Self-sabotage. It happens to the best of us. We have all these brilliant business ideas and elaborate plans. Then comes time for execution. What happens? You get stuck in the plan-excuse-stall cycle. You gotta walk the talk. It’s time to take control of your busi=ness’s future. You have more control over this than you think. Your circumstances can change at any moment and you have to have the mindset in place to adapt to those changes. However, these ideas keep you from taking responsibility for your success. It's completely up to you to bring your goals into fruition. If you keep tripping over yourself in this business thang, keep reading and getcha life together.
I don't have the time.
Ahhh. The most common excuse. This is my favorite one. Some of y’all are building your side hustle while working full-time. Some of y’all are building your business as your primary source of income. But all of us have the same 24 hours in a day. It ain’t going to change. How are you going to take control of your time? Google calendar? Nightly to-do lists? What works for you?
I don’t have the money.
This one is hard to get out of if you’re actually struggling financially. Say you’re a waitress and you only make money from tips. You might feel guilty if you put money towards a side hustle that may or may not guarantee the results that you want. In this case you might want to focus on how you can get more money. What skills do you have that can serve as a temporary side hustle? Maybe you know how to do hair (not in this quarantine economy) and that money can help with personal bills and your business expenses. Also, decide what’s most important for you to pay for. What tools and apps do you absolutely need to start your business?
I can’t help my procrastinating.
Well…. Why do you keep procrastinating? Are you tired after work? Do you wait for the perfect timing? We all know by now that procrastination is an extension of perfectionism. There will never be a perfect time or circumstance. I say this, get to B+ level work and get it out there. You can always reinvent at any time. Granted, if you’re a perfectionist, your B+ level work might be better than someone's A+ work. Don’t let them beat you just because they’re not afraid of putting themselves out there.
I have to do everything by myself.
As a solopreneur, you may have trouble delegating or collaborating with others. You cannot make it alone. Life is interdependence. Interdependence is life. If you’re like me, you want to establish a strong sense of independence, individualism, and innovation. However, that does not mean that you have to go at it alone. For the solopreneur, this may mean brand collaborations, interviews or podcasting, guest posting on other sites, or just interacting with your followers and target audience on your social media. I had to get out of the idea that people were going to come if you build it. They can’t come when they don’t know you. Get in the comments section, send those emails, or whatever it is you need to do to connect.
I have to do everything in one sitting.
This one has kept me from being consistent with a lot of my content for a while. I like to keep all of my work in the same time period because it makes me feel more productive. However, it’s more self-sabotaging than anything. Who in the world can tackle their entire to-do list in one day, much less one sitting?! That’s ridiculous. Chunk your time however works for your schedule.
If it doesn’t take off in a specified amount of time, it won’t ever take off.
This is one of the hurdles I had to get over early if I was going to persist with this brand. No one else will show up if you don’t. They can’t learn about you if they don’t see you. The more they see you showing up, the more likely your platform will take off. The early days are the hardest.
If it’s a good idea, it shouldn’t be hard
If it’s a good idea, it won’t be easy. Y’all already know this. Some folks need to hear it once more. It takes time to get your target audience to pay attention to your brand. Patience, my friend. Patience.
Girl, your goals don’t care about your fears, insecurities, or excuses. None of that. Do you want it bad or not? If you do, attach more weight to the possibility of having what you want than whether you have now. No one can save you or do it for you. Delayed gratification is everything. You got this!