My dog ate it

a short riff on excuses - and what to do instead.

Hey folks,

Sorry.

No foolsletter today.

My dog ate it.

Actually, that’s not true.

It is a classic excuse.

Another one?

I’m sick.

That was true until this morning.

But that doesn’t matter either.

When you make a commitment to show up every day, you show up everyday.

Excuses? They don’t work.

Every time we apologize by saying “I’m sorry…” then follow with an explanation, like - my dog at my blog, we want the emotional discomfort that comes from disappointing someone else to dissipate.

In doing so, we place the focus of attention clearly on ourselves. Our emotional distress of having let someone down becomes the priority.

Instead?

Instead of excuses and an apology, attempt this: Say “Thank you for waiting,” or “thank you for caring so much.”

Then?

Get curious about how things were for them. Ask them about their experience and what they need to move on.

Whole lot more grace there eh?

It’s like the old saying goes:

Thank you for putting up with an old saying that’s not really an old saying but maybe we coul…