4 Excuses The Most Respected People Never Make

I’ve made a lot happen over the years, but you don’t see all the projects and plans that never got going.

I came up with reasons to avoid starting, and those who stood to be touched by my work never were.

I’ve missed many opportunities, but I’ve also learned how to continue moving when the typical forms of resistance arise.

Here are 4 excuses the most respected people never make:

1. ‘Other people are already doing it better’.

A great reason to not start, right? Wrong.

They may be doing great stuff, but there are enough people in the world who stand to gain from your creations too. Think abundantly. There is enough to go around. I’ve had people take my courses who did similar courses run by others (and they gained from both).

I realized I didn’t need to be the best (yet) to start my own thing either. People want your unique blend. Start anyway.

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2. ‘I’m not feeling this project.’

How you feel is not a guide to what is worth doing or not. I’ve missed many potentially exceptional experiences because I was nervous or not ‘feeling’ it.

This isn’t about bottling up your feelings. This is about understanding that feelings only ever show us what’s happening in our thoughts — all of which are guesses based on reality.

Act first. Your motivation will erupt out of action.

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3. ‘I don’t want to make a mistake and look like a doofus.’

I get it. You don’t want to look bad. You don’t want to be rejected and/or laughed at. We’re human, and we want to feel safe. And so, we choose to avoid starting over than facing the pain of rejection.

Stop. Stop doing that. The world needs your creations. You will never avoid making a mistake. Mistakes add color to work anyway. People want real, not robots.

Making mistakes is the payment we make for enjoying the satisfaction of bringing our art into the world.

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4. ‘I don’t think I know what I’m doing yet.’

Nothing I started and finished happened knowing precisely what I was doing. I gave this up quite some time ago.

Now I operate on a kind of self-reliance that knows I will figure things out as data become available to me en route. Start, even if you don’t think you know what you’re doing.

…So, how DO you start? Understanding the above is the start of the start. You don’t need permission. If it sounds like fun, do it.

When you can see that your perceived reasons to avoid starting aren’t reasons at all. The path is clear for you to pull up your chair and begin.

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Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient.