The “Why” Behind Excuses

Why all the excuses?

There is no single explanation as to why we, as human beings, make excuses; it is rather obvious, however, that every one of us has made an excuse at least once in our lives. It is worth paying attention to why we all tend to make excuses.

Fear

The literature says that fear is one of the biggest reasons we become prompted to make excuses. Anxiety often arises when there is uncertainty; uncertainty, in turn, tends to threaten our default tendency towards control, habit, and stability. As we all know, humans are creatures of habit; anything unfamiliar to us can be uncomfortable, threatening, and disorienting. This is why we end up making up excuses amid uncertainty— to allay fears of the unknown and bring ourselves back to our trusted comfort zone.

Lack of a clear goal

Another reason why we tend to make excuses is because we lack a clear goal. Sure, we often make goals, but hardly any are specific and concrete. For example, we often say things like “I want to live a healthier life” or “I want to become better at work.” However, having a goal that is not specific is just as good as having no plan at all. Without a dream, it is impossible to accomplish anything; hence, excuses keep us from achieving what we n do.

Procrastination

Procrastination has also significantly contributed to one’s tendency to make an excuse. Procrastination, contrary to what many people think, is a habit. The more we procrastinate, the more we end up procrastinating! What further feed the tendency to rationalize our inaction, or specifically, the delay in our action, are feelings of regret, self-pity, and panic, which all come with the habit of procrastination.

We tend to make excuses for the difficult things we know we must do. The catch is that God’s greatest blessings often come after difficult moments and painful ordeals. Thus, every time we make excuses, we tend to miss out on the gift and beauty of God’s blessings.