You’re cruising around Steemit right now. Maybe your curating, maybe your blogging, maybe you’re multi-tasking doing any number of things.

I’ll tell you what you’re not doing though. You’re not standing out.

I’m guilty of it myself. I created a #contest earlier this week that locks in about 12 hours to give away FREE MONEY (link below) and no one has signed up yet. Now that’s getting lost in the crowd and failing on a whole new level.

(https://steemit.com/contest/@wetthebeak/usopen-contest-steemit-freeroll-usd500-possible-first-prize-prize-up-for-grabs)

It’s tough to write another piece of content not thinking it’ll suck and I'm wasting my time again when you can’t even give away FREE MONEY. Take a pause and think about that. Upvoting, following, and commenting were the only requirements for a chance win FREE MONEY and not one person out of hundreds of thousands did it.

[I’ll put these brackets here to really pause and think about that for a few seconds]

But, I’ve decided to be vulnerable with the possibility of even more failure and put out a piece of content again because if I don’t, then I don’t have any place writing this article or any other article.

I haven’t gotten to Part 2 of my introduction story to Steemit (Part 1 here: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@wetthebeak/i-was-probably-supposed-to-do-one-of-these-a-while-ago-but-greetings-steemit) and I didn’t mention the rollercoaster of life events I’ve been through. Some the result just being on the wrong side of the coin when “life just happens” and others…I take that back…MOST, I can tell you is that I either had some part or all responsibility in.

If you can’t reflect, learn, try again, AND TEST YOURSELF to get out of your box then the title of this article applies to you. The only thing I fear is that you (like my former self) think that you have all the skills and are think you're smart enough for this article to not apply to you.

…but again YOU are exactly the person that needs this article the most.

The following are the 5 REASONS YOU WILL NEVER DO ANYTHING GREAT and short commentary or examples of situations to illustrate the reasons…because while others might write about these commons cliches, they’re not actively thinking, allowing you to participate in actively thinking, or haven’t realized they need to look in the mirror themselves.

That is what makes the content below worth reading and saving. It's not in the headlines or cliches...it's in the details.

You Won’t Fail Enough Due To Fear

Because comfortable is easy. Because you’ll just “make some time for it tomorrow.” Got an app idea? Bet you have for years and haven’t made an attempt to learn SWIFT let alone write requirements and wireframes.

You’ll talk about it, but won’t learn about it while I’m learning about it and soon you’ll be downloading it from me.

You don’t have the time? Your audience won’t give you theirs. I’ll sacrifice sleep and learn how to make an app about you not having the time to make an app.

It’ll fail because that idea sucks but I'm positive the point was understood. My two other app's failed due to copycats with marketing budgets and investor backing. Guess I have no chance then, right?

WRONG. You learn how to grow faster and be better. Otherwise BIG APP will squash you again, if you even get that far.

You Care About What Others Might Think About You or Your Ideas

When you try and fit in with the world, I’ll make the world fit in with me.

Bill Perkins, close to a billionaire if not, is an energy trader but he STREAMS POKER ON TWITCH.

You think he gives a flying F about what his colleagues or Wall Street traders think about a 40 year old on a video game website?

NO, because if he did, he wouldn’t be in the position he is in today.

(Ask me if the comments below about Bill. I can send you some of his advice that will change you outlook if you let it. I would do close to anything for Bill to mentor me).

You Don’t Ask Enough Questions

AND YOU WON’T READ LONG-FORM TO ANYTHING TO FIND THE ANSWERS TO THEM.

I bet most of you haven’t even made it think far down to realize that this one would hit hard and maybe force you to take action.

Start thinking like a lawyer.

How many questions do you think a lawyer thinks about asking ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT before a trial? It’s preparation to play defense with the bonus of they might discover something for offense. But you’re still thinking and talking about buying that SWIFT book on amazon (http://amzn.to/2tnULx1) for that app idea and here’s where you fail twice...you don’t consider your buyer persona. You only consider you’re own. Even if you were to execute, you haven't tested the idea with anyone but your friends and family who won't give you honest feedback.

(Kind of hard to make it to the top of the App Store when the only downloads are from your family. Even harder if you don't learn to code though.)

Ask questions. Consider your sider and the other side. And buy ANY book to commit to taking action.

You’re Not Courageous Enough to Stand Up

Be investigative. CHALLENGE something, dammit! Ask for not one but TWO SOURCES for everything.

The Mommy blog that posts “income reports” of them reporting 20K a month in sales and selling you a ebook on every affiliate link on the web telling you that you can do it too…ask them to prove F-ing PROVE IT.

The “testimonials” on the site with the first name and last initial and no affiliation. Ask them for their phone number and email. They gave them 5 damn stars, I’d give that out in a nano-second if it led to another sale.

They still won’t? Ask a trusted influencer in the industry for help in obtaining proof. If all else fails, ask an organization with some kind of authority (anyone but the BBB) to help you obtain proof.

Because if your not thinking like a lawyer like you’re supposed to and ASKING QUESTIONS (see point above) and considering the other side’s motivation, then you are the sucker and you’re just a notch below being an accomplice if you allege something suspect.

You know what you accomplished by standing up and challenging something instead of the watching the next episode of House of Cards? You might have saved a bunch of vulnerable people money that they couldn’t afford to lose and you just developed a new skill.

I’ve already thought of 2 different ways to make that process a business model and bring some credibility and transparency to e-commerce.

What scene are you and the Underwood’s on though?

You Can’t Handle The Truth

You won’t look in the mirror after reading this last point and you’ll tell yourself that tomorrow you will for sure. But you won’t.

If you did that one small step right now it would be the start of ACTION and a constant reminder of these 5 reasons that should make you act.

It would snowball effect like you've never experienced before.

You would wake up every morning looking in the mirror planning to be great.
Then finding and making the time to be great.
Then feeling great being yourself.
Then asking the right questions and considering all possible answers.
Then challenging everything with those questions.

All of this leading up to proving me wrong. That you will take action and get on the path to doing great and amazing things.

And then you’ll fail, and go do it all over again. When you become the best at your ideas failing, and failing the right way, then you’ll figure out what it means to put yourself in the best position to be great.

Come back and tell me about it when it happens. I'm looking forward to it.

TAKE SOME ACTION RIGHT NOW by spreading this with an upvote and a resteem.

More importantly, leave a comment below with your thoughts and experiences about your process to become great.

go get your beak wet!

• wtb