by Marie Forleo
The goal here is to reframe the way you think about and approach eating. Strive to simplify and remove daily decision making (I don’t know, what do you want to eat tonight?!) as much as possible. With a mental shift and a bit of planning, you can have a house that’s stocked with healthy leftovers and nutrient-rich, no-prep-time-needed snacks like nuts, fruits, and vegetables.
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Wouldn’t you agree that experimenting with just a few of these ideas, even for just a few weeks, could open up a fresh perspective on how you spend your time?
If you need one last push to carve out two free hours a day, here you go . . .
If you had to find the time, you would.
Imagine your doctor called to say that you have a rare, life-threatening disease. The only chance for a full recovery: You must sit quietly and uninterrupted for two hours a day, seven days a week for the next three months. No smartphones, no social media, no television or computer time. Just two free hours a day without interruption, or your life will come to an abrupt end.
How would you do it? What changes would you make to create two free, uninterrupted hours each day for the next ninety days? Would checking social feeds or email really seem that important? Be honest. If your life depended on it, you’d absolutely find two free hours per day.
Now that we’ve annihilated our time excuses, let’s tackle money.
EXCUSE #2: “I DON’T HAVE THE MONEY.”
One of my favorite Tony Robbins quotes is: “It’s never about your resources, it’s about your resourcefulness.” This philosophy is applicable to all excuses, but especially financial.
Let’s start off with a question: What exactly do you believe you need more money for? Is it at all possible you might be able to get to your end result without paying full price, or any price at all? For example, let’s say you think you need money to learn a new skill or start a new career. That’s not necessarily true. With access to the internet, you can develop virtually any new skill set, often for free.
Robotics, programming, math, negotiation, statistics, design, knitting— all online. The amount of high-quality, free education available through apps, videos, podcasts, blogs, and MOOCs (massive online open courses) is staggering and constantly growing. The website edX is a learning destination with free online courses from the best universities and institutions like Harvard, MIT, UC Berkeley, and more. Khan Academy, whose mission is to provide free world-class education for anyone, anywhere, tackles subjects like math, science, computer programming, history, art history, and economics. The New York University School of Medicine recently announced that it would cover the tuition, regardless of merit or need, for all current and future students.8
Maybe you want to start your own business. Do you think you need piles of cash to get your company off the ground? Decades ago, perhaps. But we’re living in a different time. In fact, I’ve been asked a version of “Marie, how can I start my own business if I don’t have money?” so many times that I created a list of over 320 free tools and platforms that can help virtually any small-business owner get going immediately. It’s a resource that’s been downloaded and shared hundreds of thousands of times. Search Marie Forleo + free tools resources.
Now let’s say you want to launch a business that does require capital. If you’re determined, creative, and relentless enough, there are a host of ways to get the financing you need. You’ll need to explore every legal and ethical option, but if you’re committed, you’ll make it happen. Here are a handful of ideas to spark your imagination.
Side Jobs. When it comes to needing more money, this has always been my method of choice. When I was growing up, my dad would often say, “I’ve never once opened the newspaper and not seen a Help Wanted section.” That taught me to see the world as a place where driven, hardworking, responsible people are always in demand. He taught me that doing honest work, no matter the task, was something to be proud of. As long as I showed up with a can-do attitude and went above and beyond, I’d always be able to find work.
When I first started my business, I was tens of thousands of dollars in debt. In order to get the money I needed for my first website, I worked extra shifts at the bar and saved for it. In fact, I worked multiple side jobs for seven full years before I was financially stable enough to run my business full-time.
Yes, you have to be industrious. Yes, you have to be bold. Yes, you have to be humble. (I never expected to be cleaning toilets after college, but I did it and was grateful for the work.) Plus, what better way to build the reputation of someone willing to do whatever it takes? What better way to build a network? Have you ever noticed that those are exactly the kind of people who succeed in life?
Spend Less. My friend is the CEO of a financial education company and a single mom of two kids. She moved her family from a big, expensive house into a small, modest apartment. That move enabled her to slash her monthly expenses to a fraction of what they’d been, instantly freeing up significant cash flow to save and invest for her family’s future. While they initially worried that downsizing would mean suffering, the exact opposite happened. Emotionally, her family grew closer than ever. They became more engaged in each other’s lives and felt happier and calmer with less stuff weighing them down.
You might consider a more radical move. A couple who enrolled in B-School, my online business program, decided they wanted to test several different business ideas and have the freedom to fail, pivot, or change their minds without fear of running out of money. After crunching the numbers, they realized that testing various ideas would be near impossible while living in an expensive area like Brooklyn, New York. So they mapped a plan, put their furniture in storage, and moved to a startup-friendly country in South America where their living expenses were a fraction of what they would have been in New York. While that decision may seem extreme, that kind of thinking is required if you want to break free from your money excuses and figure out your dreams.
Sell Stuff. Go old school and have a garage sale. Or use sites like eBay or Craigslist to sell what you have to generate additional cash. I once had a woman so determined to come to a live training event that she sold her couch to pay for her ticket.
Scholarships and Grants. According to a study on Pell Grants, around $2.9 billion in US federal grants—which don’t have to be paid back—went unused in 2014 alone.9 There are tremendous resources available in the form of scholarships and grants, as long as you use the figureoutable philosophy and do the work.
One of my favorite examples is from a woman named Gabrielle McCormick. Her basketball scholarship disappeared after she ruptured her Achilles tendon her senior year. Disappointed but still determined, she channeled her pain into finding new financial possibilities.
She discovered that you can earn scholarships for almost anything, from playing video games to drawing birds to wearing contact lenses to making your prom dress out of duct tape. Her efforts earned her over $150,000 in scholarships. She graduated with zero debt and secured scholarships to pay for her doctorate degree. In addition to her studies, Gabrielle also runs a business called Scholarship Informer to help parents and students avoid loans and debt. Worth taking the time to figure out, right?
Crowdfunding. Sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe are some of the more well-known sites connecting people who want to financially support projects, companies, and individuals. Do a quick search for top crowdfunding sites + [current year] and you’ll see an ever-growing array of platforms, from peer-to-peer lending to education funding sites to equity investing and more.
The List Goes On. What stops you is never external. Ever. It’s never about the lack of money or time or anything else. It’s about your internal game, your commitment to do whatever it takes to be creative, get resourceful, and figure it out. To find or make a way ahead, no matter what.
EXCUSE #3: “I DON’T KNOW HOW/I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START.”
> We’re not going to spend much time on this excuse because, honestly, it’s weak.
We live in the most unprecedented time in human history. With the ever-growing miracle known as the internet, you can learn the fundamentals of virtually any topic or skill within minutes, often 100 percent free of charge and in the privacy of your own home. In their book Abundance, authors Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler write, “Right now a Masai warrior with a cell phone has better mobile phone capabilities than the president of the United States did twenty-five years ago. And if he’s on a smart phone with access to Google, then he has better access to information than the president did just fifteen years ago.”
No matter what it is that you want to learn, your answer likely already exists. It’s already been explained in a book, online, or in some form of media. Or it can be learned directly from another person through a class, tutoring, mentorship, apprenticeship, etc. Or you might arrive at an aha moment through meditation, prayer, journaling, or even a spontaneous insight in the shower.
In this day and age, there’s no shortage of information available to you. Once you commit and get started, use every idea in this chapter and the rest of the book to keep going until you figure it out!
The art of eliminating excuses means embracing the fact that your dreams aren’t made or broken by anyone but you.
INSIGHT TO ACTION CHALLENGE
Put your ass where your heart wants to be.
Steven Pressfield
What’s an instance where, at first, you believed you didn’t have the time, ability, or resources to make something happen, and yet you figured it out anyway? List as many as you can remember. No example is too small or insignificant.
What’s the most important goal you’re ready to solve, achieve, or figure out? (Hint: What did you come up with in the last chapter? Write it down again. Repetition has power.)
What are the top three excuses that—before this chapter—you would have used to stop yourself?
Now cross out each excuse. SLASH IT THROUGH. One by one write down why each excuse is no longer valid. Then write what you’re now willing to think, say, or do instead to eliminate that excuse.
Excuse #1: I don’t have the time to get my PhD.
Why Excuse #1 is a lie: If my PhD was really that important, I’d make the time. I’d quit binge-watching Netflix, go to sleep before 11:00 p.m., and wake up earlier each day. I’d quit mindless social media. I’d batch cook. I’d have a conversation with my partner about how important this goal is to me and brainstorm how we can make it happen as a team.
What I can think/say/do instead: I always make time for what matters.
Action: Make radical changes in my schedule. Start researching PhD programs today. If I’m not willing to do this, then it’s time to stop talking about it and find a new goal that lights up my heart.
Seven-day time tracking. If not enough time is your main-squeeze excuse, track your time for the next seven days. Review the previous recommendations. If you use a smartphone or tablet, download the free app Moment (or enable Screen Time on iOS) and track your screen time and app usage.
MONDAY
Time
Activity
Notes/Insights
6:30–6:57 a.m.
Wake up and check phone
I check news, Twitter, and Instagram. Why exactly?
6:57–7:06 a.m.
Turn on the coffee, fire up the laptop, close extra tabs in browser
I habitually check email again on my laptop without even thinking
7:07–7:14 a.m.
Shower
7:15–7:19 a.m.
Check phone
Respond to texts, check social
7:19–7:46 a.m.
Get dressed, fix hair, etc.
At the end of seven days, review your time log, and (if applicable) the stats on your Moment app or Screen Time on iOS. Use the following questions to take an objective look at how you’re spending your most precious resource. Not all prompts will be relevant. Use them as thought starters to create your own.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how much does this activity serve my most important values and goals? (1 = it works against what you say you most want. 10 = it fully aligns with your values and goals.)
Does this activity really need to be done? If yes, how could it be done faster or less frequently? Could it be batched or automated? Could it be done by someone else?
What’s the best thing that could happen if I stopped doing this—either temporarily or permanently? What are the best possible short-term and long-term consequences?
What’s the worst thing that could happen if I stopped doing this—either temporarily or permanently? What are the worst probable short-term and long-term consequences?
If you had to, you would: Write down your life-saving, two-free-hours-a-day plan. Remember, your doctor called. She said the only chance you have to save your own life is sitting quietly and uninterrupted for two hours a day, seven days a week for the next three months. There is no other cure. How would you do it?
Bonus Wordplay Challenge
The words you think, say, and reinforce will become your reality. Anytime you catch yourself making excuses or saying, “I can’t,” STOP. Challenge that thought. Is it really true that you can’t? Or is it more true that you won’t? Or that you don’t want to? This isn’t semantics. When you say, “I can’t,” you’re sending yourself an internal message that you’re not in control of your time or choices. Replace “I can’t” with something more honest, like “I don’t want to.”
For bonus points, do this now. Think of something you’ve wanted to achieve or experience in the past but have made excuses about. Then, say the following phrases out loud:
The truth is . . .
I don’t really want it that bad.
It’s not a priority right now.
It’s not that important.
I’m not willing to work that hard/take the risk/put in the effort/etc.
That’s okay.
(Seriously. Say these out loud!)
See how much better that feels?
Bonus Must-Watch MarieTVs
No Excuses Episode. I have a character named Jersey Marie who made a very special video about the power of living an excuse-free life. Search Marie Forleo No Excuses whenever you need a one-of-a-kind excuse smackdown.
How to Achieve an Impossible Dream with Dr. Tererai Trent. It’s hard to describe how impactful it is to hear Dr. Trent tell her story. Search Marie Forleo + Tererai Trent for one of the most moving, inspiring, and uplifting interviews ever. Grab your tissue box.
Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.
Nora Ephron
Figureoutable Field Notes
This twenty-three-year-old single mom with no education past tenth grade used everything is figureoutable to get her GED and a bachelor’s degree and is now in law school—all while holding down a full-time job as a communications director at a major global bank.
When I came across Marie, I was a twenty-three-year-old mother with no education past tenth grade. I had my daughter in high school, but before that I was an athlete and a brilliant writer, with the core wiring of an entrepreneur.
Becoming a parent forced me to put my dreams on hold and provide my daughter with everything she needed to begin her own life. When her dad and I split, I had a choice: I
could be upset and full of sorrow, or I could answer my nagging entrepreneur, locked away and barred from creativity due to the responsibility of parenting.
The nagging was so annoying, and YouTube being the distraction it is, I thought I’d search for something impossible: “Chasing unrealistic dreams.” Marie’s video “Dream Big: 5 Steps to Help You Chase Your Most ‘Unrealistic’ Dreams” was the top hit. I clicked on the video. My breakthrough was seconds away.
The concept everything is figureoutable gave me hope when there was none. Marie helped me realize that if I do the work, I can have whatever I desire in this life. My family has decades of limiting beliefs, and I was aching to break them. I knew I was bright, and I wanted to finish what I started. Even though I was a parent, my soul wouldn’t allow that limitation to define me.