Reasons or Excuses? The Simple Question That Can Transform Your Success

Over the years, I’ve met thousands of people who tell me they want to achieve more—they want better results, bigger goals, and greater success. Yet when we look back over the last 12 months, many of those ambitions remained just out of reach.

So today, I want to ask you a simple but powerful question:

Why weren’t you as successful in the last year as you could have been?

Take a moment right now.
Grab a pen, a piece of paper, or simply open the notes on your phone.
Write down your top three reasons why you didn’t hit your goals.

Go ahead—do it.

Now, here’s the uncomfortable truth…

Most of the time, what we call reasons are actually excuses.

We convince ourselves that external circumstances blocked our success:

• “I didn’t have enough time.”

• “The economy wasn’t right.”

• “Other priorities got in the way.”

• “I wasn’t feeling motivated.”

But when you break these statements down honestly and look at them in detail, you’ll discover something surprising:

Very little actually prevented you from achieving your goals.
Most roadblocks existed only in your mind.

Unless you experienced a serious illness or a major life event—which of course changes everything—your reasons were likely mental barriers disguised as practical limitations.

This isn’t about blame.
It’s about awareness.

Because when we recognise that our “reasons” are really excuses, we reclaim control. We stop waiting for perfect conditions and start building the discipline, planning, and mindset needed to succeed.

Here are three steps I recommend to every person serious about creating better outcomes:

1. Identify the Real Roadblocks

Look again at your list.
Which items were genuinely outside your control—and which were choices, habits, or fears?

2. Remove the Mental Blocks

Most limitations live in our thinking.
Shift your beliefs, and your behaviour will follow.

3. Put a Clear Action Plan in Place

Goals without structure are simply wishes.
Break your objectives into steps, create accountability, and develop the discipline to follow through.

Success isn’t about working harder; it’s about thinking differently.
And that begins with the courage to call excuses by their real name.

Make the decision today to take back ownership, plan with purpose, and remove every obstacle—mental or otherwise—that stands between you and the life you want.