Benjamin Franklin once said ‘He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else’. Personally I think that's a harsh statement, however we can always find a reason not to do what you want or to stop when things don't turn out as you expected.

Do you use word like can't, shouldn't, couldn't... if you do then you are not enabling yourself to reach your full potential.

So, why do we make excuses? There are lots of reasons why, some include:

• Fear of something / lots of things (change, success, making mistakes etc)

• Lack of confidence (low self esteem)

• Limiting beliefs (either self talk or something you've been told by others and you now believe to be true)

Whatever the reason, a lot of it amounts to an unhelpful thinking style (negative thinking) which if you've read any of my social media updates you will know these become habits... bad habits. Habits can be broken, it just takes time and practice.

One of the first steps to helping yourself is to understand a few things about your 'excuses'. Have a think about what is stopping you moving forward. Some questions to ask yourself (and please note down the answers so you can see them in black and white) would be:

• What or who is preventing me?

• What would happen if I did achieve my goal (note feelings, health, relationships, financial etc)?

• What would happen if I didn’t achieve my goal (note feelings, health, relationships, financial etc)?

• Why am I making these excuses?

• What excuses are getting in my way?

Be honest with your responses. You might not have the solution and that's fine because this exercise will give you an insight into what the blockers are.

My ‘Time to Change’ self help book touches on this subject, plus many more to ensure that you have the tools available yourself to reach your full potential.

Here’s to you all changing your thought processes and added a few ‘WILL, SHOULD and COULDs’ to your daily vocabulary.

Much Love Jo x