Saturday, June 23, 2007

What to Do, and When

My sister and her husband just left for Miami Airport. Tonight they fly to Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, to their work in the jungle. We talked this morning about poverty and crime in big cities. And we made mention of how we see it on TV, but if it's not affecting our street - it just doesn't matter. We're jaded.

The reason for this is we all have so much going on. Have you ever been so busy that at the end of the day you can't really write down what you did - there was just so much on your plate that it all ran together. Busy.

If you are aware that this happens to you, then you are a candidate for the remedy - a more focused life. A book that came out a few years ago had everyone thinking about living a life of purpose. We are here for a reason - so let's find out what that is and then develop a plan to carry that out.

My last post was about why we are here. Find your why and now find your focus to make it happen. Anyone that is at the top of their game will tell you focus is the main reason. High School Musical brought us the chant, "Keep your head in the game." That is so hard to do with all the distractions. We sort through what is more important to us.

After this quick course, I am considering starting another blog that simply gives my opinion on the differing home based business courses - especially AdWords/AdSense related. Since I receive around a dozen a week - that will keep me writing for a while. I am sure you get these, too. And if your here, you've probably purchased a $97 course or so, and then a week later found out there's an even "better" way to get traffic, place ads, make affiliate money... you name it.

That first course you bought started getting a little boring or downright tough, and you see the new course which states it practically "runs itself", so you buy that one.

At the end of the year, you're burned out and tell yourself it is impossible to make money on the Internet. You know, because you've done them all.

I know for a fact that if you would simply keep your head in the game and focus, you would make money - with any one of them.

We're wired this way, and there's no denying it. We want AdSense dollars now! We want fast food, quick fix pills, ultra high speed Internet... You get the picture. We have so much, but we still complain.

Because these things take time - these courses - we don't know which, for us, will work. I've seen so many courses that are just pure junk, and I'm sure you've seen the latest that every affiliate marketer is pushing - a party with the Rich Jerk at the Playboy Mansion. I almost cried when I saw John Reese pushing it. He made the bold statement that his earnings from the Internet were because of Christ (interview with Jeff Walker's Product Launch Formula), so I "thought" that he was a Christian.

Okay, I'm off course here, and I'm talking about being focused - but that one is a burr under my saddle.

To say that all the programs out there work is foolish. They don't. And you'll have to sit through the whole nine yards to find yourself in failure. Knowledge is the only remedy. Who has been there before and can they give me an honest opinion?

Some say focus is two sided: having a good "crap" filter, and then sticking to a method that works - until you're successful. Of course that's not right. Crap filtering is part of good judgment which comes from experience. You're going to have to buy your share of crap and learn quickly to stay alive in this game.

Focus on the task and take it faithfully to fruition. Do this and you will win... provided your system is not... crap.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Lesson Two - Why

Things in nature are fascinating to watch. I was so tempted when I saw "Planet Earth" on DVD now at Costco - to buy the set, priced at $57, and treasure it in my collection. Why? Because critters, well, the wild variety, anyhow, are always working with a result in mind.

Animals, as my good friend Juvenal says, "just do it". They don't spend a lot of time analyzing. Remember that airline I mentioned yesterday? We had several floors of a large corporate building dedicated to "System Analysis." And even more space to "Yield Management." Number crunchers the bunch of 'em.

The wild kingdom is different. It's survival. They know exactly what they must do in order to make it through life. There's little time for R + R. God gave that to humans.

Knowing your end result is about having a vision, a mission statement that you are continuously working toward. It fascinates me how many started with nothing but a vision, and created greatness.

Ok, we don't need to have "greatness" as our destination, but, replacing your income, and having a home-based business is a nice starter point. It's freedom, friend. It empowers you with the choice to do what you will with your time and money. Start here.

The other day, while wakeboarding, I watched a fellow go through a routine that had him doing several extreme jumps and flips. In my mind, I wanted to do just that. But in my heart, I knew it would never happen unless I was specific about it.

What do I mean?

It's just like the person who wants to "go to Paris". It's a nice thought, but only that. You don't really want to go that bad. You haven't gotten specific about it. However, if you did - you'd probably do a little each day that would get you closer to your goal of Paris.

Zig Ziglar has a cool journal, where you write in it your to-do's, but also very specifically, you map out one thing you will do today that will get you closer to your goal. Remember, I talked about "action?" This is making it a reality.

So "specific" is being very clear about where you're going with the project, and what it will look like when you're done. For a trip to Paris, as example, a look at Hotwire, or other travel site, might give you an idea of how much tickets are. A look at an international apartment site will give you an idea of how much it's gonna cost you to live there. Get the idea?

But that's not all. We're not done here.

Denis Waitley who worked with Olympic athletes tells that they win the medal in their heads and in their hearts before they ever step out on the field. Wow - think of that! They mentally see themselves at the outcome - winners. So you must do the same in order for this to work at full efficiency.

Chris Widener, in his awesome book, The Angel Inside, tells how Michelangelo looked at the great slab of marble that was to become The David, and began chipping away at it. He saw that statue inside after many sculptors had rejected the stone as flawed and no good.

Just like Michelangelo, you need to know from the moment you start chipping away at this, what your outcome will be.

I love the GPS navigation in my car. I can punch in an address, and it gets plotted out for me. Wouldn't it be senseless for me to simply have the address on the dash and just start driving? So, the bottom line here, you must know your outcome and how you're going to get there.

Know why you are doing this. Why do you want to work? For the money? What will that bring? What will that replace?

The reason you need to know why is to keep you on track. Many a day will come when you don't want to do this tedious work. But when you know your why - it will help get you back on track.

Monday, June 18, 2007

What is Web 2.0?

As promised, the first steps will be out shortly so you can begin your work along with us on monetizing web sites with Google AdSense. But first, a short clip on what Web 2.0 has done and is doing. This is brilliant.