The only place you will find success before work is in the dictionary.
To be successful, you need to work and work hard.
Don’t be put off by that. Hard work will lead to success. It might not be the success you sought when you first started, but hard work, dedication, and persistence will always pay off.
Often people will not start on the journey to success because they have accepted and believe one or more of the following lies.
In addition to share the lies, I want to offer you some practical steps and encouragement to face these lies and overcome them.
Lie #1: If I Had More Time
If I had more time, I would be able to do X, Y, or Z.
We all have the same amount of time in our days as the “greats” of history.
Each day comes with 24 hours, made up of 60 minutes each hour, and 60 seconds per minute.
What you decide to do with each of the 86,400 seconds is up to you.
Who Do You Work For?
When you work for someone else, they control a large number of those seconds and hours each day. Do you have a skill set that you could pursue on the side that could one day lead to you having more time freedom?
Look For Time Leaks
We all waste time. The only resource that can NOT be renewed. We take it for granted.
Do a time check for a week. Every 15 minutes, write down what you are doing.
My number 1 suggestion to you is to turn off the T.V. It is a time suck.
According to an article on Statista.com, the “average U.S. consumer spent 289 minutes (4h 49min) daily watching TV in 2015.”
You have the time, you just aren’t spending it right, but you can redeem the time going forward.
Lie #2: If I Make A Mistake
If I make a mistake, I’ll never be able to recover.
You WILL make mistakes. The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.
~Elbert Hubbard
As Winston Churchill is quoted as saying, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
When we take on a risk, we need to be reasonable in the amount of risk that we take. So when we make a mistake, we can turn them into learning experiences so you can begin again with more knowledge and wisdom.
Check out Jon Acuff’s book, Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done (Affiliate Link*). In it, he advises that you cut your goals in half and argues against making BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals).
Work on smaller goals and build on your successful implementation. Then make bigger goals.
Lie #3: I Need To Be An Expert
I need to be an expert to be taken seriously, to make money, to create an audience, etc.
Alex Trebek is quoted as saying, “We are all experts in our own little niches.”
You don’t need to be a Ph.D. is a field. You can be an expert to the group of people that is 3 or 4 steps behind you.
To paraphrase Derek Sivers, what is obvious to you is often amazing to others. This is where you can be an expert. You have your point of view, or worldview, to bring a unique look at something.
Embrace your uniqueness and your experience. You know more about certain topics than the masses do.
Lie #4: I’m Too Old/Young To Start Now
I’m too old to start now; you should’ve started young. You missed your chance.
This is one of the oldest lies I’ve seen in regards to success and failure.
When I was young, I thought I needed to be older and more experienced.
Now that I’m middle-aged, I occasionally think that blogging and web design is for “younger” people.
Yes, if you are 60 and want to become a brain surgeon and have no medical background, you might be right. You might be too old to do 12+ years of medical school.
But I’m guessing that is not what you want to do.
My 80+-year-old former neighbor ran 5k, 10k, and 1/2 marathon races into his late 70s. He didn’t start running until his 50s.
Start Your Side Hustle Today
You have all the time you need to start your side hustle today. If you have 1-2 hours per day or 10-12 hours per week, you can start building a side hustle that can generate 20% of your current income in the next 90 days.
Since you are building a side hustle and not jumping into full-time self-employment, you can afford to make mistakes. The good news is that right now; most people have no idea that you are starting a side hustle. The bad news that right now, most people have no idea that you are starting a side hustle.
It is better to start now and make your mistakes in front of a small audience than to wait until things are perfect. Because things will NEVER be perfect.
As you create this side hustle, remember that you ARE an expert to others. You only need to be a couple of steps ahead of people to be considered an expert. A 4th grader is a math expert to the 2nd grader that is learning their multiplication tables. Besides, you will better understand the person if you are a 4th grader helping a 2nd grader vs. a high schooler doing calculus.
As long as you have breath in your nostrils, you still have time to build a side hustle and eventually take it full-time. For some, this side hustle will become a life’s work. For others, it will be the fulfillment of a life’s dream. Your age is irrelevant.
What is important is your passion, skill, and finding the right audience.
Love this post Eric! The list of lies are all I’ve personally had to work through.
#1 If I had more time is still sometimes a challenge. I’m online working full time for clients. Web development/design and social media management. Much of that consumes my workdays.
I’ve had to learn to press on with time blocking for my own work. 😀
Thank you for the kind words Cori Leigh. I work through these myself. Most times I can overcome them.