Written by chrisbrogan
The following is a rare guest post, this time coming from Tommy Walker. Tommy is an online marketing strategist. If your customerâs arenât absolutely enthusiastic about what you do, chances are youâre boring them to death. Heâs the principal atTommy.ismy.name and is currently educating freelancers and entrepreneurs on how to sell in higher paying markets.
Be honest. How often do you sabotage yourself?
On any given day, you have tasks youâd like to finish because you know theyâd positively impact your business, and tasks you actually do.
You trick yourself into thinking that keeping up with industry news, and reading the latest â10 tips to ______â post is âworkingâ.
You know better, but some part of you believes that simply reading the article will help you move forward.
That having a deep understanding of all things online marketing will better position you when the time is right. When that time comes, youâll be the supreme ruler of the internet, because youâre so well studied.
But that time doesnât come.
Something is holding you back, and you canât quite put your finger on it. So instead of moving past it and taking action, you make an excuse. You justify your reasons for staying put.
You may have one excuse; you may have several.
What follows are 106 of the most common excuses you might tell yourself.
YOU DONâT HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE.
Thereâs one word kicks this excuse right in the teeth.
âGoogle.â
If you canât find a ton of free information on Google, find a book on Amazon.If Amazon doesnât work, hire a coach.
Information is more accessible now than any other point in history, and most of it is free.
Spend time to find it.
Commit to learning it. Be equipped to tackle your challenge.
YOU CANâT GET THE EDUCATION REQUIRED.
Maybe you donât have internet, not everyone does (how are you reading this?)
In any case, there are these buildings with a number of books on a variety of subjects called libraries.
Theyâll be thrilled to see you, and eager to help.
If you invest the time, a near college level education awaits you.
No itâs not as convenient as the internet, but learning anything worthwhile is seldom easy.
Also reading books will help to fortify your attention span, which is vital to your success.
YOU DONâT KNOW THE RIGHT PEOPLE
Like education, people are more accessible than ever before.
Nearly anyone you need to know can be found on Twitter, Facebook, or Linkedin.
Be on a mission they canât resist being a part of, and youâre half way there.
With a little patience, and an awesome personality, you can connect with the right people.
It wonât happen overnight, but it certainly will happen if you want it bad enough.
YOU DONâT HAVE THE MONEY
Finances are a sensitive issue.
You might not have the money right now, but there are plenty of ways to increase your income.
If you have to scour freelancer sites to aquire a hundred dollars here and there, do it.
Any money you make freelancing, save it to put towards your dream project.
Canât afford to do that?
Create a strict budget, and set aside a portion of your income.
Donât believe what the news tells you, money is everywhere, and people spend it every day.
Right now, someone is hiring someone just like you.
YOU CANâT AFFORD TO TAKE A RISK RIGHT NOW.
If not now, then when?
This excuse is fear of the unknown.
The reality is, you canât afford not to take a risk right now.
If an idea really benefits people, pulling on the reigns doesnât just inhibit your progressâŠit prevents people from improving their lives.
ITâS TOO HARD.
Anything worth doing is hard.
When was the last time âeasyâ had a huge payoff for you?
YOU DONâT LEARN THAT WAY.
Babies all learn the same way, trial and error.
They try, fail, and try again until it becomes second nature.
Anyone with an infant learning to stand, walk, or crawl right now will tell you their kid wonât stop, regardless of the number of times they fall on their face.
Babies donât get the luxury of learning via webinar, audio, or having the process of written out.
They see others do it, and try it themselves.
As a former baby, I can say being receptive to any and all learning will greatly improve your ability to do anything you want.
SOMEONE ELSE IS ALREADY DOING IT.
Which came first, Copyblogger or Problogger? Dyson or Hoover? Groupon or LivingSocial?
Does it matter?
Not really.
YOU DONâT KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN.
The human brain isnât designed to process information in a linear fashion.
This is why when you dream, it doesnât start âat the beginningâ and you only remember how the dream ended, but never how it began.
If youâre looking to pick up a new skill, usually âthe beginningâ will make itself apparent, regardless of where you start.
Even better, because the way you process information is unique to you, your âstarting pointâ could help you form a very unique perspective that people love.
Also consider the other people who âdonât know where to begin.â
By simply picking a place and chronicling your journey, you can inspire others to learn with you.
YOUâRE AFRAID OF WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL THINK.
Itâs true, some changes should be gradual.
But if you a drastic change is what you need, your customers are probably already bored and looking for alternatives.
Do you think Apple feared their customerâs opinions before entering the Mp3 player market?
Didnât think so.
YOUâRE AFRAID OF WHAT YOUR COLLEAGUES WILL SAY.
Peer validation is rarely the deciding factor in any entrepreneurial story worth hearing.
If youâre concerned with what your industry peers will think, donât worry about it.
Sometimes disruption is exactly what your peers need.
NOBODY WILL BUY.
If people will buy the âPet Rockâ people will buy what youâre selling.
You just have to figure out how to position yourself, and why they need you.
NOBODY WILL CARE.
Youâre right, nobody will care, IF youâre doing something for the wrong reasons.
Are you creating a product because you need the cash?
Nobody will care.
Are you promoting others simply to make yourself look good.
Nobody will care.
Are you sucking up to big names so they will promote your stuff?
Nobody will care.
Authenticity canât be faked, and selfish motivations can be sniffed out from a mile away.
Be on a mission to make an impact.
Somebody will care, because they share your mission.
Now itâs up to you to find them.
BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.
Imagine waking up tomorrow on the verge of death.
All your life you played it safe.
You stayed at your job, and did what you were told.
Sure you got promotions, but at your peak you still only made $60,000.
You had ideas, and watched them came to fruition⊠at the hands of someone else.
They created memorable products; youâre on your deathbed with nothing to show.
Youâre unsure how youâll pay for your funeral. Youâre leaving behind a mound of debt, and you never figured out how to just get ahead.
Feel sorry yet?
THEREâS NO POLITICALLY CORRECT WAY TO PRESENT THE INFORMATION.
Realistically, thatâs ok.
If people like Naomi Dunford and Johnny Truant are allowed to play, so can you.
Politically correctness isnât always the most effective form of communication.
Sometimes the non PC person is exactly the breath of fresh air the world needs.
PEOPLE ARENâT READY TO HEAR THIS.
Itâs true, not everyone is ready to hear everything.
But if youâve thought it, chances are you are not alone.
If you believe in it enough, one person at a time, you can build a following.
Truthfully, itâs usually the things people arenât ready for that make the biggest impact on the world.
YOU CANâT QUESTION THE AUTHORITY.
Nations were founded on questioning the authority.
Countless Rock stars, celebrities, and political leaders made their mark by disrupting the establishment.
If you start a business to free yourself, then dare not oppose the âpowers that beâ, you undermine the very spirit of entrepreneurship.
Question the authority! Break the rules!
Just make sure you have evidence to support your cliams, otherwise youâre just being a punk, and not in the cool way.
YOU HAVENâT DONE IT BEFORE.
This is my favorite excuse, because itâs such a cop out.
Letâs look at some of the common milestones in your life that you got through just fine
- You went to school (hadnât done that before)
- Had your first kiss (hadnât done that before)
- Learned to drive a car
- Took up a new hobby
- Learned to read
Or really anything beyond lying on your back and flailing your limbs uncontrollably.
You hadnât done anything before you did it. Itâs simple, but itâs true.
This excuse is rooted in fear of the unknown.
Now itâs perfectly fine to be afraid, but âinexperienceâ is by far one of the worst excuses.
Life is built on a series of âfirstsâ and making the choice to limit your experiences only leads to dissatisfaction.
YOUâRE NOT THAT GOOD.
There are plenty of things people arenât good at.
Either;
A.) Learn and get better or
B.) Find someone who is good and have them fill that role.
You donât have to do everything alone. The best joint venture projects are simply two people with complimentary strengths.
So if youâre not that good, get better, or find someone who is.
YOU DONâT HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY.
Just like challenging the authority, being brash is sometimes exactly what people need.
Too many people try to âdo it rightâ, so do it wrong just to stand out.
There are plenty of people who make a career out of saying the wrong thing.
Just make sure thereâs substance behind your message.
OTHER PEOPLE ARE MORE LUCKY.
Pure âluckâ is a myth.
If someone is âluckyâ they are doing stuff behind the scenes youâre not seeing.
Taking action and simply doing something instead of making excuses will do wonders for your âluckâ.
Besides, otherâs luck doesnât directly impact you.
YOU CANâT, YOU WERE RAISED DIFFERENTLY.
Obviously, follow your moral compass. Going against that isnât what Iâm suggesting.
What I will suggest is to seek alternatives that donât oppose your belief systems.
If a company like Hebrew National can make kosher hotdogs, you can find a way to do whatâs holding you back.
But if youâre using this excuse to stay in your comfort zone, I need to ask, âHow much are you holding yourself back in the name of something else?â
YOUR GENDER WONâT LET YOU.
Gender roles are increasingly less relevant.
There have been women CEOs and male nurses for years. Men can start a daycare and women can start a design firm.
Blaming your gender simultaneously speaks poorly for your gender, and empowers those who refuse to fit a mold.
YOUR KIDS WONâT LET YOU.
No doubt, balancing kids with business is tough.
At the time of this writing, Iâm a newlywed with an 11 month old son, my own business, and a new house. Itâs a balancing act, but itâs doable.
It requires discipline and maximum use of âproductive timeâ.
At the end of the day you may feel shattered.
Keep it up, youâll build endurance.
It doesnât just make you a better business person; it allows you to enjoy family time that much more.
YOUR SPOUSE WONâT LET YOU.
Now Iâm not one to give marital advice, and you have to respect your spouse, but open communication can go a long way.
Itâs important to communicate your passion. Get to the core of why itâs important to you and really open up.
Be willing to have multiple conversations about it, and really hear their reservations.
Come up plan forâworst possible scenarioâ together and keep your spouse informed on your progress.
Be prepared to let go of some ideas.
But dig deep into the important ideas, itâs a lot better than âHoney, can we do thisâŠ?â
YOUR PARENTS WONâT LET YOU.
âŠreally? How old are you?
Ok, regardless of age, people have complicated families, I get it.
Sometimes parents arenât as rational, or supportive, or open to new ideas as weâd like them to be.
This is no reason to sacrifice your success and happiness.
If your parents require you to show your respect by giving up on your dreams, then maybe you need to weigh the consequences of giving up versus going your own way. (Hint: we each only get one life, and this one is yours.)
YOUR DISABILITY WONâT LET YOU.
Josh Blue is a hilarious stand up comic with cerebral palsy, which most noticeably affects his right arm.
Nick Vujicic is a world-renowned preacher and motivational speaker who doesnât have any arms or legs.
Kyle Maynard doesnât have arms or legs either, and is a wrestler, MMA fighter, owner of a gym, a student, and a motivational speaker. Oh, and heâs 25 years old.
Iâm 25 and have a rare brain condition, and Iâm supporting my family and growing my business.
There are artists who create with their mouths, runners who win races on artificial legs,brilliant writers whoâs fingers never touch the keyboard and a host of successful individuals with learning, cognitive, and emotional disabilities who refuse to let their situation hold them back.
Need inspiration? Check out The Badass Project at the website and on Facebook to learn about individuals who refuse to let their âdisabilityâ hold them back.
[INDUSTRY LEADER] SAYS IT WONâT WORK BECAUSEâŠ
âŠbecause they havenât found a way to make it work yet. Honestly.
Google was a search engine with a silly name back when we were using Lycos or Ask.com.
But they learned, grew, and evolved into something that has completely astounded us.
Itâs weird to think that at one point industry leaders said Google wouldnât work, isnât it?
ITâS NOT FINANCIALLY SOUND.
I would never encourage you to gamble, but itâs rarely financially sound to strike out on your own.
Maybe youâre afraid that once youâre a Big Name and the money is rolling in, that you will get a few good years out of it before eventually fizzling out.
Do you realize thatâs a possibility regardless?
THEREâS NO R.O.I
R.O.I is one of those funny acronyms people throw around without fully understanding itâs meaning.
To fully measure your R.O.I you need more funny acronyms called K.P.Iâs (Key Performance Indicators).
These metrics help you gauge whether whatever youâre doing is working or not. Common K.P.Iâs are more comments, more sales, increased traffic, and higher conversions. Each K.P.I is measured individually, and the number of factors that influence a Key Performance Indicator should be controlled to make testing easier.
Not having a Return On Investment is a perfectly sound reason not to do something. Just make sure you are using the term properly, and really looking at the whole picture before you pull that card.
THE MARKET CONDITIONS ARENâT RIGHT.
This one is tricky, because there are two schools of thought.
A.) Market conditions donât really matter, just do it better than everyone else (Apple iPod)
B.) Market conditions are everything.
Not surprisingly there are also two types of people in the world. People who have money, and people who donât. If the market conditions arenât right for marketing to the people who donât have money, create an offer and market to the people who do.
Donât let your business fall victim to only one portion of the market.
YOUâLL NEVER GET THE RIGHT EXPOSURE.
TEENAGE POP STARS ARE BREAKING INTO THE CUTTHROAT ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS VIA MYSPACE AND YOUTUBE.
IF YOUR EXPOSURE ISNâT HANDED TO YOU BY THE MERIT OF YOUR WORK, CREATE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES USING THE TOOLS AVAILABLE TO YOU.
THEREâS NO POINT.
Not with that attitude, there isnât.
The point is that youâre helping people. The point is that youâre doing something. The point is youâre being productive and taking action.
The point is youâre not living in premature self defeat. You are taking an idea from concept to actualization.
Youâre bringing your ideas to the world.
Even if no one sees it, you can have the satisfaction of knowing you did something you believed in.
ITâS NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH.
If it at some point you believed there was a need, there probably is.
Does it take too much to do it? Is it not convenient?
Is it important enough to let it keep creeping up and nagging at you?
Just do it already.
YOUâLL GET TO IT LATER.
No you wonât. You never do.
Get to it now, or at least schedule it to get done.
Then do it.
Youâll be a lot more satisfied when youâre finished.
You donât want to be boring.
Whatâs boring to some is addictive to others.
People process information differently. If you skew towards boring itâs entirely possible to still find the right audience.
However if you skew towards boring, and you donât want to, find ways to become more interesting.
Take an improv class, do some live Q&Aâs, go bungee jumping⊠spice it up.
IF YOU CANâT GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, WHY BOTHER TRYING?
Perfection is a myth.
Nobody actually âdoes it rightâ. Thatâs why there are so many grocery stores, soda brands, religions, and blogs.
Itâs not about âdoing it rightâ so much as it is doing it to the best of your ability.
Giving it everything youâve got, regardless of the outcome, thatâs the only way to do it right.
YOUâRE NOT READY FOR THAT LEVEL OF SUCCESS.
This is my personal favorite, and one Iâve used on multiple occasions.
If you say it, itâs true, youâre not ready for that level of success⊠right now.
Success is an iterative process, every step leads to the next step.
Every âOvernight successâ will tell you the path to success was long, winding, and full of obstacles.
By the time youâre an âOvernight successâ, you will have endured so much, overcoming challenges will be second nature.
Only one thing is guaranteed, it doesnât actually happen overnight.
IF YOU SUCCEED, PEOPLEâS EXPECTATIONS WILL CHANGE.
They absolutely will, and they should.
If youâre positioning yourself as someone who changes lives, expect to play recurring role in the lives youâve changed.
When you rise up to meet great expectations, you become great.
Of course, you have to manage expectations too. You canât do everything all the time.
Push yourself to be more but never at the expense of what is most important to you.
IF YOU SUCCEED, MY RESPONSIBILITIES WILL CHANGE.
Not only to your customers, but to your personal life as well.
This isnât a bad thing.
New responsibilities that improve peopleâs lives is a good thing.
Remember, it comes incrementally. Itâs up to decide when to say yes and when to say no.
But donât not do something because you donât think you can handle the responsibility.
Give it a shot.
If it doesnât work, be responsible to enough to find a suitable replacement.
YOU DONâT LIKE WHAT SUCCESS DID TO _______
Youâre not them.
View their story as a cautionary tale.
If you see where they went wrong, you can do it differently.
There are learning experiences everywhere, and seeing someone lose their way can be one of the best.
YOU FEAR WHAT YOU MIGHT BECOME.
This excuse is a little deeper.
For some, success can unleash some pretty nasty inner demons.
Proceed carefully.
Watch for the signs, and ask loved ones to keep you grounded.
For some, myself included, success can go the your head real quick.
Being reminded to do the dishes, taking out the trash, or cook dinner go a long way for me.
Remembering success in business doesnât mean Iâm above menial chores keeps me grounded.
Take it a step further and volunteer for a soup kitchen, or an animal shelter to disconnect from any superiority complex you might develop.
Help people without judgement and watch as they enjoy the person you become.
FAILURE WOULD DESTROY YOU.
Anyone whoâs ever âmade itâ will tell you theyâve failed more times than theyâve succeeded.
Being destroyed by failure is a choice; the choice is to quit.
If you fail, fail.
Give it everything youâve got, and let it become a disaster.
Watch it burn.Let it destroy you.
Then recoup, learn from your mistakes, and rise from the ashes.
Failure never completely destroys you, only the parts that werenât doing you any good.
With every catastrophic failure, hindsight allows you to see where you went wrong.
When you rebuild, youâre that much closer to perfecting the system.
YOUâRE AFRAID OF BEING A 1 TRICK PONY.
This is one Iâve used many times.
It is possible to be a 1 trick pony, if you donât strive to dig deeper.
Your messaging has more substance than itâs surface meaning. Draw inspiration from yourself.
Read old blog posts, listen to old interviews, dig for deeper meaning.
Donât just look for what works, explore why it works, and contemplate the reasons why.
Soon youâll be digging into the psychology of your customers, and creating content that resonates on levels you could have never imagined.
YOU CANâT COMMIT RIGHT NOW.
Fair enough, you have a lot on your plate.
But when can you commit?
Donât use this excuse to push something aside, if you donât want to invest the time.
If itâs genuinely interesting, look at your calender and ask âwhen can I commit?â and put yourself on a productive path.
And if you donât want to do it, be honest and admit youâre not interested.
People will always respect honesty over being strung along.
YOU HAVE TOO MANY THINGS ON YOUR PLATE.
See above.
YOU CANâT COMMIT UNTIL YOUâVE SEEN ALL THE STEPS.
The road map to successful outcomes isnât always available.
Granted, sometimes all of the steps are necessary.
More often than not, this excuse is to avoid risk.
If youâre presented with a coherent process that makes sense to you, and you still say noâŠthen what?
Do you really need a formal business plan? Not always.
Some of the greatest products started as ideas that just evolved over time.
YOUâRE NOT A DETAILS PERSON.
Neither am I.
So look at the big picture, and find a âdetailsâ person.
Between the two of you, youâll see the overall journey, and the little steps to take to get there.
YOUâRE NOT A BIG PICTURE PERSON.
Totally understand, not everyone is.
But youâre vital to the execution of any plan.
If you donât see the big picture, find someone does; and rule the world together.
YOUR BEST IDEAS ESCAPE YOU.
Notebooks, smart phones, voice recorders, and napkins are wonderful tools for idea trapping.
Capture your best ideas, and revisit them later.
You will train yourself to better distinguish the good ideas from the bad, and your ideas will improve over time.
Itâs amazing how much stuff you retain once you take the simple step of writing it all down.
YOU CANâT COMMIT TO A SCHEDULE/CALENDER/ ETC.
IâVE USED THIS WAY MORE THAN I SHOULD.
First, Failure to commit to a schedule condemns your days to be cannibalized.
Second, when youâre successful, people want a piece of your time, all the time.
Your âscheduleâ doesnât have to be super segmented. Just plan for some âproduction onlyâ time, if you want to get anything done.
Without a schedule, youâll find youâre often double booked, which makes you look terribly silly and unprofessional.
YOUâRE A BETTER THINKER THAN A DOER.
This excuse enableâs you to be lazy.
Do something, anything.
Take action on your ideas, or stop talking about them.
If it gets people pumped, itâs viable.
So do it.
Otherwise, stop getting our hopes up.
YOUâRE A BETTER DOER THAN A THINKER.
Every thinker needs someone to keep pushing them forward.
If youâre a better doer, find a visionary and collaborate.
There are too many great ideas, and not enough people to execute.
Find a great idea, then help it move forward.
While youâre at it, motivate the âthinkerâ to start doing stuff too.
YOU DONâT HAVE THE CERTIFICATION/ CREDENTIALS.
Sometimes itâs an obstacle. Mostly itâs just a cop out.
Employers asking for certification are really looking for the piece of paper that proves your dedication.
If you lack proper certification, but know youâre the most qualified, stop at nothing to get yourself in the door.
If itâs important to you, and youâre that good, get certified.
Go to the institution you need, ask about the prerequisite programs for certification.
Then take all the final tests.
YOUâRE NOT CREATIVE ENOUGH.
Not everything needs to be creative.
Sometimes thereâs so much creative crap, all the world needs is cut and dry information.
Not everyone responds to creative and thereâs always a need for black and white information.
If you need creativity, find an âideasâ person. Theyâll know a creative person.
TOO MANY OBSTACLES.
Tell me one epic story in which the protagonist doesnât overcome too many obstacles.
To save the princess, you must travel the land, sail the ocean, answer the riddles of the old man at the bridge, and bring an offering to the king.
Only then can you slay the dragon.
Itâs going to be difficult, but trust me, the princess (your freedom) is worth it.
YOU TRIED BEFORE AND FAILED.
Dust yourself off, pick yourself up, and do it again.
Obviously you canât go about it the same way, so find a new angle.
If itâs important to you, realize defeat is temporary.
With every loss, you gain the experience you need to win.
YOUR IDEA IS TOO FAR AHEAD OF ITâS TIME.
If the technology doesnât exist, and youâve done the research to verify that, chances are, youâre lying.
This excuse is given by pretentious lazy people.
Timing is important of course. If your idea really is âtoo far ahead of itâs time,â prepare the market, and be ready to launch at the right time.
YOUâRE TOO CREATIVE & NOBODY UNDERSTANDS YOU.
Learn to be a better communicator. Stop thinking so highly of yourself.
When people canât understands you, youâre either a bad communicator or talking to the wrong people, or both.
There are more unmotivated creatives than the world knows what to do with.
Creative and driven on the other hand⊠now thatâs a rare combination.
YOU DONâT HAVE A WEBSITE.
There was a time businesses existed before the internet.
No matter the industry (including online marketing) websites are only tools , not the business itself.
YOU DONâT HAVE A GOOD WEBSITE.
Believe it or not, there are plenty of businesses who are still profitable with terrible websites.
Counter intuitive, I know. But itâs true.
If your website needs a redesign, hire someone to redesign it.
If itâs a matter of money, look back at excuse number 4.
If it doesnât really require a redesign, stop making excuses and start moving forward.
YOUR CUSTOMERS ARENâT ON [INSERT PLATFORM OF CHOICE]
My customers arenât on Facebook. My customers donât watch Youtube. My customers donât use Twitter. My customers donât have a phone. My customers donât get snail mail. My customers donât watch television. My customers donât shop at that store. My customers donât drive on that highway. My customers arenât human. My customers donât breathe air.
Youâre not doing enough to learn about your customers.
YOU DONâT WANT TO SPEND TOO MUCH TIME AWAY FROM THE FAMILY.
This is another one of those really sensitive excuses.
Obviously (hopefully) if you have a family, you donât want to leave them for long periods of time.
If you can, make arrangements for them to come with you, or find ways to attend long distance events virtually.
If virtual isnât an option, be sure to keep an open line of communication, and make every effort to stay connected.
When you return home, commit to distraction free family time.
Explore all of your options, and donât hide behind your family as an excuse to get out of something you donât want to do.
You canât until you have _______.
Money, desk, tools, website, secretary, bank account, more influence or any other number of outside factors.
Make every attempt to acquire the bare essentials quickly.
Plot out your steps and create milestones.
Missions and objectives do wonders for progress.
YOU DONâT HAVE THE PROPER THINKING SPACE.
Find it.
Go for walk. Listen to music. Go outside. Go inside. Hide in the shower. Hang out under your bed.
If you really need the perfect thinking space, learn how to meditate.
Then no matter where you are, youâre always in the right place.
YOU NEED ABSOLUTE SILENCE.
Noise cancelling headphones: $29, Soundproof earmuffs: $26.95, Earplugs: $0.10.
The piece of mind that comes from uninterrupted work: Priceless
YOU NEED MORE NOISE.
Fire up Pandora, go to the coffee shop, or listen to this collection of background noises. That should be more than enough to get you in the proper head space.
If you want to be more productive, listen to any number of the webinar replays collecting dust in your inbox, or re-listen to paid training youâve taken in the past.
YOU DONâT HAVE THE RIGHT WORDS.
Thereâs no such thing as âthe right words,â only the wrong people.
If you didnât have âthe right wordsâ the people closest to you wouldnât be able stand you for more than 5 minutes at a time.
Maybe you are an unfortunate soul that nobody can stand talking to, but itâs unlikely.
Stop searching for âthe right wordsâ, be exactly who you are.
Of course, learning how to structure headlines, format posts, and write killer closingsdoesnât ever hurt though.
YOUâRE TOO TIRED.
Put yourself on a schedule, structure your day, and get more rest.
If necessary (and possible) take naps when you can, and remain productive.
Productivity sparks energy.
If youâre chronically tired, improve your fitness, and increase your vitamin intake.
Sometimes a vitamin supplement is necessary, and sometimes you need to suck it up and get it done.
IF YOU DO THIS, WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE TO DO?
Whatever comes next, but youâll never know until you start making progress.
YOU CANâT STOP DOING [UNPRODUCTIVE HABIT]
Every day is a choice.
That doesnât mean itâs easy, in fact it can be quite difficult.
But you choose to smoke, you choose to eat unhealthy foods, you choose spend 10 hours a week on Youtube, and $1 a day on lottery tickets.
Breaking habits isnât easy, but it is doable, especially when you start looking at everything as a choice.
Last year I quit smoking and now Iâm cutting back on caffeine. I choose to drink water over Coca Cola.
Granted cutting back on bad habits donât appear to make a huge difference at first.
But saving $7 a day on cigarettes, and $1.69 on soda, and using that $60.83 a week for paid ads has been a more positive use of the same money.
IT JUST DOESNâT âFEELâ RIGHT.
Instinct or excuse?
Does it not âfeelâ right because it really isnât right for you, or is it simply not convenient?
Be honest, say you donât want to.
Donât blame your instinct. Eventually your instinct will go cold, and your gauge for âgoodâ and âbadâ will disappear.
An entrepreneurâs deadliest weapon is instinct, so keep yourâs sharp.
Donât blame it for things you donât want to do.
YOU DID EVERYTHING YOU COULD.
Did you really?
Did you see where you went wrong?
Try again.
Who knows, you might be successful next time.
BUT THE OTHER GUYâŠ
âŠyeah? What are they doing?
Why you watching them make moves and not making your own?
Furthermore, are they watching you? Are you doing anything worth watching?
YOUâRE JUST NOT CHRIS BROGAN.
Or Brian Clark, or Sonia Simone, or Jon Morrow.
These names only have weight because they hustled to make sure you remembered them.
No youâre not Chris Brogan, but that doesnât mean you canât be influential.
In fact, Chris and Brian and Sonia and Jon all give advice that will help you do just that.
Start taking action on the stuff theyâre talking about and pay attention to their business models, then adapt it to yourself.
YOUâRE JUST NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH.
Confidence is a learned behavior.
A long time ago someone told me to repeat to myself âI am the Sh*tâ 100 times a day.
Eventually, I started to believe it. Thereâs a ton of advice on how to be more confident.
You might also take comfort in knowing that 99% of online personaâs are text and images. If you need to create a character to be more comfortable, be who you want, (just be careful not to lie to yourself)
YOUâRE NOT A LEADER.
Itâs not as black and white as âLeadersâ and âFollowersâ.
Every leader needs a B-team, so even if youâre not the face at the front, you can still lead the people behind them.
A president doesnât become president all on their own, there are always people leading the charge that get them to office.
You donât like to be lead.
So you donât work well under someone else? Me either. In fact, I am terrible at it.
Want to know the truth?
Sometimes âbeing leadâ is exactly what you need to advance..
Think about it.
Someone with more experience can show you the way. Donât you think itâs worth telling your inner rebel take a back seat?
YOU QUIT ONCE ALREADY, YOU COULDNâT POSSIBLY TRY THE SAME THING AGAIN.
Shame is a powerful opponent, but itâs all in your head.
Even if people tell you your nuts for trying again, go for it.
If you really believe, who are you to let your past failures dictate your future victories?
Yes, you quit before, you didnât have the knowledge or experience you do now.
This time will be different, but donât you dare give up.
YOU DONâT HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM.
Been there, and itâs hard no doubt.
The reality is, if youâre perusing something you truly believe in, give it everything youâve got.
Fight with every ounce of your being and every fiber in your body.
Your support system will appear.
Others rally for ideas they believe in, and the people who champion them.
Show the world you refuse to accept defeat, and the world will give you the support you need to continue.
YOU DONâT HAVE A PLAN B.
All the reason to fight more.
Fallback plans are for those who plan to fail.
Truth is, âPlan Bâ is usually better mapped out than âPlan Aâ.
Itâs no wonder it also usually works out better.
YOU CANâT COMPETE WITH BIG NAMES.
If you canât compete, collaborate.
If you canât collaborate, discover what their customers hate, then do that better.
You might not go toe to to, but you can do small portions of their business better.
YOU DONâT WANT TO START ANOTHER THING YOUâLL NEVER FINISH.
Say no, or schedule it for when you can see it through from start to finish.
Commit.
Donât stop until youâre done.
And be sure to reward yourself when the task is complete.
YOUR FRIENDS/FAMILY WILL THINK YOUâRE CRAZY.
If your friends/family think you are crazy, youâre likely to have a good idea on your hands.
The world was made on experimentation. If everyoneâs loved ones understood all the insane ideas people come up with, weâd never have innovation.
ITâS TOO SELFISH.
Whatâs more selfish; not helping people with a problem because you think itâs too selfish, or making money for solving a problem?
YOU DONâT DESERVE IT.
Youâre right, you donât.
You earn it.
Rewards that come from hard and smart work you absolutely earned though.
Remember to always enjoy the benefits of your success.
YOU DONâT KNOW WHAT YOUR PASSION IS.
Understandable. Not everyone is there, yet.
However if you want to do something, you just canât figure out what, go to the bookstore and see what section you gravitate towards.
If you cook a lot, start a cooking website or a Youtube channel. If youâre religious, document an exploration of your faith.
Do some soul searching to determine what youâll forever be passionate about.
Write about that.
YOU CANâT THINK OF A NICHE.
Next time youâre at the bookstore, spend some time flipping through the magazine rack. Youâll find all sorts of niches that are ripe with readers.
If there wasnât a market, there wouldnât be a magazine.
YOU DESERVE A BREAK.
Only if youâve reached an acceptable goal for yourself.
If youâre not hitting your marks, you havenât deserved anything.
If you want to say âBUT Iâm tiredâŠ!â see Iâm tired further up on this page.
YOU DO ENOUGH.
See above.
THE âTIMINGâ ISNâT RIGHT.
Market timing and personal timing are important.
If the timing doesnât coordinate with your personal life, find time in your schedule when it is.
If the timing isnât right for the marketplace, help push the market forward towards the âright timeâ.
This could mean exposing new problems, pushing competitors to innovate, or releasing products that support a bigger idea.
Obviously you donât want to scare people, so getting them gradually prepared can make them more receptive and likely to buy.
YOU DONâT WORK WELL ON A TEAM.
Youâll only going to get so far on your own.
At some point if you want to âlevel upâ youâll have to work on a team.
Online entrepreneurs are especially guilty of having the âI have to run the showâ complex.
But some ideas require many minds to come to fruition.
Youâll have to learn when to compromise, and allows others to show their strengths.
I know itâs tough.
But once youâve mastered the group dynamic, youâll wonder how you ever did anything without your team.
NOBODY UNDERSTANDS WHAT YOUâRE TRYING TO SAY.
Become a better communicator.
Look for resources on remarkable communication and persuasive writing.
If people still have moths coming out their ears when you talk, record yourself speaking, and play it back.
What we say makes often makes total sense, until we hear it from someone elseâs perspective.
THEREâS NOTHING YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE.
At the very least, your perspective is unique.
Even when youâre covering the same thing as 5,000 others, your perspective makes you valuable.
Learn as much as you can, then share what youâve learned, in your words.
Apply what youâve learned, and share your experiences.
These two things are incredibly unique, and if thatâs all you can contribute, itâs a much better than doing nothing.
THE SYSTEM HAS ALREADY BEEN PERFECTED.
No it hasnât. Youâre just not pushing it to itâs limits yet.
YOUâRE NOT SAYING ANYTHING NEW.
Very few people actually are.
How many copy writing classes are being taught the world over?
How many people do you think are teaching persuasive writing, or headline techniques, or conversion tactics?
Hundreds? Thousands? More?
Yet Copyblogger media is a 5 million a year company, teaching principals that have been taught since the 1920?s.How is that?
Even if youâre not saying anything new, your experience, your perspective, and most important, your personality come together to develop something worth watching.
ITâS NOTHING THEY HAVENâT HEARD BEFORE.
People are learning new things every day.
If youâre showing up in the searches for what theyâre looking for, you might be the one to change their life.
YOU CANâT TEACH SOMETHING IF ITâS COMMON SENSE.
Common sense is in short supply these days.
What is intrinsic to you is the bane of someone elseâs existence.
No you canât teach common sense, but you can teach what you know.
Be patient with your customers. If they donât âget itâ open the dialog and really listen to them one on one.
It may turn out that youâre not communicating clearly.
YOU LEARNED ______ BEFORE, YOU CANâT LEARN ANYTHING DIFFERENT.
Cop out.
Pick it up and learn it. If itâs counter to what you learned before, see if you can integrate approaches.
If not, decide which paradigm is more suitable to you.
You can learn anything at any time, regardless to what youâve learned before.
Be a little more flexible, otherwise youâll just end up broken.
YOUâRE TOO OLD.
No youâre not.
Age and willingness to learn only go hand in hand if you let them.
Your life experience gives you a valuable perspective that many others might not bring to the table.
YOUâRE TOO YOUNG.
No youâre not.
Age and willingness to learn only go hand in hand if you let them.
Your youth allows you to see things from a fresh perspective that the older generation may have missed.
Let your youth be more most valuable weapon, not something that holds you back.
YOU DONâT UNDERSTAND [INSERT PLATFORM OF CHOICE HERE]
Google.com will do wonders for finding resources to help you with that.
IâM NO GOOD AT [ INSERT PLATFORM OF CHOICE HERE]
See above.
BY THE TIME I GET THERE, THE INDUSTRY WILL HAVE CHANGED.
So donât take forever.
Keep up with the current industry while learning the founding principals.
This is almost always the best way to break in. When so many people are focused on doing advanced strategies, that they forget the basic principals (which often times work the best).
Document your journey from the starting point and share what youâre learning.
Network and ask a lot of questions.
Whether you realize it or not, you just might be helping the industry shift by doing these few simple things.
YOUâLL NEVER CATCH UP.
Donât worry about it. Just do. Focus on doing.
âYou are in the middle of your day today, and youĂre caught up in the sandstorm of thoughts, feelings, to-dos, meetings, readings, and communications of this day.
Pause. Breathe. Let all of that fade.
Now focus on doing one thing, right now.â
~Leo Babauta zenhabits.net
YOU DONâT HAVE TIME.
Seriously? You just read (or at least scrolled through) 106 excuses, 106 debunks and nearly 7,000 words. You have time.
In fact, you have all the time, resources, and knowledge required to be great.
Being great, no, being excellent, is a choice.
Itâs a choice to never stop. Itâs a choice to view yourself as limitless. Itâs a choice to stop at nothing until everyone knows your name.
Without a doubt, youâll encounter many obstacles on your journey. Thatâs a given.
So what are you waiting for?
Go.
Be great.
Overcome your obstacles, or make excuses; itâs as simple as that.
Bonus: Angry Birds: not as fun in real life
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