Posted on: 10 May, 2002
Author: Maria Marsala
I'm not sure what the history of ... is, except toknow that a majority of the time excuses equal some sort ... part of what we thought we "should do" vs. being a"must do"! I'm not sure what the history of "excuses" is, except toknow that a majority of the time excuses equal some sort ofself-dishonesty.They're part of what we thought we "should do" vs. being a"must do"! Excuses come from us not being able to take ourown "no's". They're what we say to people so that we "don'thurt their feelings". Excuses are what we say so that othersdon't hurt us. Excuses are part of what we're tolerating inour life (that which draws out our energy and squashes it)!Excuses come back to haunt us unless we look at them asgifts from clients or friends or ourselves. Have you everreceived an excuse for "something" and thought -- Is thatperson kidding with that excuse? Why didn't they just sayNO? OH! ... I am doing the same thing to "so and so".Say NO!!! Sometimes saying "NO" to someone means saying"YES" to someone even more important -- YOU!What can you do when you give someone a "no" that they don'taccept? Take the time to think about what type of answersyou can give and things you can do to protect yourboundaries so that you can raise your standards. Check outthese Top Ten Lists about boundaries. They are justwonderful! "Things to say pleasantly when people attempt toinvade your boundaries" by Coach Diana Robinsonwww.topten.org/public/BG/BG1.html and another wonderful TopTen by Coach Dennis Tesdellwww.topten.org/public/BN/BN1.htmlIntegrity LessonThis month, write down all the excuses you hear yourselfgiving others and giving yourself. Look for the patterns.Are you not setting boundaries? Are you setting boundariesand the person isn't listening? Are you setting boundariesand you're not enforcing those boundaries? Or what otherpatterns do you see.And remember: Yes, No and Maybe are all completesentences!!! Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com