[header] How to stop making excuses [title] Understand locus of control. [step] The first step to stopping making excuses is to examine how much you view life as being in your control. Excuses are often made to shift blame away to circumstances beyond our control. 
If you hear yourself saying that you cannot lose weight because your partner bakes too much, you are shifting the blame to someone external and you instead need to take personal responsibility. [substeps] Internal locus of control is the extent to which you assume responsibility for your actions and believe you can control your life.