How to Go From Intention to Action and Skip the Excuses

Key points

Knowing the difference between intention, reason, and excuse is essential for real change.

Intentions set your direction, but they don’t guarantee action.

Reasons reveal real obstacles and help close the intention–behavior gap.

Excuses protect comfort but keep you stuck and prevent progress.

Most people believe their actions are guided by good intentions. And often that’s true: People genuinely want to be healthier, more present, more disciplined, more honest. But if you listen carefully to how people explain their behavior—why they didn’t go to the gym, why they avoided a hard conversation, why they “meant to” meditate—you’ll hear three very different psychological forces at play: intentions, reasons, and excuses.

At first glance, these three can sound almost identical. T