As I continue to work with people in the area of building a profitable business, I hear the same excuses over and over. Some of the more memorable ones are:

“But you don’t understand. My business is different.”

“Sure, that works for you, but I’m new.”

“I’m too old.”

“I’m on (insert guru’s name here) list, and they said I should try (insert name of latest product or service here).”

And my all-time favorite:

“I can’t afford a mentor.”

When I started my serious exercise and eating plan at the first of this year I soon realized that I was making the exact same excuses!

Even though I was showing up at the gym each week, I found myself telling the trainers that they did not understand why I wasn’t making much progress because my body was different.

As I observed others losing weight and replacing fat with muscle I explained that it was working for them, but not for me, because I was new and needed time to settle in to the exercise and fitness routines they were teaching me. I also told them that I was too old to be able to make the kind of progress some of the others were making.

I soon began searching the Internet for help and found myself telling the trainers at my gym that people online were recommending an entirely different regime that I was going to check out. When they recommended that I work out privately with a trainer three times each week I told them that it was just too expensive for my budget.

I had effectively taken myself out of the game and ensured my failure by not trusting them to guide me in the right direction. When I finally realized this I apologized profusely and began to make a serious and consistent effort to follow exactly what they were recommending. The result was that I began to lose weight, increase my muscle mass, decrease my BMI (Body Mass Index), and feel better overall.

Once I stopped making excuses and started focusing on how to do the best I could under the guidance and direction of those I trusted, everything changed overnight.

Have you found yourself making any of these excuses when it comes to building a profitable business online, or in any other area of your life?