Over the last several years, I have been talking with someone who is not particularly happy with how he’s doing financially.  It turns out that he’s one of those people who’s extremely knowledgeable about sports—especially football.  On several occasions I have suggested that he start a newsletter to share his vast knowledge with other interested people.  Each time he comes back with something like, “There’s really no money in newsletters.”  I then come back with, “Maybe not right away, but you never know where this will take you.”  Then he’ll say something like, “I’m not sure if this is the best time to start a newsletter.”  And so it goes, every time I see him.  Instead of taking action that might make a big difference in his life, he comes up with excuses—flimsy reasons for doing nothing.  Now, several years later he’s still not happy about where he is financially and he’s still complaining that he’d like to do better.  The lesson here is that if you’re stuck in a rut, there’s only one way out.  It’s called action, not excuses.