The following is a rare guest post, this time coming from Tommy Walker. Tommy Walker is an Online Marketing Strategist and host of Inside the Mind a fresh and entertaining video show about Internet Marketing Strategy.
Be honest. How often do you sabotage yourself?
On any given day, you have tasks youd like to finish because you
know theyd positively impact your business, and tasks you actually do.
You trick yourself into thinking that keeping up with industry news,
and reading the latest 10 tips to ______ post is working.
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, youll
be the supreme ruler of the internet, because youre so well studied.
But that time doesnt come.
Something is holding you back, and you cant 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 dont have the knowledge.
Theres one word kicks this excuse right in the teeth.
Google.
If you cant find a ton of free information on Google, find a book on Amazon.If Amazon doesnt 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 cant get the education required.
Maybe you dont 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.
Theyll be thrilled to see you, and eager to help.
If you invest the time, a near college level education awaits you.
No its 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 dont 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 cant resist being a part of, and youre half way there.
With a little patience, and an awesome personality, you can connect with the right people.
It wont happen overnight, but it certainly will happen if you want it bad enough.
You dont 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 acquire a hundred dollars here and there, do it.
Any money you make freelancing, save it to put towards your dream project.
Cant afford to do that?
Create a strict budget, and set aside a portion of your income.
Dont 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 cant afford to take a risk right now.
If not now, then when?
This excuse is fear of the unknown.
The reality is, you cant afford not to take a risk right now.
If an idea really benefits people, pulling on the reigns doesnt just
inhibit your progress
it prevents people from improving their lives.
Its too hard.
Anything worth doing is hard.
When was the last time easy had a huge payoff for you?
You dont 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 wont stop, regardless of the number of times
they fall on their face.
Babies dont 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 dont know where to begin.
The human brain isnt designed to process information in a linear fashion.
This is why when you dream, it doesnt start at the beginning and
you only remember how the dream ended, but never how it began.
If youre looking to pick up a new skill, usually the beginning will make itself apparent, regardless of where you start.
Even better, because the way you process information is unique to
you, your starting point could help you form a very unique perspective
that people love.
Also consider the other people who dont know where to begin.
By simply picking a place and chronicling your journey, you can inspire others to learn with you.
Youre afraid of what your customers will think.
Its 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 customers opinions before entering the Mp3 player market?
Didnt think so.
Youre afraid of what your colleagues will say.
Peer validation is rarely the deciding factor in any entrepreneurial story worth hearing.
If youre concerned with what your industry peers will think, dont worry about it.
Sometimes disruption is exactly what your peers need.
Nobody will buy.
If people will buy the Pet Rock people will buy what youre selling.
You just have to figure out how to position yourself, and why they need you.
Nobody will care.
Youre right, nobody will care, IF youre 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 cant 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 its 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; youre on your deathbed with nothing to show.
Youre unsure how youll pay for your funeral. Youre leaving behind a mound of debt, and you never figured out how to just get ahead.
Feel sorry yet?
Theres no politically correct way to present the information.
Realistically, thats ok.
If people like Naomi Dunford and Johnny Truant are allowed to play, so can you.
Politically correctness isnt always the most effective form of communication.
Sometimes the non PC person is exactly the breath of fresh air the world needs.
People arent ready to hear this.
Its true, not everyone is ready to hear everything. But if youve 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, its usually the things people arent ready for that make the biggest impact on the world.
You cant 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
powers that be, you undermine the very spirit of entrepreneurship.
Question the authority! Break the rules!
Just make sure you have evidence to support your cliams, otherwise youre just being a punk, and not in the cool way.
You havent done it before.
This is my favorite excuse, because its such a cop out.
Lets look at some of the common milestones in your life that you got through just fine
- You went to school (hadnt done that before)
- Had your first kiss (hadnt 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 hadnt done anything before you did it. Its simple, but its true.
This excuse is rooted in fear of the unknown.
Now its perfectly fine to be afraid, but inexperience is by far one of the worst excuses.
Life is built on a series of firsts and making the choice to limit your experiences only leads to dissatisfaction.
Youre not that good.
There are plenty of things people arent good at.
Either;
A.) Learn and get better or
B.) Find someone who is good and have them fill that role.
You dont have to do everything alone. The best joint venture projects are simply two people with complimentary strengths.
So if youre not that good, get better, or find someone who is.
You dont have anything nice to say.
Just like challenging the authority, being brash is sometimes exactly what people need.
Too many people try to do it right, 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 theres substance behind your message.
Other people are more lucky.
Pure luck is a myth.
If someone is lucky they are doing stuff behind the scenes youre not seeing.
Taking action and simply doing something instead of making excuses will do wonders for your luck.
Besides, others luck doesnt directly impact you.
You cant, you were raised differently.
Obviously, follow your moral compass. Going against that isnt what Im suggesting.
What I will suggest is to seek alternatives that dont oppose your belief systems.
If a company like Hebrew National can make kosher hotdogs, you can find a way to do whats holding you back.
But if youre using this excuse to stay in your comfort zone, I need
to ask, How much are you holding yourself back in the name of something
else?
Your gender wont 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 wont let you.
No doubt, balancing kids with business is tough.
At the time of this writing, Im a newlywed with an 11 month old son,
my own business, and a new house. Its a balancing act, but its
doable.
It requires discipline and maximum use of productive time.
At the end of the day you may feel shattered.
Keep it up, youll build endurance.
It doesnt just make you a better business person; it allows you to enjoy family time that much more.
Your spouse wont let you.
Now Im not one to give marital advice, and you have to respect your spouse, but open communication can go a long way.
Its important to communicate your passion. Get to the core of why its important to you and really open up.
Be willing to have multiple conversations about it, and really hear their reservations.
Come up plan forworst possible scenario together and keep your spouse informed on your progress.
Be prepared to let go of some ideas.
But dig deep into the important ideas, its a lot better than Honey, can we do this ?
Your parents wont let you.
really? How old are you?
Ok, regardless of age, people have complicated families, I get it.
Sometimes parents arent as rational, or supportive, or open to new ideas as wed 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 wont 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 doesnt have any arms or legs.
Kyle Maynard doesnt have arms or legs either, and is a wrestler, MMA
fighter, owner of a gym, a student, and a motivational speaker. Oh, and
hes 25 years old.
Im 25 and have a rare brain condition, and Im supporting my family and growing my business.
There are artists who create with their mouths, runners who win races on artificial legs, brilliant writers whos 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.
[Industry leader] says it wont work because
because they havent 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.
Its weird to think that at one point industry leaders said Google wouldnt work, isnt it?
Its not financially sound.
I would never encourage you to gamble, but its rarely financially sound to strike out on your own.
Maybe youre afraid that once youre 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 thats a possibility regardless?
Theres no R.O.I
R.O.I is one of those funny acronyms people throw around without fully understanding its meaning.
To fully measure your R.O.I you need more funny acronyms called K.P.Is (Key Performance Indicators).
These metrics help you gauge whether whatever youre doing is working
or not. Common K.P.Is 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 arent right.
This one is tricky, because there are two schools of thought.
A.) Market conditions dont 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 dont. If the market conditions
arent right for marketing to the people who dont have money, create an
offer and market to the people who do.
Dont let your business fall victim to only one portion of the market.
Youll never get the right exposure.
Teenage pop stars are breaking into the cutthroat entertainment business via MySpace and YouTube.
If your exposure isnt handed to you by the merit of your work, create your own opportunities using the tools available to you.
Theres no point.
Not with that attitude, there isnt.
The point is that youre helping people. The point is that youre
doing something. The point is youre being productive and taking action.
The point is youre not living in premature self defeat. You are taking an idea from concept to actualization.
Youre 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.
Its 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.
Youll get to it later.
No you wont. You never do.
Get to it now, or at least schedule it to get done.
Then do it.
Youll be a lot more satisfied when youre finished.
You dont want to be boring.
Whats boring to some is addictive to others.
People process information differently. If you skew towards boring its entirely possible to still find the right audience.
However if you skew towards boring, and you dont want to, find ways to become more interesting.
Take an improvement class, do some live Q&As, go bungee jumping spice it up.
If you cant get it right the first time, why bother trying?
Perfection is a myth.
Nobody actually does it right. Thats why there are so many grocery stores, soda brands, religions, and blogs.
Its not about doing it right so much as it is doing it to the best of your ability.
Giving it everything youve got, regardless of the outcome, thats the only way to do it right.
Youre not ready for that level of success.
This is my personal favorite, and one Ive used on multiple occasions.
If you say it, its true, youre not ready for that level of success right now.
Success is an iterative process, every step leads to the next step.
Every Overnight success will tell you the path to success was long, winding, and full of obstacles.
By the time youre an Overnight success, you will have endured so much, overcoming challenges will be second nature.
Only one thing is guaranteed, it doesnt actually happen overnight.
If you succeed, peoples expectations will change.
They absolutely will, and they should.
If youre positioning yourself as someone who changes lives, expect to play recurring role in the lives youve changed.
When you rise up to meet great expectations, you become great.
Of course, you have to manage expectations too. You cant 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 isnt a bad thing.
New responsibilities that improve peoples lives is a good thing.
Remember, it comes incrementally. Its up to decide when to say yes and when to say no.
But dont not do something because you dont think you can handle the responsibility.
Give it a shot.
If it doesnt work, be responsible to enough to find a suitable replacement.
You dont like what success did to _______
Youre 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 doesnt mean Im 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 whos ever made it will tell you theyve failed more times than theyve succeeded.
Being destroyed by failure is a choice; the choice is to quit.
If you fail, fail.
Give it everything youve 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 werent doing you any good.
With every catastrophic failure, hindsight allows you to see where you went wrong.
When you rebuild, youre that much closer to perfecting the system.
Youre afraid of being a 1 trick pony.
This is one Ive used many times.
It is possible to be a 1 trick pony, if you dont strive to dig deeper.
Your messaging has more substance than its surface meaning. Draw inspiration from yourself.
Read old blog posts, listen to old interviews, dig for deeper meaning.
Dont just look for what works, explore why it works, and contemplate the reasons why.
Soon youll be digging into the psychology of your customers, and
creating content that resonates on levels you could have never imagined.
You cant commit right now.
Fair enough, you have a lot on your plate.
But when can you commit?
Dont use this excuse to push something aside, if you dont want to invest the time.
If its genuinely interesting, look at your calender and ask when can I commit? and put yourself on a productive path.
And if you dont want to do it, be honest and admit youre not interested.
People will always respect honesty over being strung along.
You have too many things on your plate.
See above.
You cant commit until youve seen all the steps.
The road map to successful outcomes isnt always available.
Granted, sometimes all of the steps are necessary.
More often than not, this excuse is to avoid risk.
If youre presented with a coherent process that makes sense to you, and you still say no then what?
Do you really need a formal business plan? Not always.
Some of the greatest products started as ideas that just evolved over time.
Youre not a details person.
Neither am I.
So look at the big picture, and find a details person.
Between the two of you, youll see the overall journey, and the little steps to take to get there.
Youre not a big picture person.
Totally understand, not everyone is.
But youre vital to the execution of any plan.
If you dont 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.
Its amazing how much stuff you retain once you take the simple step of writing it all down.
You cant commit to a schedule/calender/ etc.
Ive used this way more than I should.
First, Failure to commit to a schedule condemns your days to be cannibalized.
Second, when youre successful, people want a piece of your time, all the time.
Your schedule doesnt have to be super segmented. Just plan for some production only time, if you want to get anything done.
Without a schedule, youll find youre often double booked, which makes you look terribly silly and unprofessional.
Youre a better thinker than a doer.
This excuse enables you to be lazy.
Do something, anything.
Take action on your ideas, or stop talking about them.
If it gets people pumped, its viable.
So do it.
Otherwise, stop getting our hopes up.
Youre a better doer than a thinker.
Every thinker needs someone to keep pushing them forward.
If youre 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 youre at it, motivate the thinker to start doing stuff too.
You dont have the certification/ credentials.
Sometimes its an obstacle. Mostly its 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 youre the most qualified, stop at nothing to get yourself in the door.
If its important to you, and youre that good, get certified.
Go to the institution you need, ask about the prerequisite programs for certification.
Then take all the final tests.
Youre not creative enough.
Not everything needs to be creative.
Sometimes theres so much creative crap, all the world needs is cut and dry information.
Not everyone responds to creative and theres always a need for black and white information.
If you need creativity, find an ideas person. Theyll know a creative person.
Too many obstacles.
Tell me one epic story in which the protagonist doesnt 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.
Its 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 cant go about it the same way, so find a new angle.
If its 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 its time.
If the technology doesnt exist, and youve done the research to verify that, chances are, youre lying.
This excuse is given by pretentious lazy people.
Timing is important of course. If your idea really is too far ahead
of its time, prepare the market, and be ready to launch at the right
time.
Youre too creative & nobody understands you.
Learn to be a better communicator. Stop thinking so highly of yourself.
When people cant understands you, youre 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 thats a rare combination.
You dont 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 dont 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 its true.
If your website needs a redesign, hire someone to redesign it.
If its a matter of money, look back at excuse number 4.
If it doesnt really require a redesign, stop making excuses and start moving forward.
Your customers arent on [insert platform of choice]
My customers arent on Facebook. My customers dont watch Youtube. My
customers dont use Twitter. My customers dont have a phone. My
customers dont get snail mail. My customers dont watch television. My
customers dont shop at that store. My customers dont drive on that
highway. My customers arent human. My customers dont breathe air.
Youre not doing enough to learn about your customers.
You dont 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 dont 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 isnt 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 dont hide behind your family as an excuse to get out of something you dont want to do.
You cant 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 dont 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, youre always in the right place.
You need absolute silence.
Noise cancelling headphones: $29, Soun