If you find yourself making excuses when faced with what you perceive is an important task, then you are not present. Excuses and apologies take you into the past when you might not have met expectations. Expectations take you into the future. When you feel yourself making excuses and justifications and explanations, that is fear of failure, which is tying past with future and bypassing the present. Ego is in his glory. Set past and future aside when faced with a task and be present. In this now-moment you can only be here. Show up and do your best to be present. You may be surprised at the result.