@Alexandra – Yeah, what you said! I struggled with that when I started this blog & my biz, in regards to whether I should "expose" (what's with the quotes today?) my day job-ness, and the fact that I wasn't yet a full-time coach. At first I hid it, putting the mask on that not only was I a very experienced coach, but that my entire life was perfect. Shiver. That lasted, oh, about 3 months. Thank the good god lord that I didn't keep that up! I think my struggle/path/vulnerability is absolutely an asset in my coachingness.

@Lynn – That makes two of us! And man, I wanna marry your perspective. It is all a choice, isn't it? We can choose to live our life by our excuses, or we can choose to be courageous, gain clarity, fall & get back up again, etc. Even happiness is a choice, really. Sigh.

I won't win any prizes for originality with my excuses, the big famous ones… not enough time, not enough money, not enough energy, I don't know what I'm doing and I don't know where to start. But usually, these are just easy covers for what is most likely fear, or perfectionism, or simply not having a clear enough picture of what I really want.

The good news is, once I recognize excuses for what they are, and begin to look at the real underlying issues, they seem much more in my power to change. I may not be able to create more hours in a day, but it is within my power to choose courage in the face of fear, or learn to make mistakes, or clarify my vision and motivation.

My recommendation? Be brutally upfront about your qualifications, but add a ferociously positive spin.

Example (not good): "How long have I been doing massage? Um, sooo…this is actually my first time. Yeah. I'll give you a refund if I suck. Sorry."

Example (awesome): "Yup, I just got my massage therapy license, and you're my very first client! After 500 hours of training, I'm so thrilled to finally be able to put my skills to work. And I'd love to hear your feedback. This is gonna be fun!"

- I'm not good enough and I don’t have enough experience

And I add:

-I have to study more to do "IT" first

-I'm not creative enough

-Next month I'll take care of it. But at the following month I make up a new excuses.

I feel like a dog following its own tail…

@April – Ooh (another "ooh!"), I think it's worth noting that the other projects are "fun" & the one that's scary/you want to do first is not. Wonder what the connection is, there, and/or how to make all/most of your projects fun?

i can sometimes get past this by putting it my monday to do list (and then working up the nerve by friday). good old support and encouragement also help a whole lot.

my other excuse: this other project would be more fun

my to do list helps with that one too.

I don't have enough time

I'm tired

I don't have enough experience/I'm not good enough –> hmmm that looks like a cross between an excuse & my Negative Nancy acting up!

I'll work on it tomorrow

I don't have enough money

Boo to excuses! Thanks for the tough question.

The "not enough time" excuse is prevalent for me, too. Also, the "but I don't know what I'm doing / how to start" is also prevalent in some projects I've been wanting to work on. Hm…now that I mention it…those excuses are working in tandem! And while I know now is not the time to dive in, I know I do have the time to take some baby steps. Scary!