Overnight Success 3 – No Excuses

You speak truth, and if it feels uncomfortable, there is probably some self-assessment to be done. Author M. Scott Peck, in The Road Less Traveled, talked about our tendency to be surprised when we're faced with challenges. If we anticipated them, we could do like we do in the surf when a big wave comes: dive in, swim through, and rise to the top without getting tumbled around.

If anyone is taking you too literally, they are missing the point. You're not trying to say we should come see you or that we have to be like you. You're simply reminding us that the road to WHATEVER goals we have is not always smooth or flat and we should expect to have to exert effort--not whine when the road changes.

I"m not going to post my original comment because it sounds like a bunch of excuses.

In all seriousness, very inspirational. It's easier to make an excuses than to find the reasons behind the excuse.

Rock on.

Hey Chris, I recently wrote about your incredible sacrifices on my blog and I feel like this video addressed a lot of the concerns I had about how much time you spent away from your family. I didn't write it with the intention of pointing the finger at you and saying, "This guy sucks at being a husband and father," and I hope that if you came across it you didn't think that. My intention was to say that I'm not willing to make the same sacrifice. This may mean that I won't achieve the same level of success as you, and I'm okay with that. I'll take one of those other ways to the finish line.

When you said that your family has a goal and that that you're pushing and stretching to accomplish those goals, and not without deep consideration, I understood. You're obviously an excellent communicator and it would make sense that you and your wife discussed the potential sacrifice at length before you jumped into this. We may not totally see eye to eye on the sacrifice of family, but I understand your perspective and I have tremendous respect for your honesty, passion, and giving nature. I don't think for a moment that you actually want to be away from your family. As long as your family loves and respects you the most, and you don't feel like you're risking or neglecting your family, then you're a rock star. I applaud your success.

Thanks for sharing. I'm always super grateful.

Thank-you, for taking this view!

so many people assume to know what is best for us
apply judgement as fact
it's so frustrating for me

chris is so diplomatic
i'm not
don't assume to know *anything* about or family
or what is best for us

i personally don't want anyone's "concern"
apply it to your own family? sure! have at
we remain private for a reason :)
they have the best of intentions i'm sure
but really folks
back off!
:)

Yeah, this is one of those situations where people (such as myself) lack the perspective to be able to criticize your family with any authority. Concern isn't ever a bad thing, unless it begins to encroach on your freedom to deal with your family in your own manner. When people start throwing out opinions as fact and attacking what they don't understand (but believe that they do) then you end up with problems.

I'm sure it's hard enough on both of you being apart during those busy periods. You don't need people like me pointing fingers. I bet there are times when you feel like a single mom at your wits end, but there's comfort in knowing that you're family is secure and you've got a man who is taking care of you and has an incredible head on his shoulders. I seriously admire the hell out of him and I barely know the guy. I can't imagine the level of admiration you must have for him.

Thanks for letting us monopolize Chris for a little while. ;)

I know this post is more so about the excuses that people put in the way of their goals, even subconsciously, but I think that is also systemic of a deeper issue. A deep rooted fear of the failure risk might involve. Risk being defined in a variety of ways, subtle or more intense. Risk in time to go see a speaker, risk in money to invest in something that may or may not better us or create an ROI, risk in pursuing something that the outcome is unclear or not guaranteed. It’s all stepping out of our comfort zone to push into the unknown, the areas we WANT but sometimes don’t have the drive to PURSUE. (I'm working on that more myself so I'm preaching to the choir here).

"If you've never failed, you've never lived." Life = Risk. Love the video here that examples famous failures http://bit.ly/liferiskvideo (link to BluFishTV.com site with video player on right side). It’s time to move past fear and let risk work in our favor.

This is an awesome perspective. I think much of what I'm not willing to sacrifice does correlate directly with my fear of losing or failing.

You make a very good point, that decisions to commit to a course of action are based on one's evaluation of cost versus potential reward.

I think there is wisdom in not risking valuable assets like time, energy and money when there are alternatives.

Example: instead of travelling 100 miles to see Chris Brogan speak, attend his lecture next week in a city only 10 miles away.

Dan,
I think you are right on and Chris Brogan touches on this as well. Fear of taking risk is huge and is something that often gets in our way of accomplishing our goals. Deep down I believe that the current thought process goes something like this: 1) Dream 2) Contemplate risks associate with our dreams and 3) Eliminate dreams/goals based on those risks. Ultimately, I believe we need to revise step #3 so that it looks like "Eliminate the risks that could prevent us from accomplishing our dreams/goals." Instead of eliminating our dreams we need to eliminate the barriers/excuses that stand in our way. If we adapted that mindset, there would be "No Excuses" for not reaching our dreams.

Thanks Chris for the great post.

Detavio
http://detavio.com

What a great way to put this Detavio! That three step process you set out that manages to put people in excuses mode.

Dude... spot on. I recently started following you because of Darren at problogger and these three part videos have inspired me to take it up a notch. About a month ago I had an idea to take my blog and turn it into a weekly podcast, put a plan together, executed, and BOOM... in less then a month "Cruise and Blog Radio" is at 672 subscribers on itunes and growing.. and opportunities coming in... I just wanted to say thanks.

I also agree that multi media is a great way to get your sites in front of people, I am a big fan of making youtube videos and putting my website across the bottom for the whole video.

Thanks again!

doug

That is great news about the podcast. What do you think they're doing for your project? Are they helping with engagement?

They are making my page views sky rocket, this is the first non corporate
cruise radio show out there -- the cruise lines have radio shows but they
are so biased. Its exciting to see how many people are into the niche of
crusing/travel.

I work in radio and have been for the past ten years so I have a leg up
production wise. I would be curious to know your thoughts when you get a
chance... http://cruiseandblog.com/ .

I have had cruise lines contact me already about possible advertising for
their 2010 marketing... not to shabby for something I started for fun... the
growth is crazy.

Thanks for the kind works and look forward to your thoughts...

doug

EXCELLENT 2 minutes. Agree and loved it. Thanks!

People put excuses for everything (including me) then complain that don't have luck. Sacrifice, risk, and action three that will describe success.
Thanks Chris

Oddly enough, "overnight success" is btter defined as "burning the midnight oil" than it is by "instant results."

The first step to removing a barrier is recognizing it in your process. If you can't be honest enough to see when you're looking at reasons and when the reasons are excuses, that's your first and biggest barrier to success.

Thinking forward is important as well. There's not an overnight success living who made it by planning for yesterday.

It's Saturday morning. Still. No wind. I'd like to be in the ocean, surfing. Conditions in the fall are best, we wait all year for these conditions.

Instead, I'm cleaning another Whitepaper for my first series of 6. I'd like to start selling product, sooner than later, and that means no surfing. Sucks.

But what's the alternative? Getting a job? I don't think so...

Good man, Dave. Those waves will taste sweeter when you never have to work for the man again. : )

The more successful you become, the more other people's excuses really stand out to you. After your big "Internet Marketing for Smart People" panel at BlogWorld '09, I had a chance to catch up with Sonia Simone, who I hadn't seen in person since SOBCon '08. I complimented her on her wonderful pink hair, and she told me how another kid's mother at her kid's school told her: "I wish I could have hair like that."

And we both thought the same thing: NOTHING is really stopping you.

No person holds a gun to your head. No law prevents you. It's like people have their emergency brake on all the time. You can't drive anywhere that way.

You're right, sir. I think Daniel Decker has the right mindset: that it's also about fear.

First, I whole heartedly agree with you in this video. Being driven and not looking back are huge keys to success.

What I don't agree with is the "Overnight" part of this. The concepts that you are addressing are ones that take years and years to develop.

Being driven is not something that you can just wake up one morning and do. Of course the first step is to wake up one morning and SAY you can do it. Then it takes practice, backslide, determination and perseverance. Eventually it becomes a default mindset. I think it's an important distinction.

Excuses are just a way to justify an inaction. It's much easier to come up with reasons why it's not the perfect time to do something. These "excusers" (including me) needs to realize that there will never be an absolute perfect time to do something, but that doesn't mean that it isn't the right time to do something.

If you want to achieve a goal, hunker down and get your ass to work. You shouldn't expect anyone else to make your goals happen.

You want me to drive 100 miles to see you? Who ARE you?

I wouldn't mind drive 100miles to see him. I missed once, at the izea fest and would not happen again

I'd fly from Australia just to buy Chris a beer and have a chat about nothing in particular. Some people are worth meeting, my dear Fiona.

Exactly Jon. I guess she is in the wrong blog.

Another great addition to your series, Chris. Great point about being willing to push past what's comfortable, convenient, and easy...for temporary satisfaction. True achievement comes from what you said so well, getting rid of the excuses, roadblocks we put in our way, and holding back in fear of taking risks. In other words, moving past the "getting something for nothing" myth so many live by.

Best,
Coach Kathy B.

Overnight Success is not for the weak of heart, you have to go all the way for the love of the game. There is and always be a price to be paid, only you get to decide if that happens. Love this stuff Chris, thank you.

Chris, thanks for the three videos. I have turned to social media to help advance a military charity I work with. I saw people around me who could make things for the charity. Or donate gobs of money. Or schmooze with high rollers to get them to donate gobs of money. But I couldn't do any of those things. So, instead of focusing on what I couldn't do....I am focusing on what I can do and that's using social media. I have found Twitter to be an underutilized tool in the somewhat insular world of the milblogs. I think it's going to be really great and I am excited about having the rubber meet the road as we kick off Project Valour-IT this Monday.

I appreciate what I find here at your place. Thanks.

Just last night I was speaking to my husband about how tired I was, really really tired because of the work I'm doing with my blog. I've set goals I want to accomplish with my blog my June next year and it's taking a whole lot of work. I thank God for mentors like Darren Rowse, yourself and others who have said over and over that it takes hard work. Having that drilled into my conscious and subconscious is helping me to press on. Keep on sharing. Myself and others are listening, learning and doing.

Take this morning for example. I could have stayed in bed, it's Sunday but I got up at my normal time of 4am to pray and do some more blogging activities because this early the children are still asleep and I can focus. It's 730am and I'm getting off the computer now to go cook lunch and prepare for church service but just had to post this to thank you for speaking the truth.

Have a wonderful day and thank you so much.

Chris, I love this series and wholeheartedly agree that excuses get in our way, fear can drive excuses (fear of change, fear of success, fear of what might be left behind,fear of the new things to come), and we all take our own path. Overnight success is a choice, I suppose. I'm not sure it's for everyone. But no matter the pace at which we reach our goals, excuses are always the blocks that must be dealt with.

Nice post, Chris. Always be in constant action. That's what it is all about. When we are in constant action and actively pursue our goals, magic happens. You are a testament to that. Great post.

Very inspiring Chris!

Success only comes to those who take it - not to those hoping it finds them... very few willing to go through physiological & emotional growing pains, challenges and sacrifices required to take the hill...

Chris thanks! Trust Breafast was great. Videotaped it, will post by Mon. for those who missed it.
No excuses: had diverticulitis attack Fri. night saw doc, resting while video is trancoding & uploading)

Everyone can easily fall into the excuse mode. Life IS hard. We are all busy. But your point is on the money -- if you want the success... you have to "do". I know a person who makes excuses about everything and the wonders why she is not reaching her goals. She spends too much time counting pennies while stepping over $100 bills.

Your whole series about "over-night success" is valuable because I have never met an overnight success.... these people have always paid their dues. Shortcuts do not work (ask the Balloon Boy's family). That story of the Tortoise and the Hare is real.

You're funny. You are so not talking about overnight success in the traditional sense. You're talking about BEING successful now. Remove the barriers to your success now, go to that conference and get in the mix. That's what successful people do. Great stuff, keep it coming.

Liz Strauss keeps repeating this one:

"Argue for your limitations, and they are yours."

When you listen for it, you will hear people not just accepting limits, but actually arguing for them, making limits into excuses. I've slipped into it in some ways, more than I like to admit. But I'm changing my thinking. I'm re-focusing on the possibility, the plan, the action.

And the 100 miles made me laugh.

Really appreciated this video, and this series.

Great post. You are so right. It is very easy for us to make excuses on why we can't do something or can't get something done. Excuses hold us back from our full potential and are holding people back from being successful. WOW..this post hit home! Thanks!

Your absolutely right, Chris. I always hear people telling me what their obstacles are and why they shouldn't try something or take a risk. It sounds to me like they are trying to convince themselves that they would fail if they tried.

If you're not failing routinely, you're not making enough attempts.

In my experience inaction is rooted in fear of failure. Go out there do your best fail and figure out how to do it better next time. I have had some big failures but the benefit of those failures is that I see they aren't going to kill me and after I have learned all that I did from those failures I sure as hell am not going to let failure stop me.

People don't pity you when you get knocked down they pity you when you stay down. You may fail, you may come up short, but you can't lose if you don't quit. Funny the guys @ gravitational marketing did a video on failure http://ow.ly/wush this is a topic all of us have to deal with.

The harder I work (Work/Family/$, etc) The luckier I get!
Thank YOU for the VIDEO....

"Success is always measured by what you achieved, but rather how far you had to go to get it. " scoring a run from 3rd base is cool but the person who started outside of the park and made it to 3rd base or to home plate came a lot further (not to demean those who started on 3rd base and think they hit a triple) than someone else.

And why does that person even try, given where they started. Simple, "because the thought of not trying is an abomination; is death itself, is a strangulation slowly and painfully."

That's what motivates me

fred kaplowitz
63 yrs old
successful businessman, consultant and speaker

I Liked this post. I found it really interesting but unfortunately I missed first two parts. So how can I get that??
helpdesk software

Thanks Chris for caring enough to bring us into our brilliance.... absolutely true if we don't push past the every day mundane stuff and reach for our goals there is no one else out there who will do it for us... thanks for the reminder!!!

Will you lift me up and help me? I am a 53 year old mom. I need advice for educating myself and finding employment in social media. I need to get an overnight job so I can start working on becoming and overnight success! Thanks for your encouraging words.

Chris, thanks for the three videos. I have turned to social media to help advance a military charity I work with. I saw people around me who could make things for the charity. Or donate gobs of money. Or schmooze with high rollers to get them to donate gobs of money.
www.johnvcaruana.com

Chris, thanks for the three videos. I have turned to social media to help advance a military charity I work with. I saw people around me who could make things for the charity. Or donate gobs of money. Or schmooze with high rollers to get them to donate gobs of money.

www.johnvcaruana.com

I'm reading The Alchemist and it talks about your Personal Legend and how you find it easy to get deterred from achieving it. It's true, and that speaks to what you're saying. We fear failure so much we would rather not try. Thanks, Chris.

Thank you Chris. I had my children listen to this video clip as well, because we do not stand for excuses.

Maybe it should be re-phrased to "Thru-the-night Success" through lots of nights, early mornings and every other spare moment, hey :O
My excuse is time, hmmm. But then again, how good/wise am I with the time I do have,hmmm.

I am getting past the excuse that I am to young (23) to do anything. Often it seems that this is the excuse of others for me, they tell me I have to wait etc...
But I am moving past this excuse.
Thanks for the encouragement.

I hear excuses all the time and the funny thing is to succeed I actually don't think you need a huge amount of talent. I think the guys making it in our game are just guys who put in the hours when others just offer up excuses. Hard work gets you everywhere!

Thanks for another great video Chris.

You're so right. No one is going to give everything to you, you have to work hard and earn it! By making more excuses, you will never achieve your goals and become a success. I work hard everyday with building my business and taking care of my family. They are the reason I do it all.

Many people have fear keeping them back from their success. If you don't take hold of that fear and control it, you will never see what you can achieve.

It's the price, man...so many just aren't willing to pay up for what they want. Unfortunately it's just ignorance of the value they're giving up...the best times of my life...the travel, the fun, the memories...all the best stuff has been when I was working the HARDEST, not when I was kicking back.

do you know how funny you look at the end of your youtube clip, take a look

might be worth spending the time to edit

sorry that was immature, please remove

Chirs, this is great information. People want overnight success but they are usually unwilling to work for it. Tom Leding once said, "Overnight success usually takes 10 years."