No More Excuses!

Thats it!  No more!

I am absolutely fed up with myself!

Once upon a time, I was actually in pretty decent shape.  I worked out regularly, and was even a pretty good athlete.  My diet has always been "so-so," but I always managed to burn off the extra calories.  

In recent years, my weight has fluctuated quite a bit.  More importantly, my commitment to my own weight loss comes and goes. In other words, it's not as firm as it should be. 

I get to a certain point where I look in the mirror and get disgusted with how far I have let myself go. Then, I make a pact with myself to do something about it.  

When I am going to the gym, everything is right as rain. I'm in my flow, in a routine and there is no room for deviation.  Until...

Life throws us curve balls. The name of the game is to recognize them, make adjustments, and hit them out of the park.  

Schedules change, regular gym attendance and nutrition give way to must-do items on the agenda, and suddenly everything goes down the toilet. Any effort towards eating healthier is thwarted by the fact that I am out and about and going home to cook at 9pm isn't ideal.  

Enter the excuse.

Excuses, Excuses

I have employed one excuse after another to justify my lack of progress, lack of gym attendance, not sticking to a nutrition plan, etc.  For most situations where I should be getting something done, I have found a way to rationalize getting nowhere. 

Here are some of my favorite excuses:

I don't have time
It's too expensive
I need to do this (or that) first
I'm too tired
I don't feel good
I haven't finished planning yet
Life is complicated right now
Things are fine they way they are
I'm not smart enough / good enough
It's too difficult / I'm afraid of failure
I need someone else's opinion first
I'm afraid of competition
I have young children / my family needs me
 

Here's the funny part:  Everyone makes excuses. It's completely normal. But, normal doesn't make it right.  No matter who you give your excuse to, they may accept it or pass it off like its no big deal.  You, on the other hand, have to live with those excuses.  

I have made one excuse after another for my ups and downs, lack of consistency, and not getting myself to my goals.  I have only one person to blame. I own it. 

I have always known how important this stuff is. It's not like I want to worry about having a coronary at a relatively young age.  If I want to make a change, there is no time like right now!  

Carpe Diem!

I imagine that you put off tons of things that you know are beneficial to your life right now.  Not only are they beneficial, but they may also be necessities. 

You may be just like me, adjusting your schedule on the fly, or finding that there just aren't enough hours in a day to concern yourself with what you believe are relatively insignificant items.  Maybe you think you can just play catch-up at a later time, or that things just aren't pertinent for you.

Personal branding is one of the most important, yet overlooked disciplines.  9 times out of 10, folks talk about branding as if they know what it entails, but commit no time to it and, in fact, put off doing something about it until it’s too late.

Your brand is more than your logo and color scheme. Your personal brand is intertwined with your company brand, especially if you are a small business owner.  How your clientele receives and perceives you is paramount.  Since people do business with people they like, the more personable you are, the better you are received.  The better you are received, the more revenue you will generate. Hence your business will thrive.

There is no time like now!  Spend some time re-evaluating your brand. That could be mean re-writing blog posts, re-crafting your elevator pitch, or making a survey to understand how people see you.  Shoring up some of the gaps in public perception is a major way to strengthen your brand, and become a more prominent business or business person.

The Why

These days, business is often conducted between parties that haven't met in person.  This means that the decision to do business is made based upon a picture.  This is the value of your headshot. When another human looks at your picture, and develops a positive impression of you, your personal brand is at work.

Statistically, investing in a personal branding headshot session with a professional headshot specialist, you are more likely to notice an increase in revenue. Plus, a headshot specialist will make the experience a LOT more enjoyable.  In fact, you might have so much fun that you may not even realize that you were actually doing something beneficial for your brand.

You probably already know this stuff. You know the benefits of working on your branding material, and public perception. You know that an impression is formed within 7 seconds of meeting or seeing another person.  But...

Overwhelmed

You are too busy to update your headshot. Your branding material is stale, and the update is only one third complete.  You don't want to part with the money. Your dog needs to be at the groomer at this time, and the kids have sports at that time.  You have meetings and a Crossfit class.  Your spouse is in the gym until late, and then is heading out with friends for the evening.  When are you supposed to get it all done?!  I get it!  Trust me... I get it.

Priorities

My father once told me that if it's important to you, you make time for it.  You prioritize it.  There are 7 days in a week.  No one wants to "work" on a weekend. But, that may be the best way to propel yourself to success.  No one said that success would be easy, and no one said that it would come with normal business hours.  And, no one said that it would come without sacrifice or investment.  Engage hustle mode!

Get it done today!  What are you waiting for?  If you try to play catch-up at a later time, like I did with my gym attendance and nutrition, your personal brand will experience the equivalent of a heart attack!

Think Goals, Not An Escape Plan

Don't play Russian Roulette with your personal or corporate branding. Every day you should be thinking about the next step in market penetration, and the best way(s) to get in front of your desired audience. 

In case you were wondering, I am not dealing with my own BS anymore. I am not looking for a way out anymore.  No more excuses. I'm making my strides, one day at a time.  I have goals, and I am not going to stand in my own way any longer.  Are you going to do the same?

How About You?

Let's play a game of truth: 

What excuses do you offer others and yourself to avoid getting things done?
(personally and professionally)