The Excuse Crutch

Sports are a big part of my family's world. And, honestly, they mirror a lot about how we show up in work and life. A couple of months ago, my son—a competitive tennis player until recently—decided to shift gears and lean seriously into pickleball, with plans to play his first Junior PPA Tour tournament in June.

(Cue the tennis vs. pickleball debates. I’ve heard it all. Probably said it all, ha!) But this isn’t about a silly racquet sport rivalry. It’s about excuses.

Lately, because of his interest, I've also started to play a lot more. Yesterday, I was playing in a school pickleball league at a gorgeous new facility in Carlsbad. But I forgot my paddle and had to use someone else’s. It was short, the grip was annoying, and every time I missed a shot I blamed the paddle. Because, obviously. My doubles partner joined in, blaming the brightness coming from the door. The excuses flew.

It hit me: we do this all the time.

In sports.

At work.

In life.

Why is it so much easier to blame the paddle, the lighting, or the circumstances than to just say, “oh well (or something less PG), I missed that one”? What might shift if we stopped outsourcing the blame and instead just gave ourselves permission to mess up, learn, and move forward?

That’s where real growth lives. Not in perfection, but in the reset after the mistake. No excuses needed.