Coming off the high energy and incredible feedback of their milestone 500th episode, hosts Mark Cardone and Theron Feidt dive straight into a topic everyone deals with but rarely wants to face: excuses.

In business, marketing, sales, and life inside the dojo, we hear them constantly. But while we easily spot them in others, we rarely notice when we are making them ourselves. In this episode, Mark and Theron break down the critical difference between a legitimate reason and a recycled excuse, exploring how excuses are ultimately rooted in fear or a lack of excitement.

To help you audit your habits and shift your mindset, they break down three immediate action steps to eliminate excuses and step into a higher version of yourself.

Key Takeaways & Action Steps

Action Step 1: Run the "Replay Test"

The first step to conquering your excuses is catching them in real-time. If you find yourself giving a reason for why you didn't get something done, ask yourself: Have I used this exact line before? If you have, it's no longer a reason, it's a recording played out of comfort or habit.

• Your Challenge This Week: Write down your three most frequently used excuses. Seeing them on paper strips away their power, breaks the pattern, and exposes the underlying fear, judgment, or discomfort you might be trying to avoid.

Action Step 2: Pre-Decide What is Acceptable

Don't wait until you are tired, unmotivated, or snuggled in a warm bed to decide whether you're going to follow through on your commitments. Make those choices when you are calm and clear-headed.

• Establish Your Boundaries: Write down a tight, intentional list of true reasons you will accept for missing a needle-moving task (e.g., actual injury or family emergencies).
• The 24-Hour Rule: If you are caught in a gray area and want to bow out of a commitment, give yourself 24 hours before honoring the excuse. If the feeling completely evaporates after a day, it was just an emotional excuse, not a legitimate reason.

Action Step 3: Run Every Excuse Through Your Identity

True personal growth requires being better than who you were yesterday. Your identity is shaped by the present-tense actions of the person you are actively deciding to become.

• The Identity Filter: Write a one-sentence description of the highest version of yourself (e.g., "I am a fit, trustworthy, and disciplined leader"). When an excuse pops up, hold it up against that sentence. Excuses are essentially lies we tell ourselves and others; if your excuse doesn't align with your new identity, it has to go.

"Instead of making better excuses, we're really going to have fewer excuses. When we boil it down, we end up with legitimate reasons... and then we can adjust to work around them."

Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Claim Your Free Book: Head over to Achieve Results NOW! to grab your free copy of Ignite Results, packed with specific daily actions to help you win.
• Connect With Us on Social Media: Follow the community and join the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/achieveresultsnow.
• Missed the Last Episode? Be sure to go back and listen to Episode 500 for an amazing retrospective, top subject reviews, and a lot of great listener energy!

Now get out there and achieve results NOW!

ARN Suggested Reading:

Blessings In the Bullshit: A Guided Journal for Finding the BEST In Every Day – by Mark Cardone & Theron Feidt

https://www.amazon.com/Blessings-Bullshit-Guided-Journal-Finding/dp/B09FP35ZXX/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=blessings+in+the+bullshit&qid=1632233840&sr=8-1

Full List of Recommended Books: https://www.achieveresultsnow.com/readers-are-leaders

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