The dog ate my homework.

It’s a fulfilling job being a naturopath. Having said that, it can also be very frustrating. My role is to teach people the steps they need to take to improve their condition and have a better quality of life. Leaving the only thing standing between them and a symptom-free existence is the effort required to put these changes into place. It’s that easy, right? Wrong.

I spent a lot of time last week thinking about excuses. “I don’t have time” is the most commonly used excuse in my clinic. Perhaps taking responsibility for one’s actions and saying “I didn’t make the time” would be more accurate. Another popular justification is “But I don’t drink or smoke, so I should be allowed to drink my four coffees a day”.

What holds them back? Maybe fear of leaving their old self for a new and improved version of themselves. This is an odd concept because consciously they have come to me for help, but on a subconscious level there can be an underlying fear of stepping out of their comfort zone and into the unknown where they can no longer hide behind a protective layer of excuses.

I grabbed a book off of the shelf this morning and opened to a random page and read something that sat well with me and gave me clarity:


“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”.


Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles, 1992.



What are you making excuses for or try to justify in your life?