How to Stop Making Excuses and Start Taking Responsibility for Yourself
As much as you’d hate to admit it, you’ve been making a ton of excuses your entire life. Excuses are pretty powerful. If you allow them to become your reality, they take over your thoughts and feelings. Excuses influence your decisions and most especially your potential to succeed in the professional cheerleader auditions.
Have you ever said these things to yourself?
I’m too scared to take a risk.
I lack the motivation to wake up early and workout.
I’m not good at dancing.
What if I fail tomorrow?
I’m at the wrong place at the wrong time.
I’ll get started tomorrow. Today’s not a good time.
I still don’t know enough.
A late cartoonist named Don Wilder once said, “Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.” I couldn’t agree more.
As long as you keep justifying your fears for not trying, you won’t be able to move forward and achieve what you want: to become a professional cheerleader.
Overcoming your excuses requires that you identify them first. Whether it’s pure inaction or the tendency to blame external factors for your current disposition, knowing when you make excuses helps you get back on track.
Five Ways to Stop Making Excuses Today
1. Break down a big goal into actionable to-dos.
No doubt about it, long-term goals matter. But sometimes, focusing on the bigger picture or a distant future makes you take for granted the small things you can do today. If you struggle to lose weight, increase flexibility, or get better at dancing, focus on concrete steps. What does becoming fitter mean? Does it mean taking online fitness classes?
2. Build on your strengths.
Every aspiring pro cheerleader brings a set of unique strengths to the table. While you can be good at several things, surely you stand out in a few. I’m not saying that you should forget about your weaknesses because you need to get better. However, don’t allow these weaknesses to overpower what you’re capable of doing. First, know what you’re good and start building on it.
3. Be compassionate with yourself.
Rarely do we think about loving ourselves into becoming whatever we want to become. We’re used to bashing or criticizing ourselves so we can act. You may look at self-criticism as a form of tough love but what it does is that it puts you in a cycle of “never enough.” Compassion is a better motivator. It reminds you that there is always hope and that each moment is a choice to act on your goals.
4. Ask for honest feedback.
There are certain times in your life when you need to evaluate your progress. Because you’re gearing up for the pro cheer auditions, asking for the opinions of others in terms of your dance performance, fitness level, and speaking abilities will tell you what you should improve on. Better yet, join a community of fitness enthusiasts or ours here at Pro Cheer Life to get real insights and advice.
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5. Quit comparing yourself to others.
The truth is, there are an endless number of metrics you can use to compare yourself to others: beauty, job title, income, dance background, size of your waistline, etc. If you take that road of endless comparisons, it’ll be difficult for you to leave. Remember that you are unique. Focus on your own project - yourself - instead of others. If you do that, you can be happier and more grateful for your accomplishments.
Final Thoughts
Making excuses has never put anyone on a path to success. Instead of finding justifications for not doing something that benefits you long-term, spend your time acting. Don’t be sorry, be better!
See yourself as a professional cheerleader?
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