3941: How to Stop Using Excuses and Make Conscious Choices Instead by Ellen Burgan of If It Brings You Joy

Optimal Living Daily - Personal Development and Self-Improvement

Optimal Living Daily LLC

Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Education, Self-improvement

4.6 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 March 2026

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3941: Ellen Burgan challenges the cultural badge of honor around being “busy,” revealing how it often disguises fear-based excuses that keep us stuck. She explains the difference between genuine reasons and emotionally driven excuses, showing how self-awareness and honesty can shift us from avoidance into empowered decision-making. By choosing consciously rather than hiding behind busyness, it becomes possible to reclaim personal power, confidence, and joy. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://ifitbringsyoujoy.com/how-to-stop-using-excuses/ Quotes to ponder: "Excuses take a fact and spin a story (emotion & drama) around it. They feel real yet usually there is regret behind an excuse." "Being busy does not make a person more important than anyone else, and by no means is being BUSY a sure sign of success nor worthiness." "Using 'I’m too busy' as an excuse (or a badge of honor) steals your power, confidence, and joy." Episode references: Fearless Living Institute: https://fearlessliving.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before we start, I want to share a super powerful practice I use called NSDR or non-sleep deep rest.
0:06.6	In just about 10 minutes or so, this yoga nidra practice leaves you feeling as refreshed as after a nap without actually sleeping.
0:15.1	Experience it for yourself on our guided podcast.
0:18.2	Search NSDR and look for the one from Optimal Living Daily.
0:24.0	This is Optimal Living Daily. How to Stop Using Excuses and Make Conscious Choices instead.
0:30.7	By Ellen Bergen of If It Brings You Joy.com. And I'm Justin Malick, the guy who reads articles,
0:36.2	book excerpts, and more to you every day,
0:38.3	including holidays. It's always with permission from the authors or websites, and we couldn't do that
0:42.9	without them or you, so thank you to them and you for being here. Now, let's get right to our
0:48.2	post today and start optimizing your life.
1:00.7	How to stop using excuses and make conscious choices instead by Ellen Bergen of If It Brings You Joy.com.
1:03.0	Contrary to how society has made being busy seem honorable and like a virtue, I see it more often
1:09.8	used as an excuse. Let me explain what I
1:12.9	consider to be two very different types of busy. The first is consciously choosing to accomplish
1:19.2	lots of things to achieve a goal, and this type of busy is productive. The process of taking
1:25.4	each strategic step on your way to your goal feels good because the choice
1:30.1	to take those actions is based in freedom. Some of those steps are likely out of your comfort zone,
1:35.7	so although they feel uncomfortable, the personal growth and sense of accomplishment with those
1:40.7	types of steps feels amazing and grows your confidence.
1:45.3	On the other hand, there's using busy as an excuse.
1:49.8	I'll call this fear-based behavior busyness,
1:52.6	and it is very different from consciously taking lots of steps to accomplish a goal.
	...

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