List of Irritating Excuses

In many religions, man is believed to have been made from the likeness of God himself. But even so, man has practically screwed himself so much over the ages that today, we only need to look at ourselves and doubt if our God is anything like us at all. Apparently, “screwing oneself up”, or in less deprecating words – “making mistakes”, is just a part of human nature. And what do we do when faced with the consequences of our actions? Well, we make excuses.

Making excuses is not all that bad for there are many instances when it is necessary, valid and forgivable. You can consider it a free privilege even. But just like anything that comes free in life, it is open to abuse.

More often than we realize, we actually make excuses in situations where we just try to justify an obvious mistake by passing it as a lone choice in an inevitable situation, instead of what it simply is – an erroneous personal judgment call. Such situations are a potent source of migraine. So, here’s a list of classic excuses that makes almost always makes me cringe when I hear them.

“I did my best...”
Normally used when: we clearly sucked at something big time and yet we cannot bear to admit it in front of other people. I personally call it the ultimate Starstruck excuse! Haha!
Cringe factor: Because it is not true! We have only done our best if we have tried every little possible solution to the problem at hand. We must ask ourselves – have we really tried everything? As in EVERYTHING? As in even seeking help from the government of the most powerful country in the world? Suppose for argument’s sake, we assume that we have done ‘our best’. If the results are still less than exemplary, then ‘our best’ does not amount to anything at all! Clearly, admitting our mistakes and learning from them is way better than trying to save face and just end up betraying our subpar standards.
Should only be valid when: you’ve tried soliciting help from the most powerful country or organization in the world. Haha! Or realistically speaking, when you’ve clearly and extensively tried everything within your available resources.

“I love him/her...”
Normally used when: we find ourselves in a romantic bind and the logical move is to break away from the unhealthy relationship and move on. Even if everyone else says so, we can’t. Well, because we love him/her!
Cringe factor: Because it’s one of the heart’s most stupid reasons to stay. It’s one of the reasons na hindi talaga pinag-isipan simply because it’s the heart talking, not the mind.
Should only be valid when: It is almost never valid! Nothing is worth sacrificing one’s own life for a love that is no good. Except when lives of other loved ones are at stake. Think horror movies that come to life where a freak of a lover threatens to eliminate the rest of your clan if you break up with him/her. Haha!
Many of us find ourselves using this excuse. And all our well-meaning friends could say is, “Ay naku! Bahala ka, antigas talaga ng ulo mo!” Hehe.

“Everyone else does it anyway!”
Normally used when: we are caught red-handed doing something wrong.
Cringe factor: because it has no logic at all! Logic majors, help me out on this. Just because everyone else is doing it, it does not make it right at all. Such mistakes are usually but not limited to a society’s or a culture’s flaws (i.e., disobeying traffic rules, bribery, corruption, unreasonable familial patronage, etc).
Should only be valid when: your life depends on it, in an I-will-kill-you-if-you-don't-do-this-too kind of way. Haha!

“I had a bad day!”
Normally used when: Well, you’re having a bad day!
Cringe factor: Because it’s not fair to take out your frustrations or whatever negative feelings you have on someone who has nothing to do with why you’re having a bad day in the first place.
Should only be valid when: Is it ever? It is commonly forgivable, but simply because we rather not make the situation worse by just being more patient and understanding of whomever is having a bad day. And it takes a certain level of maturity and character on our part to do this.

“It’s not my fault! Kasi naman...”
Normally used when: we don’t have the balls to admit or take responsibility over our mistakes.
Cringe factor: It’s clearly unfair, obviously stupid and overly immature.
Should only be valid when: It never is. I can’t think of any situation where it can be valid. If you can think of one, feel free to share it on the comments section.

“It’s not meant to be..”
Normally used when: we have resigned ourselves to a certain situation or outcome. It is applicable to any love or personal life problem.
Cringe factor: It reeks of helplessness and lack of drive (on certain situations). I think it is one of the most wrongly abused excuses because it’s usually a last resort justification.
Should only be valid when: you’ve done your best (as in everything within your resources, okay? Just to be clear), and yet you still don’t get the desired outcome. It’s one of life’s mysteries. For truly, some things are not meant to be. Things happen and don’t happen for a reason. What those reasons are is an entirely different story.

“I’m waiting for the right time.”
Normally used when: you’re in a state of inaction at a time when you’re supposed to be doing something already! From something as serious as waiting to make the big gesture, to something as academic as start working on your term paper to something as shallow as contemplating when to buy the latest shirts on your favourite clothes store.
Cringe factor: when the obvious move is to be taking action already and yet we are stalling for no discernible valid reason!
Should only be valid when: in a situation where waiting is the best option. After all, there are moments in our lives when we have to bid our time. The challenge is to know when to wait and when to go for it. Not knowing so is usually when problems come in and things get complicated. Letting someone on for too long? Cramming yet again? Do we buy now while the shirt is still trendy, or do we wait for the grand year-end sale? Aaah, life is full of difficult decisions, haha!

“I’m busy.”
Normally used when: when you’re busy and you are unable to do something else.
Cringe factor: I invoke a classic saying in Filipino for more impact: Kung gusto, maraming paraan. Kung ayaw, maraming dahilan. It’s extra cringe-worthy when people break their promises and use this excuse on you. While it is true that there’s a time for everything, the hard part is efficient time management and prioritization. When we’re unable to accomplish something, clearly, either we didn’t make time for it, or currently, it is not our priority. And when the unaccomplished something is something personal and major, that’s when it is most painful.
Should only be valid when: it is true. Admit it, we’ve used this excuse too falsely and too often. Hehe! To be fair, many times, it is indeed a valid excuse, even if it isn’t completely true. But when it happens too often, clearly, our heart’s not in it.

“Akala ko kasi...”
Normally used when: we do something based on something we thought was true but wasn't.
Cringe factor: Assumptions are rarely reliable. Well, maybe in most engineering problems they are acceptable and makes the problem more manageable (assume that mass or coefficient of friction is negligible!), but not in real-life dilemmas. What’s worse is when the sole reason to blame is that we did not bother to check or validate the assumption at all (especially in the workplace or in an organization or committee). It shows lack of professionalism, leadership and managerial skills. We should be more insightful and responsible.
Should only be valid when: you were deliberately misled or fooled. But remember, a proverb goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me”. (Philbert! Haha!).

“I am only human.”
Normally used when: we play the have-mercy-on-me card, haha!
Cringe factor: Because even if it’s unfair, painful, excruciating or irritable to be on the receiving end of this excuse, it is technically and logically true. Humans make mistakes. But the thing is, while we can accept such excuses in the worst of situations, it does not mean we have to forget. Or if it’s that bad, we don’t have to forgive.
Should only be valid when: if you can prove that you didn’t purposely commit the mistake, that you sincerely didn’t mean to do it, to hurt, and to screw up. And if you earnestly promise to not do it again, that it was just one of the rare moments when your logic and reason was faulty.


As much as the abovementioned excuses make me wince in disgust most of the time, I will not take higher ground and say I don’t make any of them myself. We all have our own weaknesses, and I am no exception.

Excuses can be valid or invalid, outrageous or believable, forgivable or unacceptable. Who gets to judge? The same ones who make them – we humans. (Kaya nga may excuse slips, diba? It still has to be approved, haha!).

I hope the lesson to be taken from here is that we must not make these excuses too generously. While it is part of being human to make such, making too much shows the flaws in our character and our lack of proper values and principles in varying degrees.

We must also put ourselves in the shoes of the people we give our excuses to and ponder on how much or in what ways it can affect them. Sometimes, the palpable solution is to always try our best (as in the very best! As in everything within.. oh, you get what I mean!) in the first place in accomplishing what we need to, especially when our colleagues, friends or loved ones depend on it.

The other lesson to be learned here is to know how to handle excuses ourselves. We have to find the balance between compassion and justice. Just as we shouldn’t make too many excuses, we also shouldn’t be too naive and gullible, especially when the excuses are purposely under-handed.

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