If I told you to take a look at your business, what would you see? Do you see a business that is thriving and complete or one that has holes to it? Now I know what your next thought is going to be…excuses. We all have them and we love to use them to make ourselves feel better about not doing something. I am a mom, so I don’t have time to properly work my business….If only I had more time I could properly work…I don’t know anyone…I don’t know how to do that…The list can really go on and on.
I am here to tell you…STOP MAKING EXCUSES. If we all worked as hard as we made up excuses we would all be killing business. Excuses are easy to give into and plant seeds of doubt in our minds if we let them. They will grow like wild fire and before long you will start to believe those excuses. While it is true we might have obstacles in front of us to stop us from gaining success, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t obtainable.
I know what you are thinking now, “she is calling me out on my excuses but isn’t going to help me fix them?!” Calm down, I wouldn’t do that, I am here to help break you past these mental road blocks. Before long you won’t even know what an excuse is and you will have all the tools you will need for success.
10 Tips to stop the excuses
• Ignore the noise – This might be the most important tip to take away from this whole post. While I have talked in prior posts about finding inspiration in the industry, I also talked about how if that puts you down to look at other’s success, then don’t do it. Finding what influences your mood both positively and negatively is very important. If you are finding yourself constantly feeling less than worthy after reading let’s say Farmer Joe’s Amazing Life Blog…well then DON’T READ IT. Filter out what brings out your excuses and add back in what brings you inspiration.
• Make a schedule – Schedules are very important to keeping you on task. An easy way to get behind in work is when you don’t have anything to hold yourself to. If you know today that you need to finish X amount of work, it is easier to work towards that. Start out easy with your scheduling and break your project up into pieces so it is easier to tackle. One great way to do this is using Google Calendars and color coding your project. Google offers a wide variety of free programs to use that are great for keeping your business on track. Use them!
See my mock editorial calendar
• Make goals – Making goals is a great follow up tip to, making a schedule, and almost go hand in hand. By being able to have goals set, you can use your schedule to hit those goals in a timely manner. I would encourage you to not over achieve on your goals, so you aren’t setting yourself up for failure before you even got started. One trick that I like to do when listing my goals is to put something on my list that I have either done already or almost have finished. This gives me a little boost of encouragement to start my day. I also break my goals up into daily, weekly and monthly goals. By doing this, I know which goals I need to be hitting and by when.
Check out these great setting goal books on Amazon or head to your local library
• Focus on your passion – This might seem like a no brainier but is true. If you focus on what makes you happy and drives your passion, it is easier to get things done. Thinking back to my high school biology class, that was at 8:00 AM, I could barely keep my eyes open. While I didn’t mind biology, it definitely was not my passion and wasn’t worth keeping my eyes open for. We all have things in our jobs that we have to do and might not fully enjoy, remember the reason why you are doing this.
• Counterbalance – For every time a bad thought comes in your mind, find something positive you have done! Use your own success to stop the negative thoughts.
• Take breaks – Sometimes taking a break is what the soul needs. Clearing your mind, by stepping out for fresh air or going for your favorite drink at a local coffee shop is just what you need. By taking a break it allows your mind to re-set and I personally find when I allow my brain to relax, I find a solution to my problems I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. Breaks are definitely critical to creative thinking, so take them.
• Switch it up – If taking a break doesn’t give you the re-set you needed, work on something else. We all have multiple areas of business to be running as small businesses owners, so take advantage of that. Giving yourself a different task to manage breaks up the day. Some people find that using a timer is a great way to tell themselves when they need to switch to the next task. I personally know when I am finding myself bored and will take that cue as I need to find something else to work on.
• List the problem – Take your excuse and write it down. Now make a list of ways you can work around that excuse and think outside the box. I always allow myself to think really freely and even list crazy solutions to my problem. By creating crazy solutions to your problem, you might find a more logical one hiding. Sometimes we can’t see the most logical solution.
• Re-evaluate – If you are constantly making excuses for what you are doing, do you really think you should be doing it? I once saw a quote that said something along the lines of, you should create a career out of what you enjoy doing in your free time. Now while I don’t think that your hobby will translate to a career, I do think that you can find something you enjoy to do, while also making money.
• Try – Lastly, if all else fails, just TRY. Failure doesn’t come as easily if you are chasing down leads and knocking on doors. The hardest part to business is the first step in starting. Don’t stop when the going gets hard, try harder.
Success doesn’t come cheap but excuses don’t either – Tweet this
So what is going to hold you back? Excuses or Success?