Which Excuses Are Keeping You From Starting or Growing Your Business?

Are you doing the work you want to do?  Have you started that business you’ve been wanting to launch?  If you have a business, is it as successful as you’d like?  If you answered ‘no’ to any of those questions, what’s holding you back?  What’s keeping you from starting your business or taking your existing business to the next level?  While it’s true some circumstances are outside our control, those are the exceptions.  Chances are, if there’s something holding you back, it’s you and the excuses you’re making to keep you from doing what it takes to get what you want.  Of course no one likes to hear that, but it’s usually the truth.  Read through the list of excuses below and see if anything sounds familiar.  Then keep reading to get the scoop on how to overcome these excuses and get on with the business of being all you can be.

1. I’m afraid I’ll fail. This is the mother of all excuses.  Many other excuses are actually this one in disguise.  People often say that they’re putting off their dreams due to lack of money or time, for example, when if they did some soul searching, they’d find that they’re really just afraid of failing.  The hard part is, there is always a risk of failure in business.  So if you’re hoping to somehow eliminate that possibility before you take the necessary steps toward success, you’ll never take them.  The people who are successful in life are not without fear.  They have fear, just like you.  The difference is, they act anyway.  A useful tool to push through this fear is to ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?”  You’re not going to lose your life, your family or your health by starting or growing your business, so even if the worst does happen, you’ll end up with the most important things in life.  Also, keep in mind that some of the greatest success stories include a lot of failures, so even if you do fail, that’s just one more step toward success.  One thing is true no matter what: If you don’t try at all, you’ve already failed.

2. I don’t have enough money. Another reason to keep up the status quo, this excuse is especially effective these days – what with the economy and all.  The truth is, while a lack of money might keep you from starting big, it doesn’t have to keep you from starting at all.  Any step you can take toward starting or building your business is a step in the right direction and will empower you to do more.  So take the steps that cost little or no money, like researching, networking, social media marketing, and planning.  In the meantime, eliminate things that aren’t as important as building your future and divert the money to your venture. (i.e. cable TV, video games, lattes, lunch out, etc.)

3. I’m too young or too old. This excuse is just silly, but many still use it to hold themselves back.  In reality, people of all ages have started successful businesses.  It’s never to early or too late to begin working toward your dream.  If you’re young, connect with people who are more experienced and ask whatever questions you have.  They’ll appreciate your courage, drive and enthusiasm, and you’ll be surprised how much help you’ll find.  If you’re older, play upon your life experience to drive your success.  Connecting is a key in this case as well.  If there’s something you don’t know or don’t understand, find someone who does, and don’t be shy about asking for help.

4. I don’t have enough time. It’s hard to justify this excuse when you know there are single mothers out there holding down full time jobs while taking on a full college course load.  Chances are, your challenge has more to do with time management than the amount of time you have.  After all, we all have the same amount of time in our day.  The secret to eliminating this excuse is getting rid of all the stuff that isn’t helping you to get where you want to be.  If you watch TV, play video games, or party every weekend, then you have time – you’re just not using it wisely.  Another challenge people have with time is in thinking they need huge blocks of time to accomplish anything.  If your schedule is such that you can only work on your business in bits and pieces, so be it.  Don’t let that keep you from doing what you can.  Again, every small step takes you closer to your goal, so take those steps.

There are a lot more excuses than these that people use to hold them down.  The point is, these really are excuses.  Each can be a legitimate concern, but often what it takes to get what you want is to see all the reasons it can’t be done and to do it anyway.  Remember, action begets action begets results.  In other words, do something in spite of all the excuses, and you might just start a chain of activity that will result in success.  Make ‘someday’ today!