How to Stop Making Excuses and Finally Follow Through

Nikkiey: When you start something, it is going to get uncomfortable, it is going to get inconvenient, it's going to get unexciting, and it's going to get boring. And that's where a lot of people stop, because they want the flashy, exciting part of starting something new. But when you do that, you've got to follow through, and following through requires you to develop discipline when things get hard and unexciting and inconvenient, to still follow through.

What's up, everybody? Hey, my friends. Welcome back to another The WarriorBabe Show episode. Today is episode number 314, and today, my friends, I'm just going to get straight to it. I want to lean in a little bit to you guys, especially walking into this holiday season, as I did on Friday's episode. I was just listening to last week's sermon from my church, and I was like, oh, this really resonates with me right now, knowing that I think more women need to hear this message.

So I'm just going to take glimpses of it, not exactly what my pastor said. I'm not going to be all godly in this episode. I may drop some things here and there, because I know some of you guys are not on your walk with God, and that is okay. But I'm going to take some snippets from that and pour into you guys in a fitness type of way, in a healthy living type of way, in a working out and eating right type of way, around what he talked about.

Which is, he leaned in on excuses. And I believe that excuses are either going to set you free or they're going to expose you. Some excuses you think are harmless. Some excuses you think don't matter. Some excuses you've gotten so good at justifying that you don't even hear them anymore when they come out of your mouth. They are just second nature when you say them, and they are getting in the way of what you want.

Because the truth is, excuses are not just about you skipping a workout, or you avoiding a hard conversation, or you putting off a promise that you made to yourself, or you not tracking your macros, or you not choosing to eat healthy. At a deeper level, excuses are an integrity aspect. They're an integrity problem. They're a character problem. They're a self-trust problem. And we're going to get a little deep here, so just stay with me for a second, because a lot of you guys see excuses as just very surface level.

Like, I'm tired. I don't feel like working out. Or, tracking macros is too hard. Those are excuses. But beneath it, the more excuses that you allow, the more your identity reshapes itself around being someone who doesn't finish what she starts. How many of you guys are so sick and tired of starting a new fitness plan over and over and over again? But you're not getting to where you want to be because somewhere along the way, the excuses got in.

And you may not even realize it because, like I said, you've gotten so good at justifying them. But they've gotten in the way of you getting to the finish line. So that's what I want to break open with you guys today. I just want to be real, real with you guys. I'm leaning in because I love you guys. I'm leaning in because I want to give you that tough love, and I hope that it comes across that way. Not like old Nikkiey, yelling at you guys and getting really hard on y'all. I just want to be able to create some type of transformation at the end of this.

Whether I'm giving you guys hardcore tough love or whether I'm just leaning into you, however you need to receive it. But I want to get real. The thing is, people say they want change. People say they're committed. People say, I'm in, I'm ready to do this. But the second that thing gets uncomfortable, or becomes inconvenient, or it's not exciting anymore, I'm not motivated anymore, they break their promise of "I'm in, I'm committed, and I want change."

And then what do they say? They say, I'm going to start over on Monday. Or, I'll just get back to it when things calm down. Or, I just don't have the time right now. Or, it's too hard. Or, it's not the right season. These are excuses. Or, I just can't get my schedule right. The words sound reasonable. Okay? They sound reasonable. I get it. I get you're busy. I get you don't have time right now. But there's a workaround. Because there are some people out there that have the same 24 hours in the day that you do, and they're getting to that finish line.

So yeah, I get it, the words sound reasonable. But the pattern, the pattern that you're in by justifying those excuses, is the most dangerous thing to be in. Because what actually happens every time that you start something and you don't finish it? Every time that you say yes and you don't follow through? Every single time that you make a promise and you break it? You're not just starting and stopping another fitness plan. You're not just going to start over when things aren't as busy.

You're not just doing that. Every time you do what I just said, you chip away at your own ability to become the best version of yourself. You chip away at your own identity. You are literally teaching your brain, I don't mean what I say when I say I'm committed or I'm all into something. You're literally teaching your brain to say, I can't rely on myself. At the end of the day, you can't trust yourself to follow through on something. You're teaching your brain, I'm not someone who finishes. How many of you guys have started a workout program, and you get three or four weeks in, and things start to be inconvenient, they start to be hard, they start to be uncomfortable?

And then your brain is just like, I'm just not someone who finishes things. Maybe you don't even realize that's what's happening. But in between the two ears, maybe at the level of the subconscious, that's the language that's happening. And when you do that repeatedly, over and over and over again, your brain starts to believe you. And then that becomes your character. Of all the other things I've talked about on the podcast, all the episodes about why I feel women are stuck, this is another reason why I feel so many women are stuck.

We're getting into the mindset aspect of it. It's not a food problem. It's not a schedule problem. It's not a time problem. Guys, at a very deep level, it is an integrity problem. I use this motto in a lot of things, and I think it's credited to how I've been successful throughout life. I know a lot of people don't like hearing it, but it's true: how you do one thing is how you do everything. If you are sloppy in one area, you're sloppy in others.

If you procrastinate on the small things, you procrastinate on the big things. If you can't be consistent with working out, there are other areas where you can't be consistent. If you avoid discomfort in fitness, in the working out and the tracking of the macros, you probably avoid some type of discomfort in other areas of your life, like work, your career, your relationships, your spiritual life or your personal growth. Your patterns follow you. Your habits follow you.

The avoidance of discomfort follows you. It's all connected. The woman who says she's going to track her food and doesn't is the same woman who says she's going to set boundaries and doesn't. That's the same woman who says she's going to start a project and doesn't. That's the same woman who says she's going to start a fitness program and doesn't. You see what I'm saying here? Do you catch on to what I'm saying? It's the same woman who says she wants to improve her relationship in her marriage and doesn't.

Or her relationship with God and doesn't. It's the same woman who says she wants change but never chooses the actions that lead to change, right? It's all connected. How you do one thing is how you do everything. It's never about the thing, though. It's about who you are being while doing the thing. And I think some of you listening to this right now are maybe drowning, not because you have too much on your plate, but because maybe you're saying yes to everything.

And I'm kind of just going on a rant right now. This is probably going to be a bit of a shorter episode because I'm just talking straight from my dome. But I'm thinking about you guys in a season of life right now where some of you may be so upset that 2025 is coming to a close. Maybe you're not where you thought you would be at the beginning of 2025 when you were setting those New Year's resolutions. Or you're feeling overwhelmed because there are so many things going on this season and you said yes to everybody.

Yes to every favor. Yes to every new hobby, or every impulse idea, or every this-will-fix-me program, or every quick start or quick-fix cycle. And you jump from one thing to another. Maybe this is you in 2025. You jump from one thing to another because starting feels so exciting. It's so motivating. You're in that mentality of, I'm going to commit to this. But the thing is, finishing requires you to develop discipline once you start the thing.

A lot of people don't know that, because a lot of people give up when things get hard. You've heard me say before that you need to develop discipline. You need to develop and work on your discipline muscle. It has nothing to do with you being motivated or you being excited. Because I'll tell you right now, when you start something, it is going to get uncomfortable. It is going to get inconvenient. It's going to get unexciting, and it's going to get boring. And that's where a lot of people stop, because they want the flashy, exciting part of starting something new.

But when you do that, you've got to follow through. And following through requires you to develop discipline when things get hard and unexciting and inconvenient, to still follow through.

Quick break. If you're finding this episode helpful so far, it would mean a lot if you could hit pause for just a second, leave a quick rating or review, or share it with someone who could benefit from it. Your support helps more women discover these tools to build muscle, lose fat and feel confident. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me.

Starting feels very easy. Starting a program: amazing, I'm excited, I'm motivated, I've got my plan, my coach gave me my program, I'm supposed to do X, Y and Z. That feels easy because you're not doing anything yet. But actually taking action on that plan requires you to do something you've probably never done before, like tracking macros in this example, which can be hard.

And again, when it gets hard, you want to give up. But it requires you to finish what you set out to start. It requires you to develop consistency. It requires you to take the action. You can't take the action if you're still in easy mode, because sometimes the action is going to be hard to do. Starting something can feel very fun. It's like, this is exciting. But at the same time, it requires you to be consistent, and it also requires you to have a different type of identity than the one who has started something before and hasn't finished.

You get what I'm saying? Anyone can start. Anyone can start something. But very few people finish the thing. When I was listening to this sermon, I was thinking about my past and my story, how I started in the fitness space, and how I started having absolutely no idea what I was doing. And let me tell you exactly when excuses stopped existing in my world.

It was back when I said yes to doing this fitness, when I said yes to doing bodybuilding, when I said yes to showing up for myself, when I said yes to keeping the promises that I wanted to keep. Actually, before I go into the story, let me finish the thought I had a second ago. I've said yes to things in my life that I know I will have the ability to finish. There aren't many things I can say I've started in my life and haven't finished.

Because if there was anything where I thought I wouldn't be able to finish it, I said no to it. For example, fitness, bodybuilding. That's when I said a full-blown yes to fitness. Not just yes for four weeks. Not yes until it got hard. Not yes until I got bored. No, I made a full-blown covenant with myself and I followed through every single step of the way. Every cardio session, every meal, every rep, every early morning, every day with multiple cardio sessions, every late night, every ounce of doubt, every tear that I shed.

The two or three times I ended up in the emergency room. Every choice that required discipline over being comfortable. And because of what I started, I became a three-time undefeated bodybuilding champion in the Natural Federation of Bodybuilding's Women's Physique back in 2018. And it's not because I was special. It's not because I had talent. It's not because I had the perfect genetics.

It's because I made a decision and I didn't break it. That's why I won. And again, I say this lightly and respectfully: when you show God you will follow through, He will use you. He will elevate you. He will strengthen you. He will open doors for you that nobody else can. The thing with excuses is that excuses close doors immediately. Immediately. But commitment is going to open them. I am grateful that I have that ability.

When I said yes to marathons, I finished them. Think about the women who do Ironman and climb Everest or climb Mount Kilimanjaro. They said yes and they followed through. Do you think in between it was uncomfortable and inconvenient, and they had to say no to a couple of things? Absolutely, 100%. A lot of people say yes to everything. You say yes to everything and you don't follow through on it, is the point I'm trying to make. Instead of the yes, think about: can I follow through with this?

Will I follow through with this? Will I keep my word? Will I keep my promise? And if you can't, then say no, and maybe at a later date it'll be something you can say yes to. But right now, maybe it's a no. Just be aware of your energy expenditure. For me personally, starting WarriorBabe, do you think that was easy? No. Do you think it's still easy? No. But it's a commitment that I made that I'm going to keep following through on. I can't just quit. That's what I mean. Say yes to something that you know you're going to be able to follow through on.

Because that's going to build your character. It's going to build your integrity. It's going to build your self-trust. It's going to create such a profound confidence in yourself. And I'm not a pastor here, but I do want to share something. I'm a woman who walks with God and has lived the consequences of both discipline and being avoidant and making excuses. Back before I said yes to fitness, trust me, I had excuses for things. But I want to bring in a book of the Bible, which is Proverbs.

It's full of warnings about what I'm talking about. The disciplined are wise. The undisciplined are foolish. The diligent prosper. The lazy suffer. I was reading Proverbs 15 today, I believe. It was 15 or 14. And it was talking about excuses and how to not have excuses. Because excuses weaken your character. Discipline strengthens your character. In so many parts of Proverbs, discipline is brought up multiple times.

Because God honors integrity. He cannot elevate someone who can't be trusted with themselves. I firmly believe this. And the last thing I'll say about it, because I know those of you who are on your walk with God will get this, and I hope I encourage any of you who maybe aren't: God cannot bless the version of you who breaks every promise to herself. He will bless the version of you who follows through. Even when it's hard. Even when it's inconvenient. Nothing on this earth was meant to be easy for us, guys.

Nothing is easy. Nothing. Yeah, it's easy and fun when you start. But the trenches are when you do the work. You follow through. You take the action. You're going to get hit with peaks and valleys. You're going to get hit with questioning: What am I doing here? Why am I here? It's going to be hard. But the whole point is to finish it. That's where you develop the discipline, in between. And then you finish it. Part of the harsh reality is that you can't build confidence on broken promises. Because again, it goes back to what you're training your brain to believe, that you have no belief in what you can actually follow through on.

And that's the thing, the patterns keep happening. You can't build confidence on that. You can't build self-respect on inconsistency. You can't build a better life on a foundation of I'll try, or I hope so, or maybe next week, or maybe Monday, or next week's just better for me, or someday. Dude. Those words cost you your momentum.

They cost you your consistency. They cost you your credibility. They cost you your peace. They cost you your self-belief. They cost you your identity. They cost you your potential. And eventually, if you keep putting off who you're meant to be, you'll wake up with a life that you don't even recognize. You guys are so powerful. You are so unstoppable. You were put on this earth to do incredible things. And I love this one aspect of fitness, you following through on it, because I've seen this in hundreds and even thousands of babes' lives I've talked to.

By just following through on working out and eating better, their transformation goes beyond a workout plan and the physical aspect. Their transformation is recognizing and realizing their purpose. Because like I said, when you follow through, God will use you. What I want to leave you with as I close out this episode is that integrity can be rebuilt. I don't want you to feel like, okay, well, I'm not the one who finishes, and now I feel down because of X, Y and Z.

I want you to leave this feeling inspired and empowered. Your integrity can be rebuilt. Your character can be rebuilt. Your self-trust can be rebuilt. But that requires one thing. It's easy, though some of you are going to say it's easier said than done. It's really just following through on the things you say you will do, every time, especially when it's inconvenient, especially when it's hard. And you start with the small things. If you say you're going to go for a walk, go for the walk. If you say you're going to drink the water, drink the water. If you say you're going to log your food, do it.

If you say you're going to wake up early, get up. If you say you're going to finish a program, finish it. Prove to yourself that your words matter. Prove to yourself that you are someone who completes what she starts. Prove to yourself that you are trustworthy. Because once you become that woman, dude, you literally become unstoppable. You become unfazed. You become very, very confident and present with yourself.

Okay? So as you leave this, walk away picking one thing, one commitment, one promise that you've been avoiding, and complete it. Not next week, not when you feel ready. Do a small thing today. Drink your water. Log your food. Go get your workout in. And remember, every time you break a promise, you weaken that identity, and every time you keep one, you strengthen it. You are building your character. You're building your self-trust. You're building your confidence every single day, whether you realize it or not. So be the woman that finishes.

Be the woman that follows through. Be that woman. Okay? All right. End rant. I hope this helped you guys. I hope it inspired you. Most importantly, I hope it empowered you. I love you guys. Let's finish this year strong. And if you need to, at the beginning of 2026, come back to this episode, 314, and listen to it again and again and again if it helped you today. I hope it did. All right.

See you next episode. Peace out.

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