The most destructive forces against your dream are the excuses that you could be giving yourself. Excuses are dream killers and progress stoppers. Some people even use them as a safeguard so they won’t have to take a step of faith and try something new. The only thing that lies between them and their destiny is the barricade of excuses that they have placed on the road themselves.
Have you ever had a dream that never got off the ground because you gave yourself one excuse after another as to why you couldn’t or shouldn’t? If that’s you, then it’s time to drop the excuses that are killing your dream and get after it.
Just think of how much further along you would be if you eliminate your excuses once and for all. You can make excuses, or you can make progress, but you can’t make both. Here are four excuses that are killing your dream.
"I don’t have time."
We are given twenty-four hours every day. The truth is, you don’t have a time-deficiency problem; you have a time-management problem. You will need to prioritize your daily activities and strategically allow a certain amount of time to work toward your goals on a consistent basis. If you have time for your favorite TV shows or scrolling through your multiple social media apps, then you have time to work on your dream.
People who are living their dreams are the people who made time for their dreams.
Let’s face it, when there is something that we really want, we will do whatever we have to do in order to make time for it. If you are really ready to go after your dream and make it a reality, then you must get rid of this excuse once and for all.
Figure out the things that could be taking up too much of your time, and then reallocate that time to working on your dream. You will truly be amazed at how much time you really do have.
"I don’t have enough education."
Many millionaires and top successful business people never finished high school or even took one semester of college. They didn’t allow that to stop them. This is not insinuating that education is not important, but it shows that the lack of education should not stop you from reaching your dreams. In today’s society, social media has made it easy to acquire resources and knowledge from successful people who are already doing what you are dreaming about. Follow them on social media and start learning from them now.
Some of your dreams may require you getting another level of education. But once again, it’s up to you to do something about it and quit using your lack of education as an excuse. There are online courses and classes available at your very fingertips on the Internet. You might also consider taking a college course that’s geared in the direction of your dream. For instance, if you’re thinking of starting a business, then you might consider taking some business courses that can help you along the way.
"I don’t have enough money."
In reality, some of our dreams do cost us more than hard work, blood, sweat and tears. Sometimes our dreams cost money. Big dreams require a big budget. Just because you can’t afford it now doesn’t mean you can’t afford it later. People who are serious about their dreams understand that they might have to make a few financial cutbacks now in order to get to their destination tomorrow. When you plan, budget, and make cutbacks, you are preparing the way for you to fund your dream.
Budget: Take some time to sit down and write out a budget if you haven’t already. Sometimes a budget can be overwhelming if you’ve never done one before, but your dream is important and you must budget so you can get rid of this excuse that is stopping you. If you need help, there are many budget templates on the Internet that you can download to get you started. You could also reach out to a financial planner that could help you with creating a budget.
Plan: Figure out just how much extra money you will need in order to start the process of making your dream a reality. For example, if your dream were to write and publish your very own book then you would plan by researching all the potential costs that you would incur. You might also consider taking on a few extra side jobs that would enable you to earn some extra income. Plan on the extra income going towards funding your dream.
Cutbacks: Saying no to a few things like eating out for lunch everyday is a good place to start when determining the cutbacks that you will make in order to start saving the needed funds for your dream. A budget will make it easier for you to identify necessary cutbacks that you can do without for a while and will enable you to start saving the extra money you need in order to start funding your dream.
"I’m too tired."
You don’t have an energy problem; you’ve got a passion problem. When you are passionate about your dreams, then seeing them become a reality will supercharge you. Passion creates an energy that will sustain you on the journey to your destination; it will wake you up early and get you going on your way.
Or maybe it’s not a passion problem but a vision problem. Maybe you’ve reached a place where you are losing sight of the vision of reaching your dream. Trust me, what you see—your vision—has the ability to re-energize you, even when you feel like you can’t go on. To bring home this point, several motivational speakers have shared the following story. While funny and humorous, it is a scenario we can probably all identify with.
A woman comes home from work tired and exhausted. She tells her husband that it’s been a very long and hard day at work and she is way too tired to prepare the family’s evening dinner. Then she lies down on the sofa to rest. A few minutes later, the phone rings, and it’s her best friend calling to inform her that the red dress that she has been eyeing for a while is finally on sale for half off at their favorite clothing store. The lady who was once tired and exhausted all of a sudden springs into action. She jumps up from the couch, puts on her shoes, kisses her husband bye, and out the door she goes, headed to purchase that red dress.
Was she lying about being tired and exhausted? Was that just an excuse so she wouldn’t have to cook dinner? I don’t think so. She probably did have a long, exhausting day and was truly too tired to muster up enough energy to prepare dinner.
What happened then? She was energized by the phone call she received from her best friend telling her about the red dress being half off. The vision of her wearing the coveted dress gave her the shot of adrenaline she needed to get off the couch and get moving in the direction of her dream.
The moral of the story is that if you keep your vision alive, it will create energy in you that you didn’t even know you had.
It’s time for you to make a decision to stop letting excuses kill the dreams that you have. Take a moment to identify a dream in your life that you haven’t gone after because of one reason or another. Write out a few of the excuses you told yourself as to why you couldn’t reach the dream. For every excuse you list, create a plan of action that will empower you to overcome it. Stay focused, persistent and passionate towards your dreams and goals. If you keep at it, you’ll eventually get there…and it’ll be so worth it in the end.
