One of the things that sometimes have a huge negative impact in your life is related to the excuses that you make that stops you from taking the next step or rather an important necessary step towards achieving your goal(s). Think back, when was the last time that you’ve successfully achieved an important goal? Probably a long time ago or maybe not at all, right? Here are 25 excuses that prevent you from being successful.
1. I Don’t Have The Time
Are you sure about that? Maybe you are spending the time on the wrong stuff. Can you confidently and honestly say that the tasks you are doing are actually benefiting you? If your success is truly more important to you, then you would do whatever it takes to make or find the time to work on whatever it is to help you get you closer to becoming successful.
2. I Don’t Know The Right People
If you don’t know the right people, then the answer is simple – start connecting with the right people. We are all strangers to each other until we greet one another. Join networking events and ask your existing connections whether they know someone that can help you get you closer to your goal. Who knows, maybe the right people are sometimes those who are right next to you.
3. I Don’t Have The Skill To Do It
Becoming successful is not an easy task and it’s not an easy journey. You have to invest some time and effort into it. I used to make this excuse. The solution is obvious. You need to learn what you need to know. Practice it and implement it. Learn as you go. There is no shortcut, unless you have the money to hire people who are good at the skill in which you are lacking. Education doesn’t end at the moment you stop going to school, it begins when you graduate. Depending on what your goal is, you might even want to consider teaming up with a close friend who has the skill to help you make it happen.
Read How to Learn Anything in 20 Hours
4. I Don’t Have The Money
Don’t worry, I don’t have money too. I started off just like everyone else did – relying on my parents’ support. If you want money, then get a job. Your income won’t change unless you get a job. If you have a job already, then find out what else you can do that can earn you more money on the side. Stop wasting money on unnecessary things that you want. Only spend money on things that you need. If cancelling your Netflix subscription will help you get you closer towards saving enough money to make your dream come true, then by all means do it.
5. Someone Else Is Already Doing It
Well that’s great! I’m serious, because it shows that there is a demand for it. Back then, when IBM used to be the leading giant in the computing industry, did that stop Apple and Microsoft from jumping into the computing industry? No! Because they didn’t quit – today they are billion dollar businesses.
6. Better To Be Safe Than Sorry
Success will always involve taking risks. There is no such thing as safety when it comes to the pursuit of success. Life is always full of risks. Sometimes, you are required to take the risk in order to get one step closer to the next stage of becoming successful. Knowing that, there is also a point where you need to know the difference between taking risks versus being reckless.
7. I Never Did It Before
Everyone starts off from somewhere with no experience at all. People try new things by experimenting. Life is about growing and improving, not just staying in one spot and waiting for things to happen. Sometimes, you have to create an opportunity to start that experience.
8. I’m Not Good Enough
No one is good at anything in the beginning. That’s why we all practice. Practice makes perfect. Improve upon what you need to improve upon in order to become good enough at whatever that something is. With that in mind, the more that people know, the more they know about not knowing a lot of stuff, so you will probably always feel like you’re not good enough. So just do it. Improve and repeat.
9. I’m Afraid
No worries, everyone is afraid of something; however, we can’t let fear decide how we live our life. If we live under the rule of fear, then we will be nowhere near success. Dominate your fear one step at a time. If you can’t make huge progress today, then take little steps towards it.
10. It’s Too Late For Me
It’s never too late. You still have a lot of time left to live. Don’t waste your life wondering about what you could’ve done, should’ve done, or would’ve done. Focus your energy on how you can take action today. It’s never too late to start something. There are people out there who are literally living a short life who envy the amount of time that you have. So never say it’s too late.
11. I Have Too Many Things On My Plate To Deal With
Organize and prioritize your tasks better. Which one matters most? Which one can you remove from the list? Manage your time better, and learn to say ‘no’ on the things that don’t matter as much.
12. I Don’t Have The Certification Or Credentials
Why else would some people go back to school to learn new things? Why else do people take courses to get certified in the first place? If you don’t have the certification, then get certified. If you don’t have the knowledge on the topic, then go and get educated.
13. I Tried Before And Failed To Succeed
Don’t give up so soon. It is only just the beginning of the journey. People become great at what they do because of trial and error. They practice and practice and practice until they succeed.
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. – Thomas Edison
For example, a baby doesn’t give up when he or she first learns how to walk. He or she might fall a couple of times, but they keep on going. If the baby used the excuse of “I tried before and failed to succeed”, then the baby will never be able to walk. Which one are you going to be? The one who walks, or the one who remains crawling forever? You can do it. Don’t give up.
14. I Don’t Have A Good Website
Who cares! The world won’t care about whether or not you have a good website if you don’t have a good service, product, or unique selling point. What matters most are your product, service, unique selling point, and more importantly, your customers!
15. I Did Everything I Could
Don’t you mean you did everything you could do according to what you think your limits are? Or maybe you did everything that you could that is within your comfort zone? There is still more that you can still do.
16. I’m Not A Leader
Don’t worry, not everyone is born a leader, but many still become a leader. It’s just up to you whether or not you decide to take the initiative of becoming a leader. You can continue to make excuses and debate about whether or not leadership is something that people are born with or something that one can learn, or you can start doing whatever it takes to become one. How? That’s your responsibility, not mine.
17. That’s Impossible
In the past, people thought it was impossible for people to reach the sky, but the Wright brothers proved them wrong. There’s a saying that goes that the “sky is the limit”, but the moon landing proved that wrong too. It’s not impossible if someone else has done something similar before. Not only that, we learn new things by experimenting new things, otherwise it really will be impossible. Have a Goal Striver mindset of “impossible is not an option.”
Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done. – Robert A. Heinlein
18. I Don’t Know What My Passion Is
Don’t worry, a lot of people don’t know what their passion is, that’s why some universities have an “Undeclared Major” as an option; however, what’s even worse is being the person who doesn’t try different things to figure out what their passion is. Which one are you? The one who has given up, or are you the one who keeps on searching? It’s not too late to find out.
19. The Timing Isn’t Right
The timing will never be right. How long are you going to wait? A day? A month? A year? Or maybe a decade? If you have what is needed, then go for it. Stop procrastinating on your success.
20. I Know I Should, But…
A very common excuse I hear a lot of people say, especially those who are younger. For example, “I know I should be studying, but I don’t feel like it.” It is one excuse that I hear a lot that is starting to get very annoying. Stop it. If you know you should be doing something that is important towards your success, then do it; otherwise, you just don’t want whatever it is you want badly enough. To put it bluntly, might as well just quit pursuing whatever goal that you are aiming for and save yourself some time if you aren’t going to take the necessary steps towards achieving it.
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21. I’m Too Old
Do a quick Google research. Find someone who has a similar goal or preferably the exact same goal who was successful in achieving it at your age. If you can get some kind of result from that search, then that means your excuse is invalid. Of course, there are a lot of factors that goes into whether or not this excuse is a legitimate reason or not.
22. I’m Too Young
There are people out there who are successful at a very young age. Even kids who don’t even attend or are attending high school started a business when they’re young.
23. I Don’t Know Where To Start
The internet is full of valuable information. Content is king. Google your question or problem. Use what you have to its full disposal. Ask around and utilize your connections.
24. No One Will Want To Buy My Product
Let me ask you this. Is there a product in the market right now that is similar to yours? Is it still up for sale? If you answered yes, then there will be people who would want to buy your product. I’m not saying it’s guaranteed, I’m just saying there exists an opportunity for people to buy your product. Depending on other factors such as your unique selling point, value, price, features, marketing strategies, etc., will determine whether or not you really will get the sale. The choice is all yours. You can decide to not release your product and have a guaranteed zero in sales OR you can release your product, and at least get some sales. Think you’ll waste time and money? Do some market research beforehand.
25. I’m Not Lucky
Not lucky? Create your own luck. Utilize every single opportunity presented towards you and hidden from you. Don’t just wait for things to happen, take action and make them happen. Stop playing the role of the victim. Luck doesn’t happen to those who don’t work hard and work smart towards the things that matter. Luck comes as an added bonus to those who focus their effort on the things that truly matter.
Note – If you do plan to take this seriously, please also exercise common sense and make logical decisions.
Finally, let me know in the comments below. Which excuse(s) are you going to aim to stop using?