Anne Wayman had a great post on her About Freelance Writing blog last week about letting excuses go. Her excuses were ones she’d made in just that week, and they showed just how easily we put excuses in the way of getting something done.
And we do that in our careers too, don’t we? We stay in that safe little box we’ve built for ourselves because it’s easier than breaking out and taking a chance. We can’t do that! We might fail! Yes we might, but we might succeed, too. Why don’t we ever focus on that side of the equation?
So let’s do something fun. Let’s list our favorite excuses right here. Then let’s flip the equation and rewrite them. I’ll start:
1. I can’t finish those book edits because by 5 pm, I’m wiped out.
Flipping it: I have plenty of time after 5 pm to play with my book’s characters – I wonder what they’re up to these days?
2. If I sent out marketing queries now, I’d never be able to finish all the work!
Flip: I could send queries out now stating that in a few weeks, I’ll have some free time and this client could have dibs on it.
3. If I state my rates and stick to them, I’ll lose business.
Flip: If I state my rates and stick to them, I’ll draw in serious clients who value my skills.
4. I can’t write about that – I don’t know enough about the subject.
Flip: My lord, how much fun would it be to learn about that and get paid to do so?
So what are your favorite excuses? How would you flip them?
What drives me nuts is when people use their families an excuse not to write. Especially n the instances when, if you actually get to know the families, they're supportive, and it's the writer hiding behind the excuse out of cowardice.
There's no room for cowards in our line of work, and that's where most excuses stem — fear.
I've not seen too much of that. In the past, that would have applied to me in only one instance. But that instance is no longer part of my life, so it's no longer valid. 🙂
But you've hit on a truth – it's fear. Fear stops us from reaching beyond ourselves. And it's the reason we make excuses, for sure. Why are we never afraid of succeeding?
This week I've done the opposite. I've used work as an excuse to skip a neighborhood association meeting.
Granted, they started holding them on weekday afternoons, which limits the attendees to mostly retirees. But this is a transitional(in the bad way) neighborhood, so I try to go to meetings when I can.
Yes, three of my current assignments are due this week, but I don't have any interviews slated tomorrow afternoon. I probably could swing it…but I learned a very antagonistic former president may show up. As much as I'd like to know what happens when she starts mis-remembering events and casting blame, I really don't want to be dragged into her little drama.
I don't know that I make many excuses not to work, I usually just procrastinate. LOL.
Thanks for the link and the kind comments… and flipping excuses is a great idea… wish I'd thought of that 😉
Paula, I wouldn't want to show up for that, either. And I hear you – procrastinate? Moi? It's called Bejeweled Blitz. 😉
Anne, you're the reason the idea came to mind. Thanks for talking about excuses in the first place!
Flips may include…
Gee, there's nothing quite like watching the sunrise from my desk!
I always have more interesting dreams after prolonged periods of sleep deprivation!