Start. Use. Do.

This week: no more excuses!

Maybe you’ve heard people say, “Well, I don’t have enough time/money/resources/connections/whatever to make a difference/start my dream/be successful”.  Maybe you’ve said it!  Maybe I have, too.  Enough negative talk.

You DO have resources.  Maybe you just haven’t tried everything yet.  Maybe you’re terrified.  Maybe you haven’t thought outside every box.  Maybe the answer is staring you right in the face.  In any case:

Start where you are.  Use what you’ve got.  Do what you can.

As Whitney English said, “Go ugly early“.  Just get your work out there!  Use a free blogging platform.  Learn HTML/CSS yourself!  It’s not hard and it’s really satisfying when you’ve conquered it all by yourself.  Codecademy is a fantastic resource.  I’ll admit, it can be less than gratifying knowing your site isn’t quite where you’d dreamed it would be right now, but it IS gratifying knowing you took a step and that you can work your way up from this with a little savings!  Start where you are.

As for “Well, I can’t afford/don’t have time for a gym membership, so, therefore, I can’t take care of myself.”  You know that cheesy workout video you have in a box somewhere? (Oh, yeah, we ALL have one).  Use it.  Free!  Go for a walk or run outside.  Also free.  Google 30-day workout challenges, print it out, and put it somewhere you’ll see it!  They’re based on using your body weight as resistance (such as squats or the plank) and, hello, you carry that around all day!  It’s really motivating to see as each day goes by how you’ve improved since they’ve already done the math for you!  And, I’m always up for a little competition so it’s amazing to beat my time.

Money goals?  Use the free mint.com and start tracking.  Stop by the bank and have them electronically move your money into a savings account each payday so you don’t have to think about it.  You can’t waffle on the decision because they do it automatically.  Bonus!

Even making a difference can be as simple as paying for someone’s coffee order.  I’ve seen it in action and it’s priceless.  Purge your house and donate to a charity.  Help out at your kid’s school.  Smile and say “hi” to someone as you walk by.

Whatever your goal, you have resources.  Stop the negative self-talk that says you “can’t”.  It just blocks your view of the resources available!

Do what you can with what you have.  Make the difference.