Before you continue reading I want you to take a moment and think about what YOU think the difference is between excuses and reasons.
For me the difference is:
An excuse is something you come up with because you didn’t do what you could have… ‘my dog ate my homework’. An excuse may or may not be able to be verified.
A reason is what happened to create a situation that made it impossible for you to what you meant to… ‘my wife had our baby’. This can be verified as it is the truth.
During my life with Mary Kay we learned this technique of questioning (I don’t know who came up with it or I would give credit). When asking someone to do something or why something wasn’t done ask; “Is there any reason why…” this makes the person stop and think about it. And you usually get the truth. ‘I can’t do the dishes by hand as I have a cut on the palm of my hand.’ ‘No, there is no reason, I will get on it right away.’
I used this questioning technique a lot in my lives after that. Be ware though, those close to you catch on, like your kids or your partner.
