We all know what it feels like to make an excuse not to do something. There are tons and tons of reasons not to do things that we sometimes really should. Procrastination is a real potential killer. But excuses work the other way too; an excuse can be a reason to do something.

For me, besides not seeing my family, sitting on the floor for extensive periods of time is the hardest part of Yamabushi training. For years I’ve been trying to loosen up my hips so I can more comfortably sit on the ground. I did do an online hip course, but I did maybe a maximum of 100 days and then simply stopped doing it.

It wasn’t until I started actively going to a yoga class each week that I was finally able to sit with both knees touching the ground (with a little bit of help from my arms, mind you). It is now much easier for me to sit on the ground for long periods of time, not to mention in meditation on a Zafu cushion.

You see, this yoga class provided a great excuse to do something I should have been doing all along. The same can be said for things like language classes, learning to swim, or learning to play an instrument etc.

Turn excuses from a reason not to do something, to a reason to do something. Err on the side of action. That way we can get over the resistance, at least a little!