Our words are important! There is great power in the words we use, and they are the key to all spoken and written communication. Today’s show takes a look at how our word choices affect our responses, motivations, and actions we take. Our words come into play in the self-talk we tell ourselves and also in our language with others, either prompting forward movement and growth or potentially shutting down all growth. Join me as we examine our communication through the lens of two words in this question: Is it an excuse or an explanation?

Show Highlights:

• What an excuse is–and how it’s used to bypass all accountability and ownership
• What an explanation is–and how it’s used to seek to clarify, understand, and learn
• How an excuse blocks our creativity and any path forward, keeping us in a fear-based state
• How an explanation sees through the lens of reason to find a path to a solution
• How an excuse costs us, keeps us powerless and stuck, and won’t help us meet our goals
• How excuses make us small and invisible, blocking our dreams from coming true
• How I’ve seen excuses and explanations come into play as a therapist and coach
• My challenge: What would shift for you if you recognize your excuses as excuses?
• How your excuses can turn into explanations that give choices and options
• How to identify the smallest thing you can do to begin to make progress and shift your words from excuses to explanations
• Examples of resources that can help you move forward in shifting from excuses to explanations
• My advice for taking the steps and making the changes in going from excuse to explanation

Resources:

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