The 5 Excuses That Will Make You Average

Introduction: Stop Holding Back

In this episode of The Impossible Life Podcast, Garrett Unclebach and Nick Surface take aim at one of the most misunderstood ideas in personal growth: what it really means to go all in. Most men think “all in” is just about effort—grind harder, wake up earlier, outwork everyone. But as Garrett puts it, “Commitment isn’t about going hard sometimes. It’s about holding fast until the end.”

If you want to live a life of purpose, faith, and impact, effort isn’t enough. You have to confront the excuses that sabotage your commitment—the subtle lies that make you pull back just short of victory. Garrett calls these the Big Five Excuses—five mental traps that erode belief, weaken discipline, and keep men from the life God designed them for.

1. Lack of Trust in Leadership

The first excuse is easy to spot but hard to admit: “I’d go all in if I had a better leader.”
Garrett calls this out directly: “That’s one of the things you can’t control. You either believe God placed you there for a reason—or you don’t.”

This hits at the core of faith. Romans 13:1 reminds us, “There is no authority except that which God has established.” Even when your boss, coach, or leader falls short, you can still lead yourself. A lack of trust in leadership is really a lack of trust in God’s sovereignty. When you stop blaming leadership and start owning your response, your power returns.

2. Lack of Trust in the Plan

Garrett has seen this countless times in business, athletics, and life: people give up because they lose faith in the plan. “The plan’s not perfect? Join the club,” he says. “Your job is to make the plan work.”

Drawing from military experience, Garrett compares it to battlefield strategy: “Strategy is knowing what to do. Tactics are knowing how to do it. Good tactics can save a bad strategy—but bad tactics can destroy even the best plan.”

In other words, success isn’t about waiting for perfect direction; it’s about executing faithfully with excellence where you are. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”

3. Lack of Belief in the Team

High performers often think, “If only I had better teammates…” But that mindset poisons unity and kills momentum. Garrett puts it bluntly: “You’ll go further with a team than you ever could alone. And if you’re waiting for the perfect team, you’ll never be an A player.”

Instead of judging others, help them rise. The mission of leadership is multiplication—turning “average” teammates into committed contributors. Hebrews 10:24 urges us, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” True leaders raise the tide for everyone around them.

4. Lack of Clarity of Purpose

This excuse hides behind busyness. People grind hard but don’t know why. As Garrett explains, “If you don’t know your why, you’ll quit when it gets hard.”

Purpose is what sustains commitment through adversity. It’s what makes suffering meaningful and discipline possible. In the podcast, Garrett connects this to Scripture: God’s design for our lives always begins with calling, not comfort. Philippians 3:14 declares, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

When your purpose is anchored in something eternal, your effort and discipline finally find direction.

5. Fear of Sacrifice

The final excuse—and the most dangerous—is the fear of what it costs to go all in. Men hesitate because commitment always requires death to something: comfort, ego, or control. Garrett reminds listeners, “Being all in means deciding ahead of time that you’ll do whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes.”

Jesus modeled this perfectly. Luke 9:23 says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Going all in isn’t a motivational slogan—it’s a spiritual discipline. It’s obedience with endurance.

The True Formula for Going All In

Throughout the episode, Garrett breaks down “all in” as the combination of effort and commitment—time and energy paired with belief and discipline. But most people fail not because of low effort, but because their commitment cracks under pressure.

Garrett defines commitment as “the ability to maintain objective course, effort, and discipline from beginning to end.” Simple, but not easy. Going all in means staying faithful when the emotions fade and results lag. It’s about trusting God’s process even when it’s painful.

Final Thoughts: No More Excuses

If you want to live The Impossible Life, you can’t live halfway. You must choose to silence every excuse and go all in—on your faith, your marriage, your mission.

As Garrett said, “When you invite God into your equation, you stop living by control and start living by trust.”

The five excuses—distrust in leaders, plans, teammates, purpose, or cost—are all just versions of the same lie: that your success depends on circumstances. But in reality, it depends on your surrender.

So today, decide: no more excuses. Go all in where God has placed you, and you’ll see impossible things start to happen.

Key Takeaways

• All in = Effort + Commitment. Time and energy aren’t enough; belief and discipline complete the formula.
  
  

• Eliminate excuses. Refuse to let leadership flaws, imperfect plans, weak teammates, unclear purpose, or fear of sacrifice stop you.
  
  

• Trust God’s placement. You’re not where you are by accident—your test is your training ground.
  
  

• Anchor in Scripture. Hold fast to God’s promises, even when the path doesn’t make sense.
  
  

• True commitment endures. As Garrett says, “It’s easy to start. It’s hard to stay. But the reward is always worth it.”
  
  

💪 For more inspiration and truth on living all in, visit theimpossible.life and follow @theimpossiblelife on Instagram.