We are constantly making excuses. Worst yet, we don't even realize we're making them.

Why were you late to dinner? Traffic was terrible. Why haven't you lost weight? Slow metabolism. Why have you been quick-to-temper? Work has been stressful. Why have you not left the job you hate? Economy is shit. Why did you forget your best friend's birthday... again? Memory is bad. Why haven't you made time for that book you want to write? Far too busy.

While each of these are legitimate excuses, they're still excuses.

We reach for excuses because excuses allow us to pass the blame. When we announce to the table that traffic is terrible––and that's why we're 20 minutes late to dinner––we no longer have to take responsibility for making people wait 20 minutes.

An interesting practice would be to live a life free of excuses. With time, this might allow us to develop a greater respect for ourselves because we will live with greater honesty and retake responsibility over our own lives.