Are you stuck in a rut?
Are you disappointed that you never quite seem to achieve your personal and professional goals?
Do you have BIG dreams, but find your doubts and fears keep getting in the way of fully realizing them?
And….are you sick of all the excuses you keep making that you KNOW are keeping you from reaching your true potential?
Following are 11 excuses you may be struggling with – and how you can move past them to stay motivated and achieve success!
1. “I’m just not smart enough.”
Do you ever feel like your natural intelligence (or lack thereof) is what’s holding you back from being successful?
Well, guess what: If this is what you truly believe, you’re going to be right!
According to Carol Dweck, researcher and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, intelligence, character and personality aren’t things that are set in stone.
If you truly believe you’re not smart enough to achieve your dream, then you won’t. But if you realize that you have power to change, grow and – yes, even become smarter – it’s amazing what you’ll be able to accomplish.
2. “It’s not the right time.”
Do you have a dream or goal that keeps getting thwarted by life’s situations or circumstances?
Having kids at home, taking care of elderly parents, working at a full-time job…these are all circumstances that are undoubtedly taxing of your time and energy.
But the truth is that there will never be a “perfect” time to make a change – whether that’s to start a business, go back to school, to commit to getting healthy, etc.
Instead of waiting for the perfect time (which I can assure you, will never come), commit to starting now. It will require hard work and sacrifice, but no one ever said it would be easy pursuing your dreams!
3. “I’m too busy.”
This excuse is a close cousin of “It’s just not the right time”.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, business owner, or full-time employee, your time is a precious commodity…and it probably feels next to impossible to carve out an extra hour or two each day to work on your goal.
But the truth is, if we want something badly enough, we can almost always figure out how to fit it into our schedule.
Whether that’s waking up an hour earlier, staying off Netflix a few nights a week, or sacrificing our lunch hour, there’s almost always a way to make a little extra time to work at our dreams.
4. “I’ve already tried once before, and I failed.”
This can be a hard one to overcome.
If you’ve tried once before – to lose weight, start a business, get your dream job, etc. – and have failed, it can feel pointless to try again.
But instead of letting your past failures get you down, use them as lessons for what NOT to do this time around.
Take some time to figure out what went wrong last time: maybe you didn’t commit enough time to your goal, or maybe you didn’t ask for the help you needed. Whatever it is, figure it out and take steps to do things differently this time around.
One way to make sure things are different this time is to set SMART goals – this means making sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound. This simple strategy will seriously boost your effectiveness and make you more confident about reaching your goals!
5. “I’m too tired.”
Who DOESN’T feel this way?
At the end of the day (or sometimes even at the beginning!), most of feel tired, sore and out of energy. The only thing that sounds good at that point is a cold glass of wine and a warm bed.
But that doesn’t mean you need to give in to that urge. In fact, research shows that exercise actually fights fatigue rather than making you more tired.
This same principle applies to virtually any type of goal. When you’re feeling tired and unmotivated, pick yourself up, take action, and watch your motivation and productivity grow!
6. “I don’t have the skills or education I need.”
This may have been a valid excuse 10 years ago. However, with so many courses and skills-training programs now available online, anyone can get the training they need without ever leaving their home.
Not sure where to start? Udemy offers 55,000 courses, all delivered online. You can learn anything from computer programming, to flower arranging to artisan bread baking, and there are courses for any budget.
Want to go back to school for your bachelors or even a masters degree? Many universities now offer complete degree programs, entirely online.
7. “I don’t have enough money.”
Reaching your potential doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg.
There are always ways you can cut costs and bootstrap, if you know where to look.
As I already mentioned, you can learn just about any skill through online courses…and these can start as low as $10-$20 per course.
Want to start a business? Consider low-cost, low-risk options like starting a blog, freelancing, dropshipping or affiliate marketing.
Want to get in shape but can’t afford a fancy gym membership? There are tons of excellent, free workout videos on YouTube.
While there may come a time when you need more money, in the beginning, your passion and drive should be enough to get started.
8. “Things are fine as they are!”
When life is “pretty good”, it can be hard to make a change…especially one that requires some risk.
But anything worth achieving is also worth the risk. You probably know the quote, “In the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take”.
You’re not going to look back on your life someday and regret pursuing your dream; you may, on the other hand, regret your complacency.
9. “I’m not as good/smart/talented as ________.”
It’s natural to compare yourself to those around you. You might look at others and think they’re more qualified, more educated or more talented than you.
And you know what? They might be!
But that doesn’t mean you can’t reach your dreams. Your path will likely end up looking much different than yours, and that’s okay.
Your life experiences, personality and circumstances make you uniquely suited for reaching your potential…not someone else’s.
10. “My friends/family/significant other doesn’t “get it.”
Your dream may not be something those around you fully understand or appreciate, and that’s okay. This is where having a mentor or coach can be so valuable.
Look around your local community or online to find someone who has already achieved what you want to achieve, and ask for their help.
Even if you just end up emailing back and forth every now and then, this support may be just what you need to keep working toward to your goal.
11. “I’m too old.”
What do Julia Child, Colonel Sanders, and Charles Darwin all have in common? They all took risks later in life that ended up making them household names.
Whether your goal is to start your first business, switch careers, learn a new language or get in shape, it’s never too late.
While your dream now may be different than when you were younger, that doesn’t make it any less important or possible. As long as you still have a passion, don’t give up on your dream!
Final thoughts
We all make excuses from time to time. But unfortunately, if you’re not careful, those excuses can become a nasty pattern in your life.
The next time you find yourself using one of the excuses above, pull up this post and remember – you CAN do it!
You just need to kick those excuses to the curb, take some positive action and keep plugging away until you’ve reached your goal.
Need some more motivation? Check out these posts:
How To Keep The Fear Factor From Crushing You
The Surprising Secret To Success: Fail Faster
What’s YOUR goal, and what’s holding you back? Do you find yourself using any of the excuses above? Share below!
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Pretty good article.