3 Mindset Shifts To Stop Making Excuses And Start Taking Action

Do you ever catch yourself saying, “Once I … then I’ll get started?”

• “I’ll start ONCE work calms down.”
• “I’ll start ONCE I move to a new city.”
• “I’ll start ONCE my 3-year-old goes to kindergarten.”

We are always coming up with “pragmatic” reasons to delay taking action.

It’s part of human nature. Our minds indulge them because they are a convenient excuse to keep us firmly in our comfort zone — even if our comfort zone is unpleasant. And our brains like to keep us where we’re at because even an unpleasant known is far safer than an unpleasant unknown.

Here’s the thing:

Having a “Once I… then I’ll…” is a huge lie we tell ourselves.

The best-selling author Steven Pressfield sums it up perfectly:

We don’t tell ourselves, “I’m never going to write my symphony.” Instead, we say, “I am going to write my symphony; I’m just going to start tomorrow.”

But when “tomorrow” comes around there is always another “Once” to stop you from taking action. The truth is, if you want to make any kind of change in your life (or your ghostwriting business) you have to kill these “Onces.”