The Excuses That Keep You Stuck

You can blame your circumstances, you can wait for the perfect timing. You can tell yourself that when things settle down, you’ll finally step up. But let’s be honest—how long have you been telling yourself that? How many years have gone by while you’ve played it safe, avoided hard conversations, and stayed in patterns that keep you from leading with courage and power?

The excuses we make keep us stuck. But it's important to recognize and honor that, at one time, those excuses were actually good decisions that protected or served you in some way. It’s when we try to use old, outdated tools to fix new problems or challenges that we form excuses instead.

The best fiction is rooted in something that feels like it could be real—there's enough truth in it to make it relatable. The same is true for the stories we tell ourselves about our circumstances. We find just enough evidence from our past to support our avoidance in the present and make it feel like a good idea. But just like every phone, tablet, or computer needs an occasional operating system update to function properly, so do we. We reclaim our power when we challenge the stories we tell ourselves, identify the bugs in the system, and update our emotional operating system so we can grow and learn.

The Choice is Yours

You have a choice. You can let life happen to you, or you can take responsibility for your own growth. You can keep waiting for things to change, or you can step forward and make a change. Too many choose to stay stuck because they believe the lie that they have no control, that they’re trapped by circumstances, that they’re powerless. But power isn’t something that’s given to you—it’s something you claim.

Power comes from action. The man who leads his family well? He fought to become that man. The leader who inspires her team? She did the hard work to grow into that role. The person who walks in confidence and purpose? He stopped waiting for permission and took action. You don’t need to feel ready, you just need to be willing.

Stop Drifting, Start Owning Your Power

This article isn’t about motivation—it’s about commitment. You don’t claim your power by accident. You don’t build a meaningful life by hoping things will change. You claim your power by doing the deep soul work that most, unfortunately, avoid. The kind of work that challenges your excuses, confronts your patterns, and invites you to grow beyond your perceived limits.

You’re either moving forward or falling behind. There’s no neutral ground. So what are you choosing today?

Take the Next Step

If you’re serious about claiming your power, it’s time to get to work. The Crucible Project is for men and women who refuse to keep drifting and are willing to do the hard work of transformation. If you’re ready to stop waiting for life to change and start stepping into the power you were made to own, attend a Crucible Men’s or Women’s Retreat or engage in coaching. The next step is yours and you have the power to take it.

Check out this podcast episode featuring Jim Madsen as he shares his journey of learning to lean into his power.

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