried. Excuses felt easier than facing the possibility of producing something average.
One day, though, the excuse didn’t stick. It cracked. And through that crack came a brutal, unfiltered realization: I wasn’t avoiding failure. I was avoiding growth.
It wasn’t pretty. No blame. No coddling.
Just a raw moment of clarity that said, “Here I am. Time to own it.”
Spot one habit you keep defending. You know the one.
Maybe it’s putting things off until the last second. Or showing up late like it’s a personality trait.
Now stop justifying it.
Write down what it actually costs you—your mood, your relationships, your progress. Be brutally honest. No sugarcoating.
Then, pick one small way to shift. Just one. Finish something 30 minutes earlier. Set an alarm you’ll actually respect. Something tangible. Something doable.
Because here’s the truth: one small action isn’t just a tweak. It’s a wedge. A crack that lets self-awareness, and maybe even change, slide in.
“Nothing so conclusively proves a person’s ability to lead others as what they do from day to day to lead themselves.” — Thomas J. Watson
Have you ever stopped mid-excuse and realized: this isn’t a reason, it’s a shield?
Thin armor, barely holding up.
Maybe it showed itself in your job, the way you treat your body, or how you connect with others. Or maybe it was worse, an excuse you kept recycling. Over and over, until it almost felt true.
What happened when you saw it for what it was? Did it shake you? Did it change anything? Or are you still wrestling with it, trying to figure out what comes next?
Share it. Your story might be the reflection someone else needs to see.
Real acceptance isn’t flashy. It’s not a guilt trip or a free pass. It doesn’t ask you to look away or sugarcoat what’s hard to face.
It’s raw. Unvarnished.
A meeting point between who you are and who you’re capable of becoming.
The real work begins here, in that quiet, uncomfortable space. The one where growth demands honesty. Where progress feels less like a leap and more like a shaky step forward.
So, stay curious. Ask the hard questions.
Keep your eyes wide open, even when it stings. Because step by step, you’re building something stronger. A version of yourself that stands steady, no matter how hard the wind blows.
— Ryan Puusaari