There are many things in life that we think hold us back but if we are really honest with ourselves, we’ll see that, in truth, the only thing holding us back; is us.

My personal motto is ‘be unstoppable’. This might make you think that I find life easy but that is not the case, like everyone else, I have to work hard to get what I want. Believing I am unstoppable is something I have to work on, and on a regular basis.

When I realised that life is about choices, I could see that I was holding myself back. How? Because I was choosing to make excuses. It is totally natural to choose the easy path in life and we protect our egos by making excuses, often blaming others or circumstances that we feel are beyond our control. There are enough obstacles in life so let’s not let ourselves be one of them.

Next time you choose not to train, ask yourself this. ‘Are the words coming out of my mouth an excuse?’ Don’t be tempted to blame others or things in your life because they too, are excuses. If you really want to get fit and lead a healthier lifestyle, you need to stop making excuses and start taking steps. These don’t have to be huge steps; getting up earlier on the weekend to go for a run, get on the exercise bike whilst watching TV or doing push-ups before your morning shower are all really good steps. There are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week so stop telling yourself you can’t find 30 minutes to go for a run a couple of times a week because it’s not true. If you are reading this, you have time to train, if you watch TV, you have time to train, if you have a lunch break, you have time to train.

It’s time to stop making excuses. It’s time to stop holding yourself back. It’s time to be unstoppable!

The Beard

Co-founder of Dirty Dozen Races