Yet, he dove in and swam with all his heart.

After one lap, he felt extreme fatigue. However, despite his ungainly technique, he was determined to finish.

Seventeen thousand people began to root for this guy. They rose to their feet, cheering and shouting encouragement.

By time he became aware of crowd, he was so exhausted he could hardly move. Yet, in response to their enthusiasm, he gave a final effort and finished.

The crowd burst into thunderous and sustained applause as though he had won a medal.

His time was 1 minute and 52 seconds, far slower than a world-class swimmer.

The crowd did not care. This guy swam with all his heart.

To honor his effort, Australian team presented him with a “fast suit” worn by world-class swimmers.

Eric Moussambani may not be a world-class swimmer, but he is world class.

3. They minimize impact of insults, breaches of trust, and harm to others -- e.g., "Everybody does it." or "Why are you so upset? It's no big deal"

4. They attempt to absolve excuse-maker of personal responsibility.

5. They seem to make more sense after fact, than they would have beforehand -- e.g., you might rationalize, "I deserved that pound of Godiva chocolates because I worked hard all day." But would it really make sense to say, "If I work hard today best reward for my efforts is a pound of Godivas?"

It's very tempting to make excuses. In fact it is one of your inner brat's favorite strategies. Excuses serve to protect you from facing your own shortcomings. They also try to keep other people from noticing your limitations. Excuses are a way of saying, "I'm really a good person, but . . ."

At same time, however, excuses are only a temporary, quick fix. You may feel better for moment, but in long run you are dissatisfied with yourself.

No one has ever felt uplifted by making an excuse. Facing truth is sometimes difficult, but it gives you opportunity to take charge, to make positive decisions and to gradually eliminate need for excuses.

Here are some tips:

1. Face fact that you screwed up. For minor transgressions, it's not end of world. For major problems, your excuse isn't going to reverse situation anyway. Things are what they are, and you can only move forward from there.

2. Apologize. Acknowledge that it was your own fault. Keep it simple; e.g., "I'm sorry I'm late. I didn't allow enough time for traffic problems." Notice how this example starts with word "I" in explanation.

3. Offer to make amends; e.g., "I won't let it happen again," or "Is there some way I can make this up to you?"

4. Learn from experience. Make a decision about how you will handle this or similar situations in future.

5. Write down your decision and treat it as a promise to yourself. This is especially useful for excuses you make to yourself, such as when you rationalize procrastination or abandoning your exercise program.

Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. is a psychologist and life coach in Camp Hill, PA, and author of "Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming Self-defeating Behavior" (Wildcat Canyon Press, 2004)