Make decisions, not excuses.

Have you ever planned an elaborate night with friends, ironing out every little detail, right down to the reservations because you wanted everything to be perfect? You didn’t want to take any chances. Plus, you FINALLY found a night that works for everyone!

As it turns out, your friends wind up canceling, one-by-one…A well-planned night turns into a string of well-thought-out excuses of why people can no longer make it.

The same situation could happen while working with clients. We setup a meeting time, we confirm, and then the client might cancel at the last minute in which we’re stuck rearranging our schedules.

I’m not here to bad-mouth anyone and I’m certainly not perfect, but I am here to assure you that you’re not alone!  We all need to make decisions, not excuses.

 

 

Stop making excuses.

I stumbled over many planning mistakes in college, making excuses my freshman year.

I LOVED meeting new people and having all this free time to explore a new place with new people. But…I’m naturally an introvert. I like to hang out with me! That introversion resulted in me canceling my own hangouts early on.

I quickly learned that wasn’t cool. I realized I either needed to stop making excuses, or stop committing to more activities than I could handle.

We need to check in with ourselves. We know it’s bad when we’re relieved if someone cancels, or when we hope an appointment gets canceled. We start to say “no,” and we start to invent excuses.

Sometimes we try to justify the why. Why we’re saying “no” to plans, why we can’t make it, when really, we should feel comfortable saying “no.” Case-closed, no questions asked.

 

 

Make decisions.

No matter what age we are, we’re old enough to make decisions! Let’s save ourselves time – and let’s save other people some time by being upfront if we really can’t make plans, or if we just flat out don’t want to go.

When we’re direct, we confront how we feel, we communicate clearly, and we move on.

I know what you’re thinking, though. “But I want to weigh the options…I need time to think about it.”

Think about it. Weigh the pros and cons. Do what’s best for you, and then make a decision! Don’t let an invitation, project, or anything else turn into something bigger than it really is.

Another piece to consider is don’t overthink the situation. I know I am absolutely guilty of overthinking just about everything. Overthinking is the lovely price we pay for perfectionism, but we can overcome this.

 

 

Be direct.

Remember not to dance around the “no!” We have to be direct. If we don’t want to go somewhere, or if we can’t finish a project by our deadline, then we need to be honest with the person on the receiving end.

It’s best to be direct. Avoid passive aggressive tactics because these might just make someone more upset about the situation.

When it comes to professional projects, giving a client a heads-up that we’ll need another 3 days for that project will give them peace of mind that we care about them, and we want to deliver the best product possible.

The client might be disappointed that we didn’t meet the deadline, but he or she will respect us for the communication.

The same goes with family, friends, and anyone else we make plans with. Skip the song and dance; be direct!

Be reliable.

Let’s make a decision with what we want to do, and stick with it! Whether that means making an appointment, requesting services, or just going out for the day, if we’re going to say “yes,” then let’s hold ourselves accountable to that “yes” as best as we can.

The more reliable we are, the happier we will be, and the happier our support group will be! People will trust us if we’re reliable, and they’ll be more apt to be there for us when we need them the most.

Make decision, not excuses.