Running Out of Steam!

[Aitch]

I often quote the phrase ‘patience and persistence’ when I talk about adopting qualities to succeed in business. The ole internet game, can at times, be a thankless task as one strives to succeed to any level of achievement.

Some folk seem to just come up with an idea, implement it, then Bingo! Others, and this probably means the majority , seem to be constantly pushing and pressing forward as they relentlessly invest time, effort, and money into their pet project(s) only to get knocked back time after time.

So who are the success stories? The hard working, the lucky, the intelligent, the simple thinkers, the scammers, or perhaps they’re a little bit of all the afore mentioned?

I often read that if you have a dream, you’ve gotta stick with it. Don’t give up no matter what. Push forward and keep learning from the setbacks. Oh yeah, and as we say in England “Don’t let the basta*ds get you down”.

That last phrase usually refers to the knockers, the doubters, the eternal pessimists, those that have never seen a glass half full! We al know a few, whether they be family, friends or simple acquaintances. My advice to you is avoid them like the plague, or at the very least, listen to the good bits and discard the rest.

STICK WITH THE WINNERS!

Every industry, profession, peer group, or family Klan has its fair share of influential people to whom we may look up to from time to time. It’s important to respect people’s decisions but if your gut feeling tells you to have a go at something despite the doubts of those you admire, then have a go you must.

The virtual world can be a bit solitary at times and social interaction can be somewhat limited to say the least, that’s why it’s important to ‘Stick with the Winners’ when building your online acquaintances and new friends.

It doesn’t take long to get to know who the success stories are. By success, I don’t just mean they’ve hit the virtual jackpot but more to do with them having a great attitude, a positive plan of action, a zest for accomplishment at any level, and most importantly, they are happy to help and interact with others in order to let the information and ideas flow.

Why am I writing this? I don’t know really. It’s probably because I finally feel like I’m running out of steam after almost 14 months of cracking the internet whip without great results. Maybe I just needed to jot down these reminders so I don’t start to embrace a bad attitude and give up before I’ve had the chance to learn some more.

Hmm! I’d be interested to know if others have felt like giving up but decided to press on regardless, and what was the outcome of that decision?

Cheers

Aitch

[Yaro]

Nice article Aitch, spot on too, I agree with the patience and persistence comments. I have a section devoted to each in an ebook I have coming out (which reminds me - do you want to read an advance copy of it? PM if you do).

I think every once and a while, especially during periods where we haven't been rewarded for a while (positive feedback, jump in traffic, financial boost etc) the doubts start to get stronger until the next reward comes along.

I go through it regularly. It's a complete roller coaster ride. I'm not sure what my threshold would be in terms of when I would decide to throw in the towel. I think as long as I enjoyed the process and saw incremental improvements and rewards I'd keep at it. If the rewards aren't there, then I'd start to lose motivation.

You're right too - stay away from negative influences, unless you can convince them to become positive or find motivation from their reaction (I just have to prove your wrong brother/mother/father/cousin etc etc).

[burty]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Try to look past the hype. Try to find someone who you think is a success, than hang onto their coat-tails => sounds easy!

Look at the Pareto Principle. We know that of 100 people who start out (doing almost anything), 80 of them will give up almost immediately. The other 20 will do something.

Of those 20, the Pareto Principle applies once again. 16 will get disillusioned after a month or two. 4 will carry on.

PP again: 3 will drop out after giving it a good go. 1 will carry on regardless.

You need to latch onto that one person and follow their plan of success. Do whatever it takes to replicate their success.

[Aitch]

Great feedback guys which was the purpose of the original post. I’ve enjoyed reading both your responses and it’ll be nice if we see a few more contributions before the thread dies.

I find that influences have a knock-on effect whether they are positive or negative, and I’m trying to embrace the idea that if a negative though comes into the head without an invitation, make it fleeting and kick its arse out of bed before it becomes rooted. Simple to say, but not always easy to do!

I think it's important to fight for something rather than against it. An example might be to fight for success as opposed to against failure.

I hope I’m still around in 6 months with a few juicy tips and tricks on how I’m doing so well (at any level).

BTW, Burty, the Pareto Principle is interesting. Is it for real?

Aitch

[Yaro]

Hey Aitch,

Pareto is the fellow that came up with the 80/20 rule, I'm sure you have read me drop that term into a few articles now and then.

It would be good to see this thread continue but I have a feeling a lot of people are lurkers and don't have much to contribute (again the principle applies - only a few people become forum contributors, most are readers).

Just this morning I went through a down period with my own business work. I haven't had a lot of sales recently and most of my energy is currently devoted to projects that don't make money yet or only rarely. I felt a bit aimless and the usual self doubt crept in.

At times like that I tend to go do something else unrelated to web work so I cleaned the bathroom and changed the fish tank water. Just completing a couple of simple tasks made me feel better - it gave me a sense of achievement which is a lot better than a sense of procrastination.

Now I'm back on the computer and I feel pumped again ready to produce some content and kick some goals.

The lesson to learn is positivity - fool yourself into being 100% convinced that it will happen as long as you keep working...and then keep working!

[Aitch]

Good points Yaro and come to think of it, I have picked up on the 80/20 rule a time or 2 but didn't take too much notice of the figures. Interesting stats nonetheless.

This forum will become a popular and valuable resource for budding entrepreneurs, netrepreneurs, solopreneurs call them what you will. It's a bit like a dance floor where it takes a few folks to get up and start jigging before the rest join in.

You're so right about breaking the negative thoughts. We all get them from time to time to a greater or lesser degree, but it’s whether we hold onto them or not that decides their effect on us.

I've actually been thinking of taking a couple of days off just to do something away from the norm.

My advice to me is get up, go somewhere, do something different, anything, but don't sit around wallowing in self pity as it can prove to be quite a spiral if it's allowed to get a grip for long enough.

Brush your teeth till y’ gums bleed, shave your head, meet someone for coffee, do a Bungee Jump, start divorce proceedings, whatever! But make it an action away from what it is that’s getting you down in order to break the despondency of the situation.

I once heard a fella say on an inspirational tape, and I quote - 'If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always got'.

The moral of that is this: If nothing ever seems to change then do something different and different things will happen.

Long live the networks and virtual interaction. Nobody has to be alone in their quest to do business online, just tap into what's on offer and you could find you have all the tools you need.

Aitch

[Yaro]

Spot on Aitch, spot on.

Hopefully some of the readers of this post will take some value from your comments (...and get divorced, hehe, just kidding!).

[Rhett]

That's exactly why I am just currently approaching online income generation as a hobby or exercise at the moment. It takes the pressure off a little.

[Blaine Moore]

Originally posted by Rhett@Mar 2 2006, 04:55 PM
That's exactly why I am just currently approaching online income generation as a hobby or exercise at the moment. It takes the pressure off a little.

[snapback]445[/snapback]

Because you are too busy getting divorced?

[Rhett]

lol.
No, mainly because I have other eggs in other baskets.