Become aware of your excuses. Reflect on what you excuse yourself from, and how. Take note of how much time, energy and creativity you invest in making excuses for yourself.
Make a list of your habitual excuses. With mercy for self, and with persistence, give yourself permission to look at your excuses. Allow yourself to laugh! But make sure that you look at them in their fullness. You may see a common pattern in your excuses. The gentle light of awareness will, over time, expose the pattern, and dissolve it. This could significantly change the course of your life.
— Jamal Rahman in Sacred Laughter of the Sufis