a reason you wish you hadn’t used. It causes pain and disappointment. A reason not to do something is not an excuse when you feel good or even stronger for believing it. For example, if you don’t do the dishes because you went to work out and you feel good about this decision, then it is not an excuse as to why you didn’t do the dishes; it is the reason you didn’t do them and you stand by that reason and feel good about it. If, on the other hand, you didn’t work out because you had dishes to do and you are disappointed by the choice you made, then it is an excuse as to why you didn’t work out. You are disappointed because, to you, working out was more important than doing the dishes and it shouldn’t have been used as an excuse. Sometimes, I push my clients hard and shake them up when they are used to living with excuses. I get all over them and tell them their reasons are not good enough to pass the excuse test and they need to remove them from their lives. If they don’t feel good about the choice, they shouldn’t make it. I tell them they can have the excuses, they can write them down and even say them aloud, but they are strongly advised not to obey them unless they genuinely want to. 206 • If IAm So Smart, Why Can’t I Lose Weight?