Coaching practices for I Always Blame the Lack of Time or the Circumstances but Honestly Something in Me Keeps Stopping Me Some Fear or Habit or Story I Tell Myself and I Want to Get Past the Convenient Excuses and Name the Actual Inner Thing That Gets in My Way Every Time
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For I Always Blame the Lack of Time or the Circumstances but Honestly Something in Me Keeps Stopping Me Some Fear or Habit or Story I Tell Myself and I Want to Get Past the Convenient Excuses and Name the Actual Inner Thing That Gets in My Way Every Time, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I always blame the lack of time or the circumstances, but honestly something in me keeps stopping me
- Whenever I think about why I never get there, I reach for no time, no money, other people
- My mind always has a reason ready
- The reason I keep leaving myself an out is that deep down I’m not sure I can actually do this
- The big thing is days away and instead of prepping I let something get in the way
Practices that may help
- Obstacle — find the inner obstacle in your way
Identify the personal, internal block that actually stops you — a habit, feeling, or thought.
WOOP: Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan - Identify the main internal obstacle that stands between you and the wish
Ask honestly: what is the primary thing in me — not outside me — that is most likely to block this wish?
Mental Contrasting and WOOP - Defuse from the stories that justify not acting
Notice the mind’s excuses as thoughts — then act anyway, carrying the thought with you.
Committed Action, Made Practical - Build genuine self-efficacy to eliminate the motive
The most durable cure for self-handicapping is a genuine track record of success that makes the excuse unnecessary.
Self-Handicapping: Recognizing and Stopping the Excuse Setup - Recognize the self-handicapping pattern in yourself
The tell: you create an obstacle just before a high-stakes performance — and you notice relief, not frustration.
Self-Handicapping: Recognizing and Stopping the Excuse Setup - Remove the conditions that enable the handicap
Prevent the specific obstacles you create — environment is easier to change than willpower.
Self-Handicapping: Recognizing and Stopping the Excuse Setup - Know what the rule can’t do
Use it as an ignition for action — not as a fix for missing skills, rest, or a real plan.
The 5 Second Rule, Made Practical - Design behavior with the Fogg Behavior Model (B=MAP)
A behavior happens only when Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt arrive at the same moment.
Tiny Habits, Made Practical - The two-minute rule
Scale a new habit down until it takes two minutes or less to start.
Atomic Habits, Made Practical - Name and externalize Resistance
Recognize the internal force opposing your creative work as Resistance — a universal opponent, not a personal failing.
The War of Art, Made Practical
Related concerns
- I Have Been Full Of Excuses On Everything In My Life How Can I Get Rid Of Such Habits
The most durable cure for self-handicapping is a genuine track record of success that makes the excuse unnecessary.
Build genuine self-efficacy to eliminate the motive
- Ability Beliefs And Self Sabotage
Self-handicapping only makes sense if you believe ability is fixed — work on that belief first.
Understand what ability belief is being protected
- Berglas Jones Self Handicapping
Self-handicapping is the strategy of creating obstacles or excuses before a performance so that failure can be attributed to the obstacle rather than to lack of ability — protecting self-esteem at the cost of actual performance. Steven Berglas and Edward Jones documented this in 1978; subsequent research shows it is common, often unconscious, and consistently undermines both performance and long-term well-being.
- Cost Of Self Handicapping
Self-handicapping costs more than it protects — make that cost visible rather than abstract.
Track what the handicap actually costs you
- How Do I Overcome Myself
Combine third-person perspective with self-compassionate framing to avoid both self-attack and self-indulgence.
Self-compassion through the distancing lens
- How To Get Out Of Your Own Way
Identify the personal, internal block that actually stops you — a habit, feeling, or thought.
Obstacle — find the inner obstacle in your way
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