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The Clueless Dad: New Journey, New Blog and Completely Stoked

April 11, 2011 By 30 Comments

Today marks one of the most significant days of my life…the day my wife and I get to tell everyone we are pregnant with our first kid!!!

I don’t share a lot of things about my personal life on Blogging Labs because I try to keep everything extremely focused and relevant…but this even ties in perfectly. Blogging has become an integral part of my life. It has given me a business, it has allowed me to connect with people around the world and…most importantly…it lets me do what I love.

My wife and I started our journey of starting a family a long time ago and it has been a bumpy road. Luckily, today…we had our 12 week doctors appointment and there is a tiny Sutton in there pumping away at 175 bpm!

New Journey = New Blog

Would I really be a blogger if I didn’t have a blog to go along with this new section of my life?! Hell no! So here it is…

TheCluelessDad.com

We’ll be sharing everything we can as we take the steps into parenthood. It is going to be an exciting ride.

So our family of four is about to become five this year come October. I hope my wife is ready…she is about to have 4 kids!

Sutton Family

 

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It's Like I Am Giving Up Before I Even Started

March 29, 2011 By 14 Comments

Last night, my wife and I were sitting around watching reruns of “How I Met Your Mother” when a line on the show hit me like a ton of bricks.

One of the main characters, Ted Mosby was starting up his on architecture firm. In the process of the first couple of days, he had done everything in his power to distract himself from the task that ultimately brought business in…calling potential clients. At the end of the show, he tells a story about an architect to builds a library and it was the perfect building…the only problem is that the building sunk several inches a year and was eventually condemned. The architect forgot to account for the weight of the books.

That is when the quote that hit me over the face really drove home.

The longer I put off starting my own firm the longer it can remain a dream and not something  I screwed up at. It’s like I’m giving before I even started.

He was so worried about “forgetting the books” that keeping on meaningless tasks was his way of putting off failure even if it could be the best first step he had ever taken.

Wasting Time On Things That Don’t Matter

Ok…now back to reality. This line…while in a TV show…is very real. All of you start with the hope of one day owning your own business that gives you the freedom to work when you want to from where you want to. It is an incredible dream and entirely possible. However, owning your own business also comes with stresses and tasks that are not “the internet lifestyle”.

For a lot of you (me included), it isn’t so much about the working freedom as it is about not relying on the opinion of someone else to determine your worth and how much money you bring home every week. When you are your own boss, you determine your own future. This is both exhilarating and scarey as hell at the same time for most entrepreneurs even if they don’t say it.

Even worse, there is a misconception that everything has to be perfect.

The reality (even if it doesn’t look like it from the outside with other entrepreneurs) is that you are going to mess up. You are going to make mistakes and that will affect other people. You can not get away from that fact and it happens in your daily work life already. The only difference…it reflects someone else’s brand name and you just work your 9-5 to fix it as best you can. Once you go home, you try to wash it off and move on. When you own your own business, it is completely on you and your name.

That is a scarey thought at times, but you have to remember…it is how you pick your pants up after they fall down that counts…not the fact they fell down. Sometimes in life we are given more credit on how we handle ourselves through harder times than if everything were perfect. By righting wrongs, we build solid foundations and a business you can be proud of at the end of the day. You are going to “forget the books” from time to time…and that is ok.

When I started oneninety8, Bike198 and Blogging Labs…I had these same fears and did these same “meaningless tasks”. Eventually, you have to kick yourself in the ass to really get things done and kick-start your dream.

So as you go throughout your day finding tasks to complete that really don’t matter…

…and you find yourself saying things like…

  • I’ll do it when my design is perfect.
  • I’ll start when I have x,xxx subscribers.
  • I can’t do that because I’m not big enough like those other blogs and businesses.

…just remember, you might be shooting yourself in the foot just so you can keep the dream a great dream instead of your reality. Success is brought forth through actionable steps that foster growth. The more you waste time on things that don’t matter, the longer you will be telling people about your dream instead of living it.

Do not quit before you even start.

 

 

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The Profound Power Of Less Is More

March 11, 2011 By 2 Comments

Often in life and in business, we get stuck on the idea that more is better. In our attempt to accumulate the most stuff, write the longest article, publish the most posts, make the most money…we often forget the power of less is more. To illustrate this…let’s take a look at some two word phrases that carry a huge amount of power without having to add-on meaningless BS…

I do.

F*ck You.

We’re pregnant.

I’m sorry.

You first.

Trust me.

Hell, no.

Yes, m’am.

Why me?

You’re welcome.

Shut up.

It’s a constant struggle. Everything in us wants more but the power comes from less with extreme relevance and direction. When you really want to get your point across…you use less. When you really want try to impress someone you shouldn’t be…you use more.

Creating compelling content is more than just the amount of words in your article. It is about how you shape those words to keep attention and create emotion that connects with readers. If you are always worried about “is this article long enough”, you are going after the wrong goal.

Attack your blogging with passion…say what you need to say…but don’t water it down with bullshit it doesn’t need…

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Designing Life: Making The Work – Life Balance Work

February 28, 2011 By 11 Comments

So I was needlessly wasting time on Facebook the other day when a great friend of mine linked up this video on Ted that is a talk from Nigel Marsh on the work/life balance. Ironically, this is a topic that has been at the forefront of my brain for some time.

I am an all or nothing kind of person. I hit everything in my life 110% or nothing which leaves very little room for balance. As I continue to get older and start looking at starting a family with my wife, I am coming to the gripping realization that I can not keep burning both ends of the match for forever. If I really want to have a successful, happy and full life, I have to start to learn how to not only balance work and life, but delegate tasks and give up some of my control.

The process of making work not run your life is not an easy one and it can not be done all at once. Currently, I am looking into using VA’s for a lot of my business tasks to free up time to focus on growth and planning. The future is in efficiency…not longer hours.

What Marsh goes on to illustrate in this video…that I suggest everyone listens to (not long…only about 10 minutes)…is that we are caught in a race that we can not win. We constantly put off living until a later date by stretching ourselves too thin in the present. Part of this is the structure of our workplaces, but a large sum of it boils down to our want and desire for someone to swoop in from the heavens and fix it for us.

We have to start looking within ourselves to fix the issues of our lives. The work/life balance is something only we can fix through changing our attitudes and actions. In the end…this is our one and only shot at living life to the fullest and the little moments can matter the most.

And most of all, people need to stop “working long, hard hours, at jobs they hate to enable them to buy things they don’t need, to impress people they don’t like. ”

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4 Tips To Insure Your Success In 2011 and Beyond

January 5, 2011 By 6 Comments

With 2010 behind us and 2011 up and running, everyone is looking to improve this year over last. For many of you, you might be looking to make 2011 your breakout year as you take your dream and make it a reality. It is possible, you just have to keep you mindset on the right path to success and that makes the sky the limit for what you can accomplish over the next 12 months.

#1 – This Is Not A Backup Plan

Your future is too important to treat your business as a backup plan. I hear far too many bloggers and small online business owners say, “It makes me some side cash and hopefully…one day…it will be full time.” One day never comes with that attitude…it will always be side income instead of your profession.

Owning your own business (online or not) is dependent on a correct mindset from the very beginning. Do I believe in working a 9-5 until you can replace the income with your blogging? Absolutely. I even suggest working both if you can pull it for as long as you can balance the needs of your lifestyle (before you have kids, etc.), but if you expect to make it big with the mindset of small…you are sorely mistaken. You have to jump into your life headfirst as if there was no other option. You want to be full-time with your dream and that is the goal from day one. Will it provide side income in the meantime? Yes it will, but you will spend the side income on stuff you don’t need with a bad business mindset instead of putting it where it belongs…back into your business for growth.

Start 2011 with the mindset that you are going to make it big in 2011. It is not if or hopefully…it is when and that is dependent upon you.

#2 – Form Efficient Working Habits

We waste a TON of time. It’s true. Even those of us that think we are incredibly efficient still waste a lot of time.

In 2011, you need to figure out how you can efficiently work to get the most out of every minute you are in front of that computer or networking. I personally use tools like Evernote, Google Calendars and scheduling posts to make sure I am running at full steam at all times. Just recently, I used my need for efficiency as an excuse with my wife to pick up an iPad. While my intentions were to just get an iPad, I actually found that my efficiency level increased during meetings and on the go as I had a way to get ideas down on paper easier and a way to edit plans/invoices and other documents during crucial meetings.

My efficient working habits are not going to be the same as yours in most cases but you need to find out how you can make the most out of the time you have. There are going to be things that come up to derail your plans, so having everything in place and planned will be crucial to your success in 2011.

#3 – Watch The Trends

If someone would have told you to ignore Digg 3 years ago, would you believe them? What if they told you Facebook was going to be more powerful than Google 2 years ago?

The web is still finding its way. Its users are still figuring out how they want to share and find information online. Ironically, 2010 marked the year of consumers (yes…your content is a consumable) going back to their roots of personally recommending products, services and other items through social media outlets like Facebook. How many people looking to buy a vacuum cleaner online hit up Facebook first to ask their friends what they are using before they searched Google? Online word of mouth is building up steam quickly, so capitalizing on that trend can bring you some serious growth by not wasting time on old, tired out methods.

However, just because it is the trend that is working today…that does not necessarily mean it will the the trend of tomorrow. It is up to you to watch out for the next Facebook or Twitter. Will there be another flood of social media like those two created? Probably not…but what if the next flood is something that is branded outside of social media?

In 2011, you need to watch the trends and test theories to see what works for your audience and your business. You never know…you could find a secret goldmine.

#4 – Stay Positive And Have Fun

2010 in many ways was the year of negativity and polarizing opinions. Personally, I stopped watching the news as it was just depressing. At the end of the day, we are all dealt the same hand of cards. It is up to us to make the most we can of this one life we have, and if we are going to live it miserable and negative…there isn’t much point.

Your success this year will completely depend on your outlook on life. Are there things going on in this world that you don’t agree with? Yes. Are there people in your life that just get on your nerves? Yes. Is that going to change? No…but you can change how you interact and look at the world. By staying positive and having fun with your life, you will attract other positive people and things. If you make the conscious decision to be negative and angry, you are going to attract nothing but negative and angry people or things.

If you only do one thing that will help your business this year…it should be to have fun with it. The rest will fall in line naturally.

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Is Being Connected All the Time, Helping or Hurting Your Business?

December 13, 2010 By 3 Comments

This is a guest post written by Robert Fulton. If you would like to guest post on Blogging Labs, contact us through the contact page and we will get the ball rolling.

There is no denying that the world of business has changed dramatically over the past decade. The limitations of the traditional office no longer exist. With the growing prevalence of wireless internet, web enabled smart phones, and video conferencing the only thing tying us to the office is our accustomed familiarity with it. Many would argue that this is the crowning achievement of business technology. The ability to stay connected to the heart beat of your business at all times. While this has great appeal to some it could also be argued that this is taking away from our business prowess; chaining us to our work at all times. So does the reality of these technological leaps leave us in a better or worse position for our business? That argument is one of great debate.

Connectivity And Business Hours

The days of working nine to five have long since past. Before the dawn of limitless business connectivity the savvy business operator was putting in far more hours than the traditional 40 hour work week. Long days at the office pouring over in to late nights had become the norm rather than the exception.

With limitless wireless connectivity available the need to be tied to ones office has evaporated. Long hours once spent in cubicles have been replaced by equally long working hours from the comfort of a living room sofa. The days of being confined to an office building have been replaced often times by the beach umbrella and a portable laptop computer. This new age of technology has afforded us a very close connection to our business. When looking at any particular market the ability to respond quickly is paramount. Whether responding to your clients email of concern via your wirelessly connected smart phone, or seizing the perfect moment to purchase a stock of interest; the ability to instantly react, without delay is one of great value.

The Price Of Instant Information

While the age of constant connectivity offers us unparalleled advantages in business that have never been available before, it ultimately comes with a price. It has become increasingly difficult to divorce ones self from the business that we conduct. In the past, even while spending long days working, there was always an opportunity to retreat away from ones work and to simply relax. While this opportunity was not always taken, it was always present.

In the day of eternal connectivity the ability to “close up shop” has been greatly diminished. There is a sense that when one is not working, they are not being productive. Enjoyable activities are now often interrupted by business notifications from our phones. The sanctity of family time is often interrupted by the pressing need to react instantly to a business event. I, myself, have woken up in the middle of the night to check whether or not an expected email had arrived in my “inbox.” This surely can not be a healthy practice. In truth if we allow it, our business can become the only facet of our life and it can easily drown out all else.

While wireless internet service connectivity has allowed us to work harder and work smarter it has ultimately come with a potentially steep price tag. More than ever it is important to keep ones priorities secured firmly in the forefront of our thoughts. In running away from all that new technology has afforded us we are certain to lose out on many great business opportunities. Conversely, by embracing all that is available to us we run the risk of abandoning everything else in our lives. Limitless connectivity forces us to walk a dangerously fine line. Only in seeking a balance between our business and personal lives can we truly be happy and successful in all that we do.

Robert Fulton is a 20-something technology enthusiast originally from the west coast. When he’s not working or studying for his masters degree, you can find him traveling the world and spending time with his son.

Blogging Labs Tips To Disconnect

This great guest post by Robert Fulton outlines how we can get our minds wrapped around working 24/7 very easily. We find ourselves needing to obsessively check stats and never leave the comfort of our blogging or social media much like a kid that won’t take a nap in the fear they will miss something. The following tips are ones that we use to step away from the online world and join the living once in awhile to keep our sanity.

  1. Take Scheduled Breaks Throughout The Day – It is easier to be more productive in your work time and your leisure time if it is scheduled throughout the day. When you are just going at random, both time periods can be inefficient as you mix them together. Try to plan out your day and schedule your off time just as you schedule your tasks. It will make you better at both.
  2. Turn Off Email and Stat Alerts On Mobile Devices During Dinners or Walks – When it is time to take time off, turn off all notifications on your phone and other mobile devices to top the interruption and want to check what is going on in the online world. Without the distraction, it will be easier to relax.
  3. Take Back Your Weekends – Unless there is a HUGE project going on (like a full redesign), I try to keep my weekends as weekends. You will notice that my Twitter and Facebook usage drops drastically and I rarely…if ever…post blog articles on the weekends. If you must publish articles, try to schedule them on Friday and take your weekend as time to relax.
  4. Spend Time With The People You Care About – All of this is nothing without personal relationships. I would rather have less money and a happier life than a rich guy with no friends or family. When you spend time with the people in your life that you care about…really spend time with them as they are what really matters in this world.
  5. Get Rid Of Time Wasting Activities – If you want to be more productive and have a happier life, get rid of the time wasting activities in your life to be more productive. Is your life going to end if you don’t watch your favorite TV show or you close Facebook for awhile and miss that funny inside joke? Probably not. Use the time you have wisely and live your life to the fullest.

This is our one and only life and I doubt we are supposed to waste it away working ourselves to death and obsessing over the online world. Plan your work and work your plan. The rest will fall into place naturally.

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The Stress For Me Would Be NOT Owning My Business

December 1, 2010 By 10 Comments

I was sitting having lunch yesterday around a bunch of executives. This group of high ranking employees and business owners were talking about several companies in their industry that had gone out of business over the last year and what caused their eventual demise. While some were based on the economy or stiff competition, there was one company that apparently had bad business management from the top due to the inability to run an efficient business by the owner. During this conversation, one of the business owners said something that really hit home with me as I was eavesdropping on their conversation…

I don’t think he could handle the stresses of owning his own business. For me, the stress would be not owning my business.

I guess they saw my ears perk up because after that line I was invited into the conversation.

The Stresses Of Business Ownership

I think a lot of people have the misconceived idea that owning your own business (online or not) is just a walk in the park as you go towards the friendly oasis of palm trees and pools of money (there’s an old school Duck Tales reference for you). Like a horse with blinders, they see all of the positive aspects with business ownership without taking into consideration what goes on behind closed doors.

What they do not see is all of the back end management that goes into running a successful business. Especially for online entrepreneurs, we are now wearing all of the hats of the business. We are inventory control, production (content or physical goods), engineering (coming up with ideas), accounting, management and owner all in one day. The juggling of all of these hats at one time can get the best of any entrepreneur with a great idea. The trick is to balance time between all tasks to run an efficient and profitable business over time. Remember, you are setting your self up for life…not just next week.

The Stresses Of The 9 To 5

On the flipside, the stresses of the 9 to 5 can be overwhelming as 99.9% of us already know. You have bosses that you are accountable to, your paycheck is determined by someone else, you often have to go along with ideas and plans that you completely disagree with, bad decisions by other workers can directly affect your livelyhood…the list goes on and on.

But…most of the general public puts up with these stresses to gain the security, repeatability and low responsibility rate that goes with being an employee. In the big scheme of things, going into work from 8-5, doing your job and then heading home is just good enough to provide for the family and live a happy life.

The Entrepreneur Mindset

For me, the stresses of not owning my business far out weigh the stresses involved with running it. When I started oneninety8 and all of my blogs, I started them with the goal of taking this show full time. The stresses of having to go along with decisions I didn’t agree with and relying on someone else’s opinion of me to drive my income were stresses that I could no longer bear. The entrepreneurs mindset is one that is willing to make the sacrifices in their life to gain the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

When I want a raise…I work harder on new ideas.

When I want to take a vacation…I take one.

When build up new assets…I am setting up my future.

This is the life I wanted. Living the 8-5 life is one that was stressing me out to the point that I was not sleeping, not eating well and adding all of that up to shorten my life over time. Owning my business…for me…is not about working only 2 hours a day and making millions…it is about having the ability to fully control my future and watch my ideas grow into something I can be proud of. It is about accepting the personal responsibility for my future and not relying on others to hand me what I want in life.

Every employee thinks they are underpaid and under appreciated because you are. It is the companies job to get your skills and productivity for the lowest price they can while it is your job to try to squeeze out the highest wage. This conflicting set of goals creates an environment where you have to either be promoted internally or change jobs to increase your income over time. When you own your business, that goal is under your control…and that comes with certain new responsibilities.

You can keep the grind for a paycheck every week. While that might create a less stressed, happy life for others…that just isn’t for me.

Image by Truthout.org

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Fear Paralysis: Stopping Progress Over The Fear Of The Unknown

November 24, 2010 By 2 Comments

Fear can be a great motivator.

However, in most cases it causes its unsuspecting victims to fall short of their goals due to fear paralysis that brings all forward progress to a screeching halt. Many times, the victim if fear paralysis does not even know they are a victim as they waste time on meaningless tasks and always find that one more reason not to move forward at this point in time.

There is a lot of talk about using fear to motivate progress and how you shouldn’t be afraid of failure. We learn from failure and every successful entrepreneur, blogger or internet marketer will tell you they have failed far more times than they have succeeded. This is a known fact that we have all come to accept and we look forward to the day when you can bestow that knowledge unto others. But what can be even more crippling to entrepreneurs around the world?

The Fear Of Success

In my experience, the fear of success can sometimes be far more crippling than the fear of failure. When you fail, you are typically only affecting yourself. While the after affects can affect those around you (lost income for the family, more time investment, etc.), when you fail it is just another part of life. You have been preparing yourself for it since day one and it has been beat into your head that it will happen. So you pick yourself back up, dust yourself off and run at it again with the new knowledge and experience to hopefully make your idea a success the second time around.

What happens if you actually succeed?

What happens if your idea is as good as you thought it would be? Now you are accountable to that idea and the process of keeping it going. You have attached your name to a product, service or idea that now has grown a life of its own. In success, comes responsibility and that fear of being accountable to other people, places and things can keep aspiring entrepreneurs from taking that last step into launch mode.

In my life, the unrealistic fears of success have been the greatest hurdles to cross. We expect to fail in our lives. It is the illustrious hanging fruit of success that is the goal and can be more stressful than failure.

So what do we do when we are scared of success?

  • We hold off launches until they are perfect (which does not exist).
  • We tell ourselves that we are just going to fail anyway so it is not important.
  • We worry about the time management.
  • We try to convince ourselves that greatness is ok not to achieve.

Have you ever tweaked a website to death only to find out that all of your “great ideas” that took weeks or months to complete are worthless once readers hit your site? What about that eBook idea that you have been sitting on for months? Have you even taken the first steps towards that great idea that could get you to where you want to be monetarily? There is no “perfect time” or fully complete project. There are those that are launched and those that aren’t.

The fear of success goes hand in hand with the fear of commitment, responsibility and accountability. To be a success, you have to embrace the idea that you are worth the positive outcomes and you can handle the responsibility that comes with that success. You have to beat down the roadblocks that are keeping you from achieving your goals. Success is stressful…but it is a great problem to have.

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What If Man Could Fly?

October 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

No…I do not mean jump in a 747…that is a ride. What if a man could really fly?

If you asked anyone 20 years ago if a man could fly, I bet the answer you would receive would a be a definitive no. Are you crazy?! Man can’t fly! Of course, like most things in life, there are people out there that have the drive and the passion to bring what would seem to be unachievable in reality by defying odds and forever changing what we consider normal. Jeb Corliss and his wing suit prove in this video that man can fly and it looks like it has to be the coolest thing on the planet…at this point in time. What does this have to do with you and does it really relate to blogging? Well…watch the video first and then scroll below.

Defying Odds To Achieve Greatness

All of the greatest inventions of our time or companies that rise to new heights are all founded on one basic principle when it all boils down to it.

They take an idea and achieve the unimaginable.

Throughout life…we live in a set of rules. You drive on a specific side of a road, you buy your groceries in a certain way, you have to watch your favorite show on a specific channel with pre-chosen commercials and then you wake up…day in and day out…at the same time to go to the same job and repeat the same tasks. These are the rules we live in as consumers within our communities.

If we want to break into greatness…in life or with our blogs/companies…we have to step outside the barriers to progress and think outside the box. We have to break the conventional rules of thought and bring something new to the table that connects with large audiences. We have to create that wow moment that forever changes the perspective of the people we come in contact with. It is up to us…as the idea people to come up with the alternatives.

Let me ask you another question…if someone asked you 10 years ago if a single person could achieve high 6 figure salaries with nothing but a domain name and an idea…would you have said yes?

It is time for you to fly

Right now, we live in a crazy world where the Internet has opened up more opportunities for decision makers than ever before. We are on the edge of greatness and have achieved it in many ways. Bloggers are now seen as news sources that can alter how audiences consume content. No longer are we 100% dependent upon newspapers and magazines to get the latest news or digest our obsessions. Bloggers just like you are providing this content on a daily basis and making a really good living from it.

The trick…you have to fly. You have to take that leap and come up with your ideas that are going to rock your niche. You have to have the determination and guts to go after that idea and make it a reality for yourself and your readers. Do you think Jeb Corliss started flying overnight? Absolutely not. There are going to be trials…there are going to be roadblocks…there are going to be people that will tell you it can’t be done. But, with hard work, dedication and a unique idea…you can defy the odds and fly, but you have to believe in yourself, your idea and be willing to make that jump.

Are you willing to fly?

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If You Can Achieve Something Without Struggle…

September 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As you probably know already, I am obsessed with all things cycling (that’s why I started Bike198.com). Cyclists…specifically pro road bikers…are known for overcoming struggles to achieve goals. With the epic stories of Lance Armstrong to come back victories of Greg LeMond and others, we can draw inspiration and motivation in our own lives from watching athletes perform above expectations in races and events like the Tour de France.

The following quote from Greg LeMond summarizes a very key point in my life that I felt warranted further explanation.

I have always struggled to achieve excellence. One thing that cycling has taught me is that if you can achieve something without a struggle it’s not going to be satisfying.

-Greg LeMond-

What a killer quote. If you sit back and think about it for a second, it really starts to sink in and make sense. The story of the “free lunch gone bad” is one that goes down in history over and over again. Why do you think most lottery winners are worse off 5 years down the road than before they received their pile of cash?! When you are given something without the blood, sweat and tears that goes into the acquisition…you do hold hold the same perceived value with the feeling of accomplishment that goes with that achievement. Therefore…the easy come, easy go mentality sets in and you tend to not protect your asset as much as if you had worked your ass off for it.

Blogging And The Ultimate Grind

Truly successful blogs and businesses are not overnight successes. Yes…we hear the results of successful businesses online, but we very rarely hear the massive effort put forth on the back end and during the beginning stages to get there.

Whenever someone starts up a new blog and asks how to make it big…they look at the success of others and attempt to replicate it. However, 99% of those beginning bloggers are not willing to put in the effort when no one is reading. They are not willing to put in the late nights, the practice and patience of learning the craft or the dedication to treating this medium as a business. Instead…they want to see their little corner of the web explode income without putting in the work because the Internet…as a whole…is still perceived to be an “easy money” outlet when that could not be farther from the truth.

Blogging is not the easiest way to make money online.

Blogging is a grind. Day in and day out writing, promotion and innovation bring success over time. The reason you see such solid businesses built up around the online medium of blogs is because that asset is protected strongly by its creator due to the amount of effort it took to gain success. Do you think bloggers would protect their online real-estate as closely if it was just handed to them? Probably not.

The struggle in blogging is the reason for the payoff at the end of the rainbow. It is the reason we grind away at creating and promoting content. It feeds the love of connecting with other people around the world that share the same passion as you do. It is the story behind the success that in turn breeds more success.

If you are expecting to achieve your dreams through blogging without the grind and struggle…you are wasting your time. If you are ready to grow past your expectations and wildest dreams through hard work and improvement by learning through failures…you are at the right place.

It is a long road, but the journey defines the commitment and success over time.

Image by tricky

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