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SWAN Saturday: Stop Making Excuses

SWAN (Stop Wasting Away Now) Saturday is a weekly dose of inspiration from me to you. Each week I will make a short video post about something on my mind. The posts will be unscripted & shot straight from my soul. Stop wasting away now, life’s too short!

(If you can’t see the video, click here.)

This week I want to talk about making excuses because for the past six months, I’ve been doing just that. For the past six months, I’ve been wanting to make a video post, but it just hasn’t happened. Why? Because I keep making excuses!

Every time I am ready to record a post or even post a recorded post, I come up with some awful excuse and refuse to move forward. I’ve delete every post thus far because they’re “not perfect”. I tell myself that the post is not relevant or too long or that I look like an idiot or any number of other excuses.

Have you ever done this to yourself? Have you ever allowed fear or insecurity to keep you from doing something that you really wanted to? I sure have. I’m ready to stop, starting right now.

Lately I’ve made several big decisions in my personal and professional life. My courage has inspired me to stop making excuses. The truth is that there is no reason to allow fear to rule your life. There is no reason to make excuses if there is something that you really want to do. I am done making excuses about why I should not share a video post! I will not allow insecurity to run my life.

So what have you been putting off? What have you been making excuses about? Do you want to seek out a new relationship? Quit your job? Lose weight? Today I am giving you permission to stop. Stop wasting away now! Stop making excuses and just do it.

If you want to go to Costa Rica and volunteer on a sustainable farm — then do it! Book the flight, make the arrangements, take the time and go. Whatever is holding you back, push it out of your way, let go, and move forward. Recognize that there is no reason to be afraid. Fear is unnecessary (read more) and most of the time it is completely irrational. Do not let irrational fear be the thing that stops you from creating the life of your dreams.

Stop worrying about being judged. Stop holding yourself back because that’s what society is telling you to do. Anything that you can dream up, you can accomplish! Define your goals. Let go of your fear. Take a giant step and push the button. In my case, it’s going to be hitting the publish button when I share this post with you!

xo,
D.

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    Are You Oblivious, Aware, or Getting It?

    This is a guest post from my friend, Andy Feld.

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    As I travel and meet new people all over our country, it seems most everyone falls into one of the three areas mentioned in this month’s title. What am I talking about? It’s the societal evolutionary change which is now in progress, although admittedly sometimes imperceptible. It is easy to see that violence rarely leads to anything but more violence. Overt materialism, absent integrity, brings happiness and abundance to very few. Additionally, centuries of male dominated insensitive energy added to a populace unwilling to take responsibility has us at a precarious tipping point.

    So, do you sense what I say is true? Are you oblivious to these changes in the air, or are you ahead of the curve and already taking the steps necessary to not only survive, but thrive in the years to come? Frankly, I am often greeted by individuals with long faces who tell me they will be happy again when things get back to ‘normal’. Normal for many means simply getting back to a life dominated by financial gain and the purchase of new things, but those days may be long gone. Banks are not lending money, our population is increasingly unemployed or aging and dependent, houses are not selling, there seems to be an oversupply of everything and worldwide competition is greater than ever. What if today is the way things will be for the next 20-30 years or longer? What are you going to do to be happy, prosperous, and emotionally abundant?

    Make no mistake, everything is changing and just about everyone is affected. Personally, my income does not approach what I once earned as a corporate CEO, my car is not as new and shiny as it once may have been, and I visit fewer restaurants, but my life has never been more pleasant. Would you agree that now is the time to not only re-evaluate, but also re-create our lives? If so, you are GETTING IT loud and clear, but if not, let’s look into what we can do about it.

    1. We are all One, connected with a common thread of spirit. When I say WE, I mean ALL humans, animals, plant life, earth, and stars. We all are of the same source energy, and understanding and respecting this Oneness is a key to thriving in our new age. Allowing all else to be, with love and respect, and without judgment of unique individual differences will open our portals to Universal Light. One cannot mistreat another human, the earth, our vegetation, and the animals without also mistreating oneself. We are all connected and what we put forth to others is what will always come back to us.

    2. Listen to our heart, our Inner Radar as I call it in my books, without the fear of judgment from others. We are all unique and different, and learning to reach within and hear that guidance we all individually brought forth to this lifetime allows us to grow and prosper in alignment with our life’s purpose. There is no better way to accomplish this than a regular practice of meditation and contemplation.

    3. Understanding the process for manifesting our life’s dreams. It takes quite a bit of practice and self-discipline, and you may be getting tired of hearing me speak about it, but we are the product of our thoughts, emotions, words, and actions. Very little we desire will manifest without the alignment of these four elements. Believe in this, practice and have faith and you will embrace your life like never before.

    4. Learn to appreciate all that you have. From hot running water, to clothes in your closet, and food in the refrigerator, most of us have so much to be thankful for yet rarely acknowledge. The beauty of nature, our relationships, our health and the list should go on and on. Write it down and truly rejoice in how many ways you are blessed.

    5. Diligently work on balancing your male and female attributes. We are all a combination of both masculine and feminine, and the more we keep these two in balance the more we vibrate with the earth.

    Yes, everything is changing. First, become aware and then jump on board, but it will always be the choice of the individual. No one, other than you is responsible for your rescue.

    Whether it is a business, an organization, or individual, the time for changing the status quo in right now. How to go about it in this new environment is what I speak about and teach. I would love the opportunity to work with you or your group.

    With much love and appreciation,
    Andy

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    Andy lives in Morrison, Colorado outside Denver. He travels the country as a frequent speaker on life inspiration and business sales. He is also a regular guest on radio programs across the United States and on local TV.

    You can read more about Andy at his website, Simple Happy, and you can find his books on Amazon at the following links.

11 Comments

  1. Hey Dena I loved your video post I realize that I make excuses about trying to find a less stressful job or a bigger home because I am too comfortable and am afraid…

    1. @ Michelle – Thank you so much for sharing, love! Let go of the fear. Contentment (comfort) does not mean happiness! Sometimes the greatest things in life require a bit of risk.

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  4. This is a somewhat ridiculous fear. Ridiculous because fear is to be faced headon, like a bull, I pass my days waving my red shirt for them to come at me so as to face them. But when it comes to writing; that which is of my very blood and guts, I’ve still yet to send it to publishers, competitions, newspapers or literary magazines.
    A part of says…wait, you are not ready yet. Keep sculpting, it inside of you until it is ready. Another, that I’m not yet able to produce anything of actual form (my longer pieces are rare and unnatural)..in fact, I sieze up and all my words become forced and artificial when I set about actually writing something of a greater scale..even short stories.
    What is wasting time? How can we define what time is wasted and what is waiting, building, crafting?

    1. @ Jass – First, thank you for being here & for sharing your fear. It means so much to me to have other people share with me, I feel much less alone. Second, to address this fear — being a “writer/poet” for most of my life, I’ve always been surrounded by other writers. What I have found is that among writers, your fear is common. And it is not ever the fear of sending the work to a publisher, but rather the fear is of something else, something very specific: rejection.

      As a writer who has sent out many a piece to be published, I know that the worst part is not the assembly of the piece, or even the waiting after the piece has gone out, but rather it is the cold, dark rejection. The “thank you but we can not use your piece at this time.” The beauty of this fear is that it is easily overcome. After the pinch of a couple rejections you will either overcome the fear or give up on making submissions and choose to write simply for yourself.

      I’ve seen your work, Jass, and it is lovely beyond anything I could describe here. Talking about sculpting and the size and the seizing up are all excuses. My advice is to stop making them, and send something out. Your work is shining and the rest of the world deserves to see it. And you deserve to put it out there in all its glory.

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  6. Thanks Dena, I really enjoy all your posts so far, and looking forward to more
    Keep up the good (inspiring) work!
    Mrs. H

    1. @ Mrs. H – Thank you so much for stopping by & for the wonderful, positive feedback! You are so sweet. Have a wonderful weekend & come visit again soon. XO

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