Jason Selk, Forbes (http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonselk/2015/08/26/how-top-performers-overcome-the-3-performance-viruses/)

3 Top Performance Viruses Top Performers Overcome

1. Using Viable Excuses

Viable excuses are so tempting to use to explain our shortcomings, laziness, or mistakes because they contain an element of truth. Examples of viable excuses are, “It’s Christmas Season…no one is working anyway,” or “It’s Friday…I’ve worked hard all week, and I deserve to be a little lazy,” or “The weather is nasty…there is no harm in pressing ‘snooze’ a few more times.”

High achievers recognize that viable excuses prevent or delay them from reaching their potential. Taking accountability for our shortcomings forces us to feel the discomfort of falling short, and makes it less likely that we will fall short in the future. Excuses ensure that the detrimental behavior will continue time and time again because they provide an explanation for why it was okay to fall short in the first place. The highest of achievers execute through these viable excuses by never allowing themselves to utter excuse-making statements. When they do fall short, top performers take accountability by saying, “There is no excuse. It will not happen again.”

2. Dwelling On The Uncontrollable

High achievers quickly move their focus onto what is controllable in any situation. 

No matter what type of profession or business one is in, it is extremely easy to dwell on what can not be controlled. Why? Because you do not have to take accountability for things you can not control. It is a free pass, and our brains love a free pass. High achievers have learned to concentrate on activities to which they can hold themselves accountable. Coach John Wooden said it best: “When you spend too much time worrying and thinking about the things you can not control, it can have an adverse effect on the things you can control.”

3. Letting Problems Own You

The third performance virus involves problems. If you are breathing, you can expect to experience problems on a consistent basis. Those who flourish have learned to quickly search for a solution. Much like worrying about what you can not control, stewing on a problem without searching for a solution costs time, money, and, most importantly, energy. When a problem occurs, the highly successful have learned to ask themselves one question that puts them on the path to a solution: What is one thing I can do that could make this better?