10 sneaky excuses that have held me back from my goals
When I first started my pursuit of creative business, I had countless reasons as to why I wasn’t, and probably couldn’t, find success.
As bad as I wanted it, I was always too tired, too busy, not good enough, and about 52 other things that I couldn’t possibly overcome. Could I? I felt so hopeless at times, because there were so many things I wanted, but even more things were holding me back.
And all these things were keeping me stuck right where I was: miserable and anxious forever wishing for more.
Then one day, I slowly started waking up to all these reasons, and realizing the truth of it: they weren’t these grand and insurmountable barriers to my success.
They were, in their truest form, excuses.
Excuses that kept me safe (but miserable) in my comfort zone. Excuses that protected me from taking responsibility for my own uncomfortable but necessary growth.
Once I woke up to that, I was finally able to start taking my rightful seat behind the wheel. I was finally able to start making real change in my life instead of just wishing for it.
That’s not to say these are things you can conqeour overnight, but the first step is to start recognizing them as they pop up, and start to question them.
So learn from my experience, and stop letting these 10 excuses hold you back from your goals.
I don’t have enough time.
This is the most common one that seems to pop up. And I get it!! We are constantly busy, some more than others. But it’s time to take back your time. Take a step back and find out how much time you actually have. Where is your time currently going? Does the way you currently spend your time align with your values and priorities in life? Are there creative ways you can refine your schedule to make time for these things that matter most to you?
Take thorough inventory of your time, and reassess where your time needs to go to move you towards your goals.
It’s too late to start.
You probably thought that last year, or even last month. But imagine how much further you’d be now if only you’d started then. If you start learning, practicing, and taking action today, just imagine how much farther you’ll be in a year.
Then imagine a year from now if you don’t try; you’ll be in exactly the same place you are now. And the year after that. Don’t let that be your future. Start today.
I’m not good enough.
You’re never going to be good enough if you don’t try. You not trying is literally the only thing keeping you from getting better. That’s it, so I’m here to give a simple solution - get better. Practice. Learn.
No one was good enough when they first started. It’s not innate. The people you look up to started exactly where you are. Don’t compare your beginnings to their middle.
I don’t know what my goals are because I don’t know my purpose.
You won’t ever find out what your “purpose” is until you start doing things, testing things, and practicing things. Also - you don’t have one purpose in life. You’re a multifaceted person, who can bring so much to this world.
You aren't going to find out what you want to do unless you try things. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to have it figured out before you start; it just won’t work that way. Accept that you’re going to try different things, and you’re going to change lanes sometimes, and that’s all very crucial to the process. Once you accept that, you can begin.
If you need help gaining clarity on your priorities and sense of purpose, I created a free workbook just for that! It’s full of journaling prompts to help you figure out what you want in life and how to get it. You can get it now!
I can’t decide what to work on.
So then you burn yourself out trying to decide and end up doing nothing at all. You don’t need to decide what to do forever, you just need to decide what to do for now. What to do today. You can always do the other thing later once you’ve figured out the first thing.
Don’t worry about making the wrong decision. If you care about multiple things, they can all be right decisions. Start with one.
If indecision is something you commonly struggle with, that’s one thing you should really focus on moving forward, because I know from experience how paralyzing it can be. Once you work on becoming more decisive, you’ll be amazed at the progress you’ll be able to make.
Indecision is something I help people overcome in my coaching program. If you feel like your indecisiveness is getting in the way of your goals and your enjoyment of life, you can learn more about my coaching program here.
I need to do more research before I can start.
Some research is good, even necessary. You don’t want to jump into anything when you know absolutely nothing about it.
But as humans, we learn much better through doing than by listening to people talk or reading about it or watching 27 TED talks. If you really want to learn, you need to throw yourself into the arena and really learn. Get your hands dirty. It’s time to face the music: at a certain point it’s not about learning anymore, it’s about procrastinating.
I really want to do it, but I’m just too lazy.
No you’re not.
If you were really that lazy you wouldn’t really give a damn. More than likely, it’s other things holding you back like indecision and perfectionism. Tackle those things and you’ll soon realize you’re not the lazy person you thought you were, you were just scared.
Stop telling yourself that you are lazy, and start admitting you are just scared, and that’s okay. You can do scared. You can move forward despite the fear.
Also, stop calling yourself names and being mean to yourself. How will you ever be able to believe in yourself if you continue to treat yourself so unkindly? The most important person that needs to believe in you, is you.
I don’t have the resources I need.
Whether it’s gear, or money, or connections, those are not the most important things. You know what is absolutely priceless that you can use to your advantage and will be so advantageous to you later?
Resourcefulness and creativity.
Don’t say “I can’t do this because…” say “HOW can I do this another way?” If you don’t have something you want, how can you either get it or do it differently? Resourcefulness and creativity are some of the most important skills you will ever acquire.
I’m trying everything, but nothing is working.
This can go a few different ways. Commonly though, either you are not really trying and you’re just doing busywork to convince yourself you’re trying, or you’re just trying the same things continuously even though they are clearly not working for you.
Either way, if you are truly applying yourself, believing in yourself, and adjusting your approach when needed, you can’t not get better. Stay consistent in your pursuit, and stay honest with yourself when you review the work you’re putting in.
This may sound harsh, but believe me, I’ve been there.
I’m learning so much but nothing is working.
On a similar note, many of us fall victim to watching countless YouTube videos, pouring over books, spending so much money on courses and/or schooling, and listening eagerly to the wisdom of the people we admire.
And then, for some odd reason, we don’t really apply what we learn! Don’t frantically jump around from strategy to strategy just crossing your fingers that something will stick. Intentionally limit the number of voices you are listening to, and then commit yourself to applying what you’re learning from them with every ounce of your being.
If you’re listening to the right advice, and truly applying what you learn to the best of your ability, you will start to see progress.
Although I’m still continuing to work on many of these things myself, I’ve already seen so much progress since coming to terms with them. It may seem scary to let these excuses go at first because it means clearing the path for you to take big steps, but once you do start moving into action, you’ll be amazed at how truly freeing it feels to let go.
Have any of these excuses been standing in the way of your own goals? Are there any other ones you’ve realized are holding you back? Let me know in the comments.
Before you go, did you pick up my free self discovery workbook? These prompts have been so powerful in my own life, and I’m dying to share them with you and help you find the insight you’ve been needing. Pick it up now: