6 Simple Steps to Eliminate Excuses

Fear is what fuels excuses. We start making excuses when we are afraid how someone will react to something we say or do. Maybe you say you’re “busy” when a friend asks you out for drinks, or maybe you say “I don’t know how to…” when you haven’t even tried. We all make excuses once in a while, here’s how to stop with the excuses already.

Practice honesty. The first thing to know is that an excuse is nothing more than a lie. The more you make excuses, the easier it gets. Lying, like most everything else, becomes easier the more you do it. But so does telling the truth. Practice telling people the truth all of the time. If you don’t want to go out with a friend, don’t lie. Tell the truth. Wouldn’t YOU appreciate your friends telling you the truth?Prioritize. Use your talent, time, and resources doing things that are important and meaningful for you. Stop saying yes to doing things that you don’t like doing. If the person or project doesn’t excite you or make you happy, then don’t waste your time. If there are people in your life who are draining your energy, then don’t give them yours. Make a list of what is important to you and do things toward that end. If spending time with family is a priority, then take steps to prove it.Set realistic goals. Personal excuses pop up when a deadline goes rushing past and you have not finished the project. Whether your goal is to exercise, finish a project, or simply drink more water, you should set realistic goals for yourself. Nobody likes to feel like a failure, so when a goal isn’t met we make an excuse. “I’m too busy with the kids to exercise.” No you aren’t. Take the kids with you. Exercise at home with them. Exercise while they are at school or napping. I used to work out on my lunch break because I knew I wouldn’t do it after work. Tell yourself to exercise for thirty minutes each day, and work on that project for at least fifteen minutes a day. Setting small, easy to achieve goals makes cutting out excises a lot easier.Stop procrastinating. Procrastination is just another word for excuse. Let “now” be your buzz word. If the dishes need to be done, DO THEM NOW. You won’t have to make an excuse if the task is finished. Doesn’t procrastinating make you feel worse? You know you have things to get done, you just don’t want to do them. Just get it over with. You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment after, and you won’t spend the rest of your day worrying about doing the dishes.Be positive. It is easy to say “Be positive!” to people, but it is a lot harder in practice. You might wake up in a great mood, but by the time you get to work that mood is nothing but a distant memory. Don’t let the weather or traffic ruin your day, or your mood. If you find yourself hating the world, take a deep breath and think about a kitten. It’ll make you smile. And, smiling is one a many ways to turn your black mood into a bright, shiny one.Be nice to yourself. One of the sneakiest ways excuses creep in is “self talk”. Self talk is the way you think about yourself, or even talk about yourself to others. The way you view a task, and the way you view your own ability to conquer that task has a direct impact on your ability to actually complete it. If you approach a project thinking it is too difficult, or that you are not good enough, then chances are you won’t do it. The good news is that once you become aware of how you are talking to yourself, you can stop. Each time you hear yourself using doubt as an excuse, stop. Change your mental dialog into something positive, and you will become something positive.

Here are 8 simple tips for eliminating excuses when starting an online business around your passion: 8 Simple Tips for Eliminating Excuses When Starting an Online Business Around Your Passion

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Alicia is a freelance writer, singer, painter, traveler, teacher, and Karaoke Queen. She writes about cultivating happiness through mindfulness, and Minimalism on her own blog: American Vagabond. She's a frequent contributor to Gumshoeblog.org, and hopes one day to write a book about her travels.

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How Young Veterans Can Eliminate Stigmas While Job Searching

Job searching when you’re a young professional can be tricky. Job searching when you’re a young veteran can be an even more difficult process.

The veteran group that is having the hardest time finding jobs are those aged 18 to 24. In fact, in 2012, veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 posted an unemployment rate of 20.4 percent. Not only do young veterans have to face the hurdles of actually looking for a job, but they also face certain stigmas that come with being a veteran.

What are these stigmas exactly? They can range from an employer not wanting to hire a veteran to whether or not they are qualified for the job based on their time away. While it’s completely illegal to discriminate against veterans, these stigmas do exist. The trick is learning how to combat them in order to come out on top in the job search. Here are a few ways to do it:

As a young veteran, your skills are what can make you into the ideal candidate, and employers are desperate for them. Recent surveys indicate about 35 percent of employers report difficulties in finding employees with the right skills, the highest number since the start of the recession. So, showing off your talent is what’s going to make you stand out to employers, regardless of your veteran status.

How to do it: Transferable and soft skills are a great way to take what you learned in your time away and apply it to a new job. For example, if you gained ample leadership experience or can speak a foreign language, be sure to note this on your resume. So, even if it may not fit with the exact job description or industry, these skills may still be preferred.

There are many resources for veterans, including GallantFew and the National Veterans Foundation. These tools exist to help transition, mentor, train, and eventually assist you to be better citizens and professionals post-duty. In addition, using these resources means it’s going to be easier to find connections or employers who understand you better because they’re aware of and accept your circumstances.

How to do it: While every veteran-friendly resource is going to differ, try to utilize the tools that are going to help you the most. For example, if you need job search advice, check out websites with advice columns. If you’re looking for job listings, many resources offer a job board.

Stigmas exist because many have preconceived notions about that particular issue. In this case, your veteran status may make employers or recruiters believe you’re not capable of certain job duties or can’t perform well because you’re a veteran. While this is obviously illegal, it’s vital that you embrace your past and use it in your job search arsenal. After all, the fact that you’re a young veteran isn’t going to change. However, the way you use your past in your job search is something you can use to your advantage.

How to do it: There are lots of ways to embrace your past. For example, you can tell your story through your social networking platforms. You can blog about your job search. You can connect with influencers at networking events and illustrate why you’re a great candidate. You can even create videos or multimedia elements showcasing the benefits of hiring a veteran and what you can do for an organization. Using your veteran status as a ladder can help you stand out.

Though being a young veteran job seeker is tough, you can eliminate any stigmas associated with your status by emphasizing your skills, checking out veteran-friendly resources, and embracing your past. Doing so can assist you in your job search and beyond.

What do you think? What are some other ways young veterans can eliminate stigmas while job searching?

Let’s think about all the parts of a successful job search: How to Make Your Job Search Productive

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Sudy Bharadwaj is a co-founder and the CEO of Jackalope Jobs, a platform that helps job seekers find a job via their social networks. Connect with Sudy and Jackalope Jobs on Twitter.

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