As more and more people find out about my crazy plans to travel the world, I hear a lot of, “You’re so lucky” and “I wish I had done that” and “I would love to do something like that but…”

But. A short, harmless, three letter world that precedes every excuse.

Google defines ‘excuse’ as: a reason put forward to conceal the real reason for an action.

We make excuses every day. Why we don’t have time to work out. Why we can’t take up surfing. Why we can’t seem to keep money in our bank accounts.

But all excuses are simply a way to justify the act of not doing something and to conceal the real reason we aren’t doing it - it’s not a priority.

If you start thinking of your inaction in regards to this quote, it really makes you pause for a moment.

Instead of saying, “I want to work out today but I just don’t have the time”, try saying “I want to work out today but it’s not a priority.”

Instead of “I want to go back to school but it’s too expensive and I don’t have the time” say “I want to go back to school but it’s not a priority.”

Instead of “I want to quit my job and travel the world but I have don’t have the money” say “I want to quit my job and travel the world but it’s not a priority.”

Saying you aren’t doing something because it isn’t a priority changes not only the way you look at your excuse, but the way you feel about it.

Now there is nothing wrong with something not being a priority. You could have a legitimate reason why you aren’t doing something at the moment. If you can follow the word BUT with the understanding it’s not a priority and be ok with that, then keep on keepin’ on.

But if you acknowledge the fact that the reason you aren’t following through is because it isn’t a priority and it leaves a sour taste in your mouth, you might want to rethink things.

I would love to learn a second language. Always have. Yet I am not bilingual. Not because I suck at linguistics or don’t have the time, but because at this point in my life it isn’t a priority. And I’m ok with that.

Saving money to travel the world, however, was a priority. It became an all encompassing part of my life for 2 years. Everything I did was catered towards reaching my goal and desire for global adventures.

There were plenty of excuses I could have used: “I barely make enough money to live on” “I have student loans and car loans that need paying off” “I finally have a job I’ve wanted since I was 6”. All things no one would blame me for if I said to them, “I really want to travel the world someday BUT…”

However I would blame myself. Not traveling became not an option.

So it became a priority. And I made it happen even sooner then I anticipated.

So the next time you find yourself making excuses about something, change your phrasing. Don’t give a list of arbitrary reasons why you can’t do something. Simply state that it is currently not a priority and see how that feels.

Take responsibility and understand the real reason behind your excuses.

Because if something is important to you, you WILL find a way to make it happen. And if it’s not, you’ll find an excuse.

Has changing the way you think about your excuses ever made you change your attitude towards them? What did you do about it?