Building .. Growing: Excuses Not Included
Let me tell you a story ...
Starting something new - whether it’s launching AIG Home Buyer, GRID Gaithersburg, or training for a big race - comes with its own challenges. The biggest roadblock I’ve found?
Excuses. Excuses. Excuses.
George Washington Carver said...
“99% of all Failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses.”
And the truth is, that habit can sneak in under the radar—especially when I’m stepping into something big and unfamiliar.
Excuses are easy.
Excuses are comfortable.
Excuses are soothing.
Excuses take away the pressure to succeed.
Excuses come wrapped in a warm and cozy blanket of not enough time, not enough money, or even I’m not ready yet.
They’re the voice of “Little Nicky” in our minds, trying to steer us back to a safe, predictable space. But as Carver pointed out, it’s these very excuses that derail most people, causing them to stop before they’ve even truly started.
At Wednesday's Launch Party for GRID Gaithersburg, we discussed several excuses that keep many people from starting.
Excuse #1: It Takes A LOT of Money to Make Money ... In reality, we all start at ZERO. I scratched together just enough to purchase my first fix/flip property with my own funds. Since that time, I've every other property I've purchased to renovate was purchased with OPM (Other People's Money).
Excuse #2: I Don't Know Enough ... Information is cheaper than ever!!! YouTube costs nothing. Groups like GRID and others are full of free and low-cost resources to help you get started in growing your knowledge.
Excuse #3: I Don't Have any Connections ... You aren't looking hard enough. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, GRID, Meetup are all rich in resources and connections.
When started something new, the hardest part isn’t the work itself; it’s staying focused and quieting that inner voice that is making excuse after excuse about why you should or why it's going to fail, or a million other reasons why it's a bad idea.
Jocko Willink’s perspective on discipline comes in here: to him, discipline isn’t about self-punishment—it’s about freedom. It’s about freeing myself from the limitations my mind tries to set with excuses. When I focus on showing up, day by day, the excuses start to lose their grip.
When training for Spartan races, there’s no way around the grind.
Next weekend I'm going to be in Newberry, SC completing a Spartan Trifecta - obstacle courses courses of 5k (3.1 miles), 10k (6.2 miles), and 21k (13.5 miles) respectively. The 21k will be on Saturday and then the 10k Sunday morning followed immediately by the 5k.
About a week ago a close friend asked me if I wanted to run the Miami marathon on February 2, 2025.
Do I WANT to run a marathon??? Hell No!
Am I going to run the marathon??? Hell Yes!
I'm running the marathon because of what I'll have to endure during the training.
I'll have to push through with extra miles on a run or dig a little deeper during a workout.
In the same way, I have to stick with the unglamorous parts of AIG and GRID —learning, planning, adapting.
The more consistently I do this, the stronger my resilience becomes.
Excuses will invariably try to sneak back in, but they have less power against the discipline I’m building.
Robin Sharma often says, “begin before you’re ready."
I’m learning that there’s never a “perfect” time to start anything worth doing. Just like in my 3 month marathon training, I started with a 3 mile run and then a 4 mile run and tomorrow, it will be 6 miles. Each step brings me closer to the goal, and each excuse I overcome is another win.
Whether it’s starting a business, an investing group, or training for a race, the key is deciding that excuses don’t get a seat at the table.
The path to success may have a hundred obstacles, but I won’t let the habit of making excuses be one of them.
