It's easy to fail.  There's always an excuse for it, someone to blame, something unfair.  It's comforting to say "I'll start Monday" instead of right now.  I'm too tall or too short, not attractive enough, not rich enough.  I have kids and no time.  I need to buy the right equipment first, produce that marketing piece, file the paperwork or take some time off before I burn out.  It's easy to do what you like to do instead of what you should do.  Hell, anything to avoid the possibility of failure or to face your shortcomings and dig deep to overcome them.  There's always something to do that gets in the way of what you would need to do in order to get to the next level.  If you search for excuses, you'll get them.  If you search for success and demand it, you'll get it.  It's just much more difficult to demand and work for success than it is to find an excuse not to.

Excuses give permission.  Excuses allow you to ignore your shortcomings and simply take a pass as opposed to working to fix them.  Changing habits, mastering a skill, learning something new or competing against the best is extremely difficult to do because it opens you up to failure.  No one likes to fail but most would simply rather not get in the game.

There's a reason why the ultra-successful make up a fraction of the population.  They are a rare breed.  These are the people who demand success and have no patience for excuses.  They know they can succeed at exceptionally high levels, as can anyone.  The difference is their refusal to listen to any excuse that would get in the way of this success.

If you want to be in shape, get off the couch and work out.  If you wish you could play the guitar, go buy a used beat up guitar and take lessons online for free.  If you want to improve your business or sales - stop letting excuses get in your way and get it done.  The new business cards can wait.  The "big event" next month is next month, not today.  Do your busy work after hours or on weekends.  If you want to be a leader in your field, stop making excuses why you can't and start finding ways you can.  

It's an old saying, but so true:  where there is a will, there is a way.  The one thing that will always get in your way is an excuse.  It's just so much easier.

Make today the best, most productive day of your life.  Make it happen.  I can assure you there will be a thousand excuses why you can and should put it off until tomorrow.  It's up to you to OWN your life, own your situation and become a success because you can.  Excuses are for people afraid to own their situation and their life. Excuses may feel good today, but they breed failure and regret tomorrow.

If you want to find out how amazing you are, just demand it.  Stop making excuses for why you can't be what you want to be.  The other excuse having underachievers will welcome you with open arms.  You will not have a hard time finding people who will agree with you and support your excuses, complaints and opinions.  They are a dime a dozen.  Are you a dime a dozen or a diamond in the rough?

sg

My good friend Justin Ahrens has done an amazing job of keeping up with his blog(s) and making creative matter.  It is challenging to keep up with a blog, let alone making it relevant and entertaining.  Justin and his team have always done creative, humorous videos - but this one in particular had me laughing out loud. 

Highlights for me are when Justin makes the sandwich and when he's walking up the sidewalk hacking the tree and the car rolls bye.  I wonder what those people were thinking when they saw that!  Classic.

Keep up the great work Justin.  It's inspiring. 

Enjoy:  check more out here http://www.makingcreativematter.com

R29 Shorts: Sword Skillz from Rule29 on Vimeo.

In an industry as old as paint coatings the majority of people will look at innovation as making the product better as opposed to creating something truly innovative and new.  Maybe you'd predict a new color set, longer lasting, mildew resistant or anything else that would pertain to the basic idea behind the purpose of the industry as a whole.  What innovators do is turn it on it's ear and develop something that almost doesn't fit into that one category:  it's outside the box.

I'm a white board junkie as are many of my peers. I can't believe more of us haven't asked some simple questions: who needs to hang a white board?  Why white?  What would be a better option?  More fun?   I'm angry I didn't think of this one.

What better way to decorate a meeting or brainstorming room than to turn the entire things into a white board.  How about a wall in your kids room?  Awesome.  You may want to engage your team by painting the hallways or bathroom stalls with Idea Paint.  They've made it easy to make brainstorming a permanent part of the culture of a company or environment. 

I'll let you read up on them but can assure you that everything from the product to the packaging and website scream innovation.  It's just cool.  I don't know how else to put it.

Opportunities are everywhere.  Open your mind beyond what is and ask "what could be better?"

The attached video is something you won't find in the paint industry.  They've taken the typical methods of educating and have actually made the design and content engaging, simple and fun.  True innovators live and breathe innovation in their walk and talk.  Others may try, but if it's not genuine, they will always be drawn back to the old fundamentals of a tired industry and be swallowed up in a sea of brands that all appear to be the same. 

Enjoy the video.  To the guys at Idea Paint - I'm a huge fan.  Contact me - we need to talk.

Cheers!

Steve G.

The more I get involved with other entrepreneurs, particularly at early stages of growth, from $500K - $5mil, I find that the most precious off all assets is time.  Whether you are an entrepreneur or are just passionate about your job, I can assure you of one thing:  you cannot exceed and break through adolescence with your business or career without an exceptional amount of focus aimed at a single goal.  Spread your attention and your time thin, and the odds begin to stack against you.

Enter Social Media.  Albeit an amazing innovation and tool when used correctly, I would argue that most businesses can do without it. Note that I said most - there are many businesses who's entire model and strategy depend on social media.  I tweet, I facebook, I blog - I get it.  The challenge is determining where priorities should be placed as they relate to the bottom line.  You may be among the majority wasting a lot of precious time on social media because you feel you must.  You have to look cutting edge.  You have to be "in the know".  You have to post blogs and tweet and get followers and friends.  Why?  If this makes you money or fits into a workable strategy then I love it.  I can tell you that most don't have a plan for it, they just do it to do it.  Why are you doing it?  Do you have a plan that involves performance indicators to determine whether or not you are gaining leverage from the tool, or are you just doing it to do it.

The downside to social media is the phantom "need" that clouds your calendar and your brain.  You have to reach out to your customer or write a letter or plan a meeting BUT you haven't blogged in a week and put in no tweets!  You begin to lose focus on what is most important at this stage.  You need every ounce of focus to get to a level where you can sit there and blog, tweet and digg, or better yet hire someone else to do it for you. 

I would encourage you to look at how social media works for your business or career and evaluate whether you have the time to commit to seeing a plan through.  Evaluate if the tool can be used to increase your sales or margins quicker than an alternative method.  If you're doing it just to do it - stop now.  If it's part of a plan, make sure it's prioritized based on specific goals for short or long term gains.  If your business needs sales right now and you are tweeting away, those tweets better lead to more sales than you could get picking up a phone or meeting a client.....otherwise you've just entered the downside of social media.  Are you using the tool or is it using you?

James Hamby was a 7'2" center for DePaul back in the late 80's.  We used to do workouts together and he gave me some of the best advice of my life.  I was a senior in high school looking at colleges to paly basketball at.  He sat me down one day and simply said "whatever you do - use basketball.  Don't let it use you".  I was too young and cocky to really understand the wisdom he was trying to share with me, but as I got older I realized that he was giving me some advice that I would carry with me throughout my life.  His message was simple:  if you can see another country or get some college paid for, that's using the tool.  If it's going to tear you down or distract you into bringing your grades down or set you up to miss opportunities right in front of you -then it's using you. 

I recall that advice in almost everything I do.  I fail to heed the advice sometimes and it always, ALWAYS, bites me in the ass.  For entrepreneurs and professionals:  social media is an awesome tool that is shaping business for the future.  You simply have to ask yourself:  are you using it, or is it using you?

I'm out. 

Steve Gumm

p.s.  Thanks Hamby -You'll never know how much I appreciate the advice you gave back in the day.  At the time I just knew it all man.  You know how it is.  The wisdom always carries on...........

There's more apparel lines on the market now than anyone can possible count.  This landscape is a perfect example of a need to separate yourself either with a unique talent behind the brand or a message that resonates with people.