Can something be both true and an excuse at the same time? If so, this excuse is the most likely candidate. There are times when not having the right equipment will keep you from moving forward on a goal – venturing into outer space for example. And there are some examples closer to home as well but it’s still no reason to stop cold in your tracks.

The real problem is that ‘I don’t have the right equipment’ is a corollary excuse – meaning it almost always partners with another one such as ‘I can’t afford it’ or ‘I have too much going on’ or even ‘I don’t have enough space’. If getting the equipment is going to be a research project involving hunting down reviews and the best price the whole thing can spiral out of control. So the first thing to do is figure out if there is any truth to the statement and to what degree it is really a barrier.

Say your bring goal was to become a photographer. It’s absolutely true that you will need a camera to make that a reality. It is not true that it has to be the latest $10K model, (particularly since the new hot thing is cell phone camera photography) nor is it a justifiable excuse for stopping completely and becoming a couch potato. There are a lot of books on the technical aspects, composition, and lighting which would benefit a lot of existing photographers if they would just put down their cameras and pick up their library card. It’s not nearly as much fun as pushing buttons but it will move you forward.

Sometimes it just hesitation about the timing – I know I’ve used this one just this week regarding setting up a subscription list for the website. In short I don’t have the mailing list service even though I know where to find it and how much it will cost (not that much) but I’ve put it off because my plan isn’t clear in my head yet – what am I really going to do with it once I have it and I’ve put the fields on the homepage? I know there’s more work than that! I’m working up to it with a plan and a deadline so it can’t continue to be an excuse nor do I make rash purchases just to get it over with.

Next week: ‘It will take a long time’

Technorati Tags: common excuses, removing limits