The words "excuse-free living" can mean a lot of things to many different people but most of those associations aren't always good. There's always an implication of shame or resentment that comes with those words, and it can be hard to feel motivated to do anything when you feel as if the other person is judging you. There are circumstances that stop us from being our best selves, and so "excuse-free living" can feel like the mantra of the more privileged or "more capable". It starts to damage our self-worth and puts us in a bitter cycle where, in the end, nothing gets done.
For JW Radford, author, certified public speaker, CEO of Trust Consulting Services, and father of four, he teaches "Excuse-Free Living" not as a way to shame people into doing what they need to do, but as a way to challenge their own thinking. He teaches how to find strength in ourselves and how to build a solid action plan that will not only keep us accountable but keep us motivated moving forward.
JW teaches the importance of the self and how our struggles don't have to define us. By teaching others how to give themselves choices and how to commit to those choices, he hopes to inspire a newer, healthier understanding of how to hold oneself accountable. JW notes that "it's all about hindsight, and we make a lot of sacrifices on the path to success." He hopes to teach others how to recognize those early signs of sacrifice, weigh their worth, and figure out a way to weather the storms.
"And it just isn't about what goes on in our personal lives, but our professional lives as well. You can study what you want to study for years and years, but at what point do you take the leap of faith? I want to teach people how to prepare themselves for the real world of business and how they can protect themselves with the right mindset and the right support system. You could have everything you need, but you're in the thick of it so you can't see it clearly. Or you got into your own head with excuses."
- JW RADFORD
As humans, we're hard-wired to remember negative things for a longer period of time. It's easier (and sometimes even more fun) to break a long time habit rather than to form it. Excuse-Free Living takes the "yes, and?" of improv and turns it into the self-patented "yeah, so?" of self-motivation.
"By asking yourself 'Yeah, so?', you whittle down all the excuses until you have nothing else to say. 'But I'm afraid?' Yeah, so? 'But I'm alone.' Yeah, so? 'But I don't want to fail.' Yeah, so? But also, you're going to fail. How hard you fail is dependent on how ready you are. Practice! Practice is just controlled failure. Study what you need to study, talk to whomever you need to talk to. Prepare yourself for not just failure, but how you're going to get back up.
"Once you run out of excuses, ask yourself 'Now what?'. If you still want to do the thing you want to do, do it! Build a plan, ask for help, don't do it alone. If you can't let go of fear, just do what you want in spite of it anyway."
- JW RADFORD
When he's not giving motivational speeches, JW Radford offers business coaching, leads corporate training events, holds one-on-one discovery sessions, and runs a veteran support system. He is also currently working on a book titled This Can't Be It! where he dives into the nitty gritty of who he was before he found his purpose in life, how he turned his struggles into success, and how others can find their own happiness by adopting Excuse-Free Living.
"We are all so much more than we feel like we are. Excuse-Free Living is about standing up for yourself, saying 'I've had enough!', and charging into the unknown. You can't park the car here; you can't sit in your head forever. It's time to go. No excuses."
To learn more about JW Radford, visit him online at jwradford.com.
