A Lesson in Necessity - Do You Have What it Takes?

I trust you had a very nice Thanksgiving. We had a fabulous one. This year we jumped in the car (my wife wishes it were that easy), and drove to Tennessee where my mother has recently moved. And, yes, on several occasions we sang, "Over the river and through the woods - to grandmother's house we go." It was fun and we enjoyed the closeness of our family and the many blessing God has poured out on us over the last year.

You won't believe what I saw.

I am a people watcher, but this one takes the cake for stupidity. Along I-75 in Georgia, far from civilization, a fellow was watching at least a 5" DVD placed on the dash of his pick-up. He was engrossed in the movie, while driving at 80 mph!

Is it that some people just don't know any better? Or do they feel they are "much" more developed and can multitask at this level? I am sure you know what I feel. Accident waiting to happen.

And my favorite funny was the gal that rode my tailgate in the showoff lane for 5 miles only to get busted 10 miles down the road by a smoky. Pays to have a fuzz-buster. Showing my age, now.

Okay, on to today's lesson.

How creative can you get? Out of necessity on some streets here in Naples, FL, people got creative with what they had to get what they need.

The biggest question that perplexes me more than any other is why people wait so long to get into contextual or other monetizing of their web presence. Are you monetizing your web presence?

Probably not on the scale you could be. But it's your own fault, and here's why:

You don't have to.

Ever hear the story about the fellow who never repaid his buddy, but never missed a rent payment? That's the way most of us are wired. We will not get thrown out on the street, but know our buddy will probably keep letting us off the proverbial hook.

And that's where you come in. You don't have to make AdSense or any other advertising program work. It isn't a must. But before you hang your head and write me off, please think for a moment what would happen to your monetization program IF you had to make it happen? What if someone told you if you don't build your campaign to $1000 a month your car would be repossessed? You would be thrown out of your home or apartment?

Your Internet would be turned off forever.

Wow - got your attention now! And that's just it. When people ask me why it doesn't work for them, it boils down to the basics: a site with content of value and focused traffic. As long as those two are in place, people will be attracted long enough to your site to click an ad out of curiosity.

Prove me wrong - but per chance I'm right. You won't do what it takes to learn about a program, AdSense or otherwise, and work it until you are making the $1000 a month level. You won't read through the articles here, won't try and test what you've learned. What you will do is write and complain that it doesn't work for you.

Or will you? How much is it worth to you?

Here are a few quick tips to get you in the mindset to keep working on your AdSense:

1. Create a goal. Right from the very beginning, create a goal of "X" amount of dollars you will earn by the end of next month. For beginners, I would set a daily goal of $5.00 at the end of your first 30 days. That should be a piece of cake with my materials here.
2. Make your program part of a bigger plan. In other words, make the reason you are earning the ad money part of a bigger goal or vision. For beginners, I suggest giving 50% to your mother, the church, or someone else in need.
3. Share your goals with 4 other people who think like you. Online communities are great places, or friends on your instant messenger list. Ask them to help you stay accountable.
4. Lastly, ask God for help. Now that can't hurt, can it?

Okay, run with these. I really "do" believe you can do it if you make it a must. If it's not a must, you won't do it because you don't miss the money you don't have.