How Fear Robbed Me Big Time
I usually tell this painful story of how fear robbed me big time some years ago. I started working on my book on excuses in 2014. At this time, Amazon self-publishing was scouting for manuscripts. I stumbled on one of these scouting messages and submitted the details of my book. I got a response right away from one of the Amazon marketers for the self-publishing business. They had different packages covering editing to publishing and marketing on amazon. I could do this from editing to publishing and marketing on Amazon for as little as $450.  |
| I really wanted to jump in right away, but I did not. I kept finding one excuse or the other. I started and moved the process forward a little bit at a time and finally dropped out of it Within the next 12 months, that opportunity was flooded, and the offer packages were stopped by Amazon having fully disrupted traditional publishing. My excuses at that time included: (a) I am not ready right now, (b) I do not have the money now.Each of these excuses can be true except when you dig deeper, they were not. Half-truths and lies show up as excuses. I am not ready right now had to do with the fear of not wanting to put my writing out there. I lacked the confidence. Oh my God what will people say? Oh, my God, I am not sure this book is good.These were thoughts flooding my mind. When I finally decided to publish the book in 2023, $450 was but a fraction of the first-round editing cost. You can then imagine what the final cost was. From my research on the psychology of excuse making, I found out that most excuses are rooted on three categories of fear: Fear of the unknown· Fear of failure· Fear of what people will say Besides financial cost, I lost time, I lost the opportunity for a more expansive (almost global) promotion of my book. Bigger platform, with dogged tribes. I may never be able to quantify the lost. That is the cost of fear… that is the cost of excuses. I may not know what fears you are struggling with and how they are manifesting… what you are telling yourself and others are the reasons you are stuck or unable to take the steps that you know will truly move your purpose and your career forward. I can assure you that you will look back a year from now, two years from now and the cost would be far worse…the cost on your mental health, the cost on your confidence and not to mention the financial cost. Starting February 2025, I will be launching The Excuse Detox Experience – A 4 Week Journey to break free from excuses. To help you move from excuse to action, from trepidation to confidence, and from self-doubt to taking bold, intentional steps toward your goals. Together, we’ll identify the excuses holding you back, develop actionable strategies, and cultivate a mindset focused on growth and achievement. It’s time to stop hesitating. It is time to change the misaligned thoughts (aka excuses) that has held you down. DM or email me or schedule a chat for more information and to see if this program is right for you. |