“No More Excuses - Part 1: Turning Weakness into Strength”

Stories from the S.A.F.E. Space

Excuses have a sneaky way of convincing us that staying still is safer than moving forward. In this post, I reflect on the ways I’ve used my mental health struggles and personal traumas as reasons to stop, pause, or hide — and how I’m learning to flip that script. This is about finding strength in weakness, courage in discomfort, and clarity in the spaces where excuses once lived.

There’s a quote I keep close:

“Excuses are tools of incompetence used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness, and those who use them seldom specialize in anything else.”

For a long time, that felt painfully true for me. I used my mental illnesses and past traumas as reasons not to do — not to audition, not to socialize, not to take risks, not to show up fully in my life. And all it did was isolate me, pull me further from my goals, and build a life of quiet stagnancy.

I have learned that my mental illnesses are my strengths, not my weaknesses. I often say, both in the creative and mental health spaces:

“You find your greatest strengths through your greatest weaknesses.”

This isn’t just a phrase I throw around — it’s a daily practice. It’s in the moments when I feel small, anxious, or stuck that I discover how resilient, resourceful, and determined I truly am. Weakness is not a dead end; it’s a starting line.

But here’s the truth: balancing self-compassion with accountability is hard. Some days, you need to be gentle with yourself. Other days, you need to push through the discomfort and take action anyway. I don’t have a perfect formula — and honestly, I don’t think there is one. What I do know is this: recognizing when your excuses are helping you versus when they’re hindering you is essential.

Excuses might feel safe in the moment, but they never lead anywhere meaningful. The courage comes in showing up, again and again, even when it’s messy, imperfect, and uncomfortable. That’s where growth, opportunity, and connection live.

✨ TAG, You’re It!

Take a moment and ask yourself:

Where have my excuses been keeping me from showing up fully — for myself, my dreams, or my community?
What’s one small step I can take today to move past them, using my weaknesses as fuel for strength?