rule #76: no excuses. play like a champion.

i read something this weekend and it's helping me start a new mantra for the next few months, so obviously, it's going to start with me telling you all about it.

it all began when i signed up for this thing called the listserve just over a year ago. do you know what the listserve is? basically it's a massive email database where a random lottery picks a reader to write a message to more than 23,000 people across the globe. here, watch a short video:

i like the idea of being able to read random people's thoughts, so naturally i signed up. plus, i'm just narcissistic enough to want to get picked and impart my wisdom (or more likely, list of favorite backstreet boys songs) with the world.

every day i get a notice in my inbox - actually into a custom folder that screens it because gmail is awesome - and i see what advice, stories, poems, recipes or thoughts people have to share. and then even better part is that there are no web links allowed, so no one is pimping their products.

yesterday, i logged on to read the past few days worth and one actually had something more than "live moment to the fullest" crap that i see somewhat often. the message was from samantha in wisconsin and it was simple: no regrets.

wedding crashers: always ahead of the curve.

as i was reading through it, i realized i make excuses CONSTANTLY. whether it's why i'm late for work (overslept/commuting issues/general laziness) to the reasons i don't make my nightly workout (happy hour/exhaustion/general laziness) to the reasons why i order in chinese takeout once a week (no food in the house/exhaustion/general laziness). do you sense a theme here?

so i decided that for the next month - and longer since i will no longer going to have a reason not to - i'm going to live with no excuses. no more finding inane reasons to do things that i just may not "feel like" doing. so that means tomorrow i will be eating most of my meals at home and definitely making that 6:30pm hot yoga class, despite the fact that it's a billion degrees outside and napping is the best thing in the world.

this also means that i have no excuses not to say yes to go out drinking on a wednesday if i don't already have scheduled plans. unless it's in brooklyn, because there is no excuse for going there.