No More Excuses

We all have them.  Those “shoulds” in our lives that keep us from actually DOING something.  These excuses are stopping you from reaching your dreams or even exploring the dreams you haven’t thought of yet.  Here are a few common excuses and, perhaps, a little nudge to get you past them.

It’s just too hard.  As a perfectionist, I tend to look at the entire elephant rather than just the small bites it would take to eat him.  I look at the entire task of whatever my goal is and the challenge, from that perspective, becomes overwhelming.  The trick here, just like the elephant eating analogy, is to focus on not only the smaller bites, but the journey itself.  I’m not saying that every bite of the elephant is going to be savory, but every bite will get you one step closer.  So grab a fork!

I’m not ready.  This is a very common excuse and one that seems to hold a lot of weight with people.  Present company included.  One of my favorite sayings, as a small business owner and entrepreneur is “fake it ’till you make it”.  This is not to imply that you should mislead anyone (including yourself), but simply that you need to just jump in and get started.  A good friend once told me it is much easier to steer a moving ship.  Get off the couch and get started.  Take that first step.  You will be amazed at the doors that open.

It didn’t work last time.  This is a tough one and an easily believable excuse to stop you right in your tracks.  The whole “once bitten..” phrase comes to mind.  If you have never failed at anything you have tried, then we can’t be friends anymore.  (Just kidding!)  But the point is that everyone fails.  Failure is a great teacher and provide you with the experience to make this “go” more successful.  You won’t make the same mistakes and have learned a ton from the first (or fifth) try!  Keep getting up on that horse.