A farmer asked to borrow a rope from his neighbor.

The neighbor replied, "I can't lend you my rope I'm using it to tie up my milk."

The farmer was incredulous, "You can't use a rope to tie up milk."

"I know," said the neighbor, "but when you don't want to do something one excuse is as good as another."

If the farmer said that he was using the rope to tie up a cow there would have been a legitimate reason for not loaning out his rope.  An excuse is when our reason isn't valid, just an attempt to avoid doing something we don't want to do.

Solomon wrote, "The lazy man says, 'There is a lion outside!  I shall be slain in the streets'" (Proverbs 22:13).  If you are unwilling to put forth the effort needed to be successful then a lion in the street is just as good as blaming your failures on your boss, background, or claiming that everybody is against you.

Let's face it.  Making up excuses to get out of doing what is right is just a way of lying to yourself.  And when you lie to yourself, you're the one who gets scammed.