Everybody’s got an excuse. Especially in business, there’s no shortage of excuses. We hear them every day—why something didn’t work, why a target wasn’t met, or why an opportunity was missed. The truth is excuses are easy; action is hard. If you want to achieve results, you need to stop making excuses and start taking action. It’s only common sense.

Excuses are like roadblocks—they stand between where you are and where you want to be. When you lean on excuses, you’re giving yourself permission to stay stagnant. You’re letting yourself off the hook instead of pushing through the discomfort and finding solutions. Businesses that thrive are those that look past excuses and seek ways to move forward.

Planning is important, but action is critical. You can plan for months, create the perfect strategy, and map out every detail, but if you don’t execute, nothing happens. Successful businesses don’t wait for the perfect moment; they act. They understand that results come from doing, not just planning. Plans are only as good as the actions that follow them. As Tom Peters has said so many times companies tend to “aim, aim, aim, but never fire.” What are you afraid of…

Good intentions alone don’t build successful companies. You may intend to launch a new product, reach out to a client, or improve your operations, but without follow-through, those intentions remain just that—intentions. To move from intention to execution, you must take deliberate steps. It’s the action that creates momentum and drives change. I have worked with companies that tended to have the plan of the month club. They loved starting with the proverbial fresh piece of paper. It was a complete waste of time. The best plan is the one that is executed. Even if the plan goes a bit awry, at least you’re moving forward, you just make adjustments and keep moving.

Let’s be honest, excuses are often a cover for fear. Fear of failure, fear of change, or fear of the unknown can hold people back. But the reality is that growth happens outside your comfort zone. When you avoid action, you’re avoiding the chance to learn, grow, and succeed. Some of you might remember my famous “50 reasons why it won’t work.” So many times, when a new idea is brought up people will come up with all kinds of reasons why it won’t work. Those reasons are usually in their heads. Most of the time if you can get those people to be quiet and move forward with the idea or the plan you’ll soon find your way and find a way to succeed. Don’t let fear paralyze you. Accept it, push through it, and take the next step.

Taking action means taking responsibility. It means holding yourself and your team accountable for the outcomes you produce. In business, accountability is essential. If things don’t go as planned, own it. If you achieve a win, celebrate it. Accountability creates a culture where results matter, and it keeps the focus on progress, not excuses.

Small Steps Forward Are Better Than No Action At All. Sometimes, people get stuck waiting for the “perfect” solution or opportunity. But perfection is an illusion. It’s better to take small, imperfect steps forward than to stay idle. Each small action brings you closer to your goal, and before you know it, you’ve made significant progress. Action, even in small doses, builds momentum.

When you take responsibility for your actions, you’re empowered to make changes. It’s easy to blame external factors, but when you own your results, you also own your power to adapt. Whether it’s tweaking your strategy, improving your processes, or changing your approach, taking responsibility opens the door to growth and improvement.

In the end, every moment spent making excuses is a moment lost. Time and energy are finite resources in business, and you can’t afford to waste them. Rather than focusing on why something can’t be done, shift your focus to finding a way to make it happen. That’s how progress is made—by using your energy to build solutions, not excuses.

Be proactive, always act before you need to act! When you adopt a proactive mindset, you start seeing obstacles as opportunities rather than setbacks. Each challenge becomes a chance to learn, grow, and improve. Excuses close the door to these opportunities, while action opens it. A proactive approach turns problems into stepping stones for success.

And finally, a business that embraces action over excuses builds a culture of momentum. It creates an environment where progress is expected, and results are celebrated. When action is the norm, positive outcomes follow. Teams that operate with this mindset are more agile, resilient, and successful in the long run. So, stop making excuses. Focus on action. The results will speak for themselves. Remember, it’s not about having the perfect plan or the best intentions—it’s about getting things done. And that’s only common sense