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Is There Anything You Would Have Done Differently?

April 12, 2010 By 18 Comments

I was asked a question the other day that many of us are presented with on a regular basis. It’s an interesting one to say the least as it requires you to step outside and look in with hindsight awareness and knowledge on your life both professionally and personally.

Before we jump into it…hindsight knowledge is a funny animal. When you go into situations throughout your life, you try to make the best decisions you can given the facts presented to you at the time. With hindsight, you are able to know all of the facts and an outcome given certain actions. In essence, it is cheating and that is why I typically do not like looking at situations in hindsight.

So onto the question…

Looking back at your professional life up until this point, is there anything you would have done differently?

The short answer…no. But let me explain.

Given that this is a yes or no answer, there are two types of people that answer a certain way.

  1. If you are happy with your life and your current situation, you typically answer no.
  2. If you are unhappy with your life and current situation, you typically answer yes.

Makes sense…but let’s look into it a little bit deeper and then I’ll give you my angle.

I Wouldn’t Change A Thing

The person that is happy with their spot in life wouldn’t change a thing. Why is that? Each of the experiences in our lives brings us to where we are today. It affects the people we meet, the decisions we make and the path we eventually walk. By changing any one of these decisions and actions, we are derailing the path and we end up at a different destination.

If you are happy with your life, why would you want to change anything? Yes…there are decisions that you could have made in the past that you could have done better, but the person that answers no to this question uses this as fuel to make better decisions in the future instead of focusing on the bad decisions of the past. It isn’t regret or depression. It is motivation to become better.

I Would Have Done Things Differently

For the person that answers that they would have done things differently, this normally stems from a dissatisfaction in their current state. Instead of trying harder for the future, this person looks to the past and what they could have done differently to be in a different situation today…instead of looking where they want to be in the future. By focusing on what they can not change (the past), they can separate themselves from the responsibility and ownership of making things better.

Let’s put it this way…if you are running into people that are always complaining about how they could have done it better, they are always performing sub par to their abilities because one day they will be complaining about today. Instead of using the time an energy it takes to make a true difference, they are wasting that time worrying about thoughts and actions they can not change.

Would I Change Anything?

Absolutely not. My life has not been perfect by any stretch and I am not alone in that fact. But the experiences I have had through the course of my life has made me who I am today. My life time line has given me a beautiful wife, two great dogs, a great family and a house I can call my own. Could I have more? Sure. Are there more things I want? Absolutely, but the fact that I do want more makes me strive to be better…not worry about how I could have gotten those things in the past.

As we look back on our lives with hindsight knowledge, use those experiences for what they are…fuel for the future. That is your ammo to take on the world with the knowledge that you can be bigger and better. While others will let the past cripple their growth, you are going to use it to allow you to fly even higher…

Image by DimitryB
Filed Under: Lifestyle Design, My Life Tagged With: , , ,

One Leg At A Time

April 8, 2010 By 10 Comments

I was putting on a pair of my new Dockers pants yesterday when I noticed they had a saying inside the waist band, “One Leg At A Time”. It got me thinking about my life and blogging, so stick with me on this ride as I attempt to explain.

I’m not sure who first coined the phrase, but if you think about how that tagline applies to your life outside of actually putting on pants, it can be rather profound. Let’s take a look…

Tackling Your Life One Leg At A Time

For many people, the timeline of their life can be overwhelming. I speak from experience on this one as sometimes my long term goals can seem too large to tackle or stepping out of that comfort zone is being stopped by usability to take that first step. At that point in time, I remind myself that every step in life and business is taken one leg at a time.

Most projects, business decisions and general blogging is tackled in steps…not all at once. Do you see yourself jumping straight into your pants both legs in one shot?! Sounds hilarious when you really think about it but so often bloggers try to tackle the big tasks in their blogging all at once.

When you start to plan projects, you need to lay out the steps necessary to achieve your goals. You then take on each of these steps and watch them add up over time.

Applying The Phrase To Self Image

Unless you are a cocky SOB that thinks you are utterly wonderful and the world is graced by your presence, you have probably had certain “I’m not like those guys” or “I’m not good enough” feelings as it pertains to success.

Many people will look at more successful people in life or business and wonder what the secret is…what did they do differently…how to I get on that gravy train? The secret…they put their pants on one leg at a time everyday and they do that consistently.

What most people don’t realize is that what separates the successful from those that aren’t is the ability to try over and over again without being scared of the result.

Applying This Theory To Blogging

As you start to look at how you can apply this theory to your blogging, you need to take a serious look at your plans and your goals.

  • Where do you want to be by the end of the year, month, week?
  • What is it going to take to get there?
  • What time requirements are there?

Now that you have laid it all out, start taking the steps down one leg at a time. You will be surprised at the result as you are working your plan, just like you do every morning when you get dressed and don’t realize it.

After you start eliminating the barriers to success, you have to start realizing that there is nothing special to “top bloggers” in your field. They took the same steps you are to get where they are today.

With the willingness to believe you can actually make it and you are good enough…you will be unstoppable. The enemy of most bloggers is their own mind in the pursuit of their dreams.

In the end, we are all doing this “one leg at a time” regardless of niche or business model. Hit it up!

Filed Under: Blogging, Lifestyle Design Tagged With: , , , ,

Destroying The Road Blocks To Success

March 23, 2010 By 11 Comments

Do you ever wake up and feel like there was a party you weren’t invited to? Like there is some kind of roadblock in your way or a secret key you forgot to pick up? You are taking in all of the advice, doing all of the work, planning your future but it is all not coming as fast as you would like. Why is it coming for others faster than it is coming for me? They are doing the same things I am…what gives?!

There is some point in time when EVERYONE feels like this as they grow their blogs, their businesses and their personal lives. It is a natural part of progression and if forces you to take a deep look inside yourself and your actions to evaluate where you are and where you are headed. Why is it that some people seem to just ooze success while others (who seem to be doing everything correctly) are like a duck on water. Everything looks calm on the outside but their legs are moving like crazy just to get a little forward motion.

The Problem With Too Much Advice

One of the major road blocks to success is too much advice. I know…funny thing to hear on a blog where I give advice but stick with me for a second it will all make sense.

When beginning bloggers and entrepreneurs hit the ground running looking to make a life for themselves instead of being reliant on others, they take in as much information as humanly possible. This learning stage we all go through is part of the process of wrapping your mind around the industry and where you have to head to get things rolling. This learning process is vital, but also self defeating in some ways.

There is such thing as too much advice.

At some point in time in every successful blogger or entrepreneurs career, they came up with an original thought. The ebook, course, product, style, etc. was different than anything else the market had seen up until that point, or it was so much better than the competition that it left no other alternative (this can be content driven as well). This original thought was unique to their business and brought it over the hump and off the plateau of small growth into successful, large growth.

You are not going to find your unique idea in an ebook or ecourse, you are going to have to apply the knowledge you have learned to provide your market with something unique and useful to separate yourself out from everyone else who is absorbing advice! What are you doing to do that is different and new? That is the question you need to ask yourself once the learning process is complete.

Outside of the original idea, many people get stuck in the learning process. They spend most of their time reading and learning instead of trying and doing. This sponge absorption trap will constrict you from trying new things and actually getting out there, so take a look at how you spend your time closely. You might be constricting yourself from the beginning by not allowing yourself enough time to actually try techniques instead of reading about them.

As you start to grow your blogs and businesses, start asking yourself…

  • What am I doing that is unique?
  • How am I spending my time?
  • What can I do today to separate myself from the pack?

When you start to answer those types of questions, you are tearing down the road blocks to drive down the road to success.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Design Tagged With: , , ,

Sooner Or Later, You Have To Jump Into The Deep End

March 15, 2010 By 15 Comments

I was driving with my wife yesterday talking about blogging and why some people are successful with it and others are not (I know…stimulating conversation for a wife to listen to…she puts up with a lot being married to me). After thinking out loud for about 15 minutes, it hit me like a ton of bricks. There is something that every single successful entrepreneur does that other people that do not realize this success never do. There is one common theme that runs throughout people’s lives…both professionally and personally…that almost guarantees success…or failure. But, it is a requirement for success.

You Have To Jump Into The Deep End

Remember when you were a kid learning to swim? If you don’t, think back to the last time you were watching a kid learn to swim. The deep end was a scary place. The pool floor seemed too deep down to fathom. Your feet had no chance of touching the bottom should the worst happen. You are completely reliant on your ability to keep afloat with the distracted teenage lifeguard on watch.

The butterflies hit your stomach and it becomes go time. It is either hit the water or walk away ashamed knowing your fears just got the best of you. You have the swimming ability and it is time. You jump…splash…kick your legs…reach for air…hit the ladder and you are out! Seriously! It’s that easy?! Now your parents can’t get you out of the deep end when it is time to leave in the same day. You conquered your fears and realized it wasn’t half as scary as you had in your head and you had the skills to get the job done.

Where Most Beginning Entrepreneurs Go Wrong

So where do most entrepreneurs go wrong? They take the beginning steps by getting the education, studying the market and do all of the thought processes required to make their own living and the life of their dreams. It is all in their head as they have the theory down pat to the point they can recite it to passers by as they look forward to their promising future. They step up to the deep end, take  a look at the water and…

…Never Step Off and Jump Off

How many people do you know with great ideas that were never followed up on? How many people do you know that are always telling you about their great ideas but they never seem to come to fruition?

Becoming a successful entrepreneur is all about taking that leap of faith into the water. You are taking that leap with the realization that things could go wrong, but with the trust that your training and your ability will make this jump successful. Are you going to swim perfectly to the ladder the first time? Absolutely not! But…with time, that trip continues to get easier and easier and…before you know it…you are a pro.

Trusting your instincts and your ability to succeed are vital to beginning success. More importantly, your belief that you will be able to pull through any mistakes and learn from those to apply them to future successes is was stops the freeze at the edge of the pool. 99.9% of successful blogging, life experiences and owning a successful business all starts with that leap of faith. The vast majority of people will allow that leap to freeze, unwilling to try.

I see business owners all the time that are extremely successful that…honestly…I can’t see how they do it. They don’t have the skills of other people I know…they don’t have the connections…they don’t even have the ability, but they take that step off the pool everyday and those that have all the talent…don’t. That is what separates the successful from the laborers. That ability to take the first step off the cement edge and hit the water unsure of the result on a daily basis.

Are you going to let your fear win? Are you doing to let uncertainty cripple you from being successful?

Don’t Choose The Outcome Before It Happens

These same people who do not take that jump into the deep end are the same ones that can tell you outcomes without experience to back it up.

“They won’t buy it anyway so I don’t think I’ll even bother.”

“There are too many of those in the market already, so I don’t think it is a good idea.”

“That’s a great idea, but I don’t see how you are going to make any money at it.”

All of these are negative feelings towards fear related to uncertain outcomes. You can either run through your life as a victim of circumstances or you can actually try things out for yourself and not be afraid to fail. For that matter…you also can not be afraid to succeed.

So…what are you doing today to take that first step off the cement and into the deep end?

Image by Powerhouse Museum
Filed Under: Blogging, Generating Cash, Lifestyle Design, Tutorials/How To Tagged With: , , ,

Something I Wish I Could Tell Myself In Grade School That Improves My Blogging

March 8, 2010 By 6 Comments

There are certain life lessons that apply to both business and life. There are also those that you wish you could just go back in time, shake the crap out of your ‘old self’ and scream…”JUST LISTEN TO ME! I’LL MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER!”. But…then again…it is the lessons we learn throughout the mistakes in our lives that really brings us success and happiness over time. So as we look at our blogging and those lessons we have learned, what is it that I should have known in grade school that know helps me tremendously in my blogging?

I Wish I Could Tell This To Myself

Back in the day, I was a pretty geeky kid growing up. I was also that kid that was obsessed with fitting in with the ‘cool crowd’. I wanted to hang out at the same places, do the same things, wear the same clothes…but the more I tried to ‘fit in’ the more I was kicked out. A funny thing happens when you focus all of your energy on being someone you are not. You get the opposite reaction that you were looking for. Up until about my junior year in high school…that was me. That geeky kid just trying to be one of the crowd.

About half way through my junior year in high school (after beating my head up against a wall since 6th grade), I finally just gave up. I found a group of friends I could connect with and started acting like me instead of a person that I thought everyone else wanted me to be. It was almost an instantaneous switch that changed my life. Now…all of those same people I wanted to be like actually wanted to hang out with me. Not because I was exactly like them, but because I was being like me.

Now…all that time and energy was being spent towards being myself and enjoying time with friends who actually gave a shit how I was doing that day…and that confidence and uniqueness attracted others. Funny how that happens.

How Does This Help Your Blogging?

Far too often, I see bloggers struggling with who they want to be online. They see someone else in their niche who is successful and they emulate that formula expecting the same results. They are no different than my confused grade school self just trying to fit in. What they forget is that blogger made it to where they are because they brought something unique and different to the table. That uniqueness bred the success…not trying to be one of the ‘cool crowd’.

Daring to be yourself and stand out from the crowd will gain you the respect and individuality that is required to be apart of the ‘cool crowd’. The weird thing…99.9% of people and bloggers go about it the exact opposite way by trying to copy someone else.

It is time to be different.

It is time to stand out from the crowd.

It is time to see success by being yourself.

It is time to stop worrying so much about what other people thing when you are probably wrong.

It is time to be you.

Through being yourself…you will find success. If you want to copycat someone else and focus on the wrong aspects of your blogging, be ready for frustration and disappointment. Blogging is about that connection between the blogger and the reader and if you are too worried about being like someone else…you will never get that connection and you will never see success. People want to connect with something unique. If you are just like someone else, they will just to read the real thing.

Image by Chris Gin
Filed Under: Blogging, Content, Lifestyle Design Tagged With: , , ,

Interrupting Your Regularly Scheduled Program For An Online Rant

February 25, 2010 By 30 Comments

I don’t normally do this, but there is something that I just have to type out to get this frustration out of my head. During the course of my blogging, I try to make myself regularly available to my readers.

Those of you that have contacted me before know that I try to answer every email, respond to every chat request and genuinely enjoy communicating with other bloggers trying to see success in their blogging.

I do it because I love it. I really love helping out other bloggers make a living online to the point that I want to throw a big ass party for you when you are making more than I am some day. The whole process is incredible and more rewarding than you could ever imagine.

Wait for it…ok…rant starting.

Now…since I do make myself basically completely available, there is some stupid shit that comes across my desk from time to time. That’s ok…it is just part of the game these days and I try to be as respectful as possible and either ignore or answer depending on the situation.

But lately…I have gotten several people that have contacted me over chat that goes in this basic direction.

Hey Robb

Hey man how’s it going?

Good…I want to make money blogging, how do I do it?

Did you read Ramped Blogging or any of my other eBooks?

No…they are too long. I want to do it fast.

Well…there is no ‘fast’ way to make money online, so if you are looking for that solution you are asking the wrong guy.

How much do you make?

More than a full-time income for most people, but it came after a lot of long nights. Not right away.

Is this a scam or for real?

Man…I am pretty transparent with everything, so why don’t you take a look around my site and eBooks…Ramped Blogging is free BTW.

Cool. If I do Ramped Blogging, how much money will I make?

Look…I am trying to answer your questions but you don’t want to read my ebook that is free and you want me to give you a magical answer that doesn’t exist. Successful blogging requires a lot of work and time. There is no “make money in 30 days formula” and if you are not willing to read a short ebook on how to do it…then you aren’t willing to put in the work it takes to do it right

I am not kidding…I actually copied and pasted some of this from a recent conversation and it actually took defriending him on Facebook to get him to stop asking questions like this over a several day period. (If you are the guy that was hitting me up with this…now you know why)

The next series of questions normally follows the lines of “look at my site and give me free advice” if they already have one…

And this seriously goes on and on. I try not to be a dick…but come on! I am sick and tired of the same old routine with these kinds of people. They act like you are holding back on something or you have some secret that no one else knows about. Everything I do is 100% transparent and out there if you look (just as it is with most successful bloggers).

When I get into these meaningless conversations, I feel like I am on that Ashton Kutcher show Punked. Are you freaking serious? Is this a real person on the other end of the screen?!

Look…if you really want to make a run at things and you are struggling…I completely understand reaching out and trying to get some help. That is why bloggers like myself put out products and answer dozens of emails. We have all been there and we want to help.

But asshats like this make you want to shut off the lines of communication so you don’t have to listen to the stupidity anymore. I’m not going to do that but just know…if you come to me wanting some get rich quick solution…there isn’t one…

Filed Under: My Life Tagged With: , ,

Picture Overload! A Small Vacation To New York City

February 23, 2010 By 24 Comments

Jenn (my wife for those of you that don’t already know) had a business trip up to NYC last week, so like any good husband…I headed up on Wednesday night to go hang out in the big city with her for a couple of days after her work obligations were complete. We have been trying to find the time to get up to New York City for awhile as her aunt and uncle live off Park Avenue and her grandma is in New Jersey. Luckily for us…her aunt and uncle were gracious enough to let us stay with them to visit and take in all that is New York City.

I knew I was going to be taking a ton of pictures, so as soon as we got there…I went to the camera store and picked up a Sigma 10-20mm F4 super wide angle lens to make sure I could catch all of the action. What can I say?! I am a camera geek at heart too…

Our Vacation To New York City

So here is my recap of NYC as it was my first trip ever to the big city. I think we shoe horned in as much as you can see into a 4 day long weekend as you can. I am pretty sure that we covered almost every square foot of NYC and my knees can feel it! I ended up taking over 500 pics, so here are the highlights.

The NYC Subway

We used the subway for everything. It was really surprising to me how easy it was to use. In fact, it was easier to get across town in NYC than it is to get to the restaurant down the street from my house! The ease of transportation is addictive and makes you want to have that exact same thing at home. Plus…I even got to see a couple of cheesy magic acts on a couple of trips.

Grand Central Station in and of itself is simply amazing. The way they are able to move that mass quantity of people through numerous trains is mind blowing. It is no wonder that other cities try to emulate what NYC does for public transportation.

NYC Subway Downtown

NYC Subway Sign

New York City Subway

Grand Central Station in NYC

Times Square In New York City

The first night we actually stayed in the New Yorker because that is where Jenn had been staying all week. Being two blocks from Times Square…you know we had to go check it out. We actually ended back up in that area 2 more times over the course of the trip.

Times Square is basically a huge tourist attraction and it makes me feel like I am in downtown Tokyo with all of the bright light signs. It is a pretty cool site to sit back and look at from the outside. We snapped a couple of shots including one on the red steps that are built for discount show tickets.

Times Squre at Night in New York City

Red Steps In Times Square New York City

Ground Zero – World Trade Center Site

During this trip, I really wanted to take some time to see Ground Zero. I think it is very easy to forget how horrific the events of September 11th are and we need to keep that constant reminder of what we are really up against. Thousands of people have given their lives in the attacks, volunteering, serving our cites and serving our country to protect the freedoms that we take for granted in the US on a daily basis.

The size of the site is much bigger than you could ever imagine and now it is a huge construction site. They are building a new tower with a park spanning the rest of the site dedicated to those that were lost. When it is done, it should be incredible.

We also went through the chapel next to the site where they served over 4,000 meals a day to help with the volunteer effort. It is mind blowing what took place in that area not that long ago.

Ground Zero Construction

Eternal Flame

World Trade Towers Eternal Flame

Badges of Police and Fireman Lost In September 11th Attacks In Chapel

NYC Badges

The Financial District

The financial district has always appealed to me…for obvious reasons (economy major). It was really cool to take walk around and watch all of the people and see the buildings. Much of the US economy is based out of those city blocks.

New York Stock Exchange

New York City Stock Exchange

Financial District in New York City

Bull in NYC

Broadway and Wall Street

Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty

You can’t make a trip to NYC and not see the Statue of Liberty right?! We waited in line in the blistering cold to get on the ferry and head over to the two islands. This trip actually had special importance to Jenn as both sides of her family came through Ellis Island. We found both names and took some pictures. It is a surreal experience to sit and think about how many families are in the United States today because of Ellis Island.

Ellis Island

Ellis Island

Jann Name Ellis Island

Jann Name Ellis Island

Statue of Liberty

Shopping In NYC

As you can probably guess…we did some shopping while we were up there. NYC has to be every woman’s dream. There are also a couple of cool guy toy stores like B & H Photo, Adorama, FAO Schwarz and some of the coolest Apple Stores you have ever seen (great for this complete Mac geek).

Soho Apple Store (old Post Office)

Apple Store New York City Soho

Glass Apple Store Across from Central Park

Glass Apple Store NYC

Shopping in New York City

Cobble Stone Streets In Soho

Cobblestone In Soho

FAO Schwarz “Big” Keyboard

FAO Schwarz Big Keyboard

Biking In NYC

As you guys already know from Bike198.com, I am a huge bike geek. So…I had to take a couple of shots of bike commuters and several bike related things around New York City.

Helping Biker into Bike Shop

Commuter Bike Fixed Gear

Bike Commuter In NYC

New York City Sights

One of the things I love about visiting new places is seeing new things (especially old new things). In Atlanta, everything was burned to the ground during the Civil War, so we do not have any really cool old buildings. As you go throughout New York City, there is some incredible architecture that you just don’t get to see in the south. Plus…there are some other famous places that you hear about all of the time but then get to see in person.

Radio City Music Hall

Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center

Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center

Flat Iron Building

Flat Iron Building New York City

Empire State Building at Night (view from aunt/uncle building)

Empire State Building in New York City at Night

St. Patricks Cathedral

St. Patricks Cathedral New York City

Snow in Central Park

Snow in Central Park New York City

It really was an incredible trip and a much needed time away from the keyboard. My wife and I got to spend several days together and see family which doesn’t happen much these days with everything going on. One of these days…I just might have to get a place up there!

New York City

Jenn with New York City Cops

Filed Under: My Life Tagged With: , , ,

The Secret To Success – A One Step Process

February 18, 2010 By 13 Comments

Right in line with the article yesterday on my Zero Tolerance Policy, I wanted to go into a little bit more depth about getting past the excuses and getting into what it really takes to be successful. Michael Dunlop from and IncomeDiary.com and I were talking during a recorded interview over the weekend (will be published on RobbSutton.com) about what it is that makes some bloggers successful and others not at all. While there are a lot of contributing factors to successful blogging, there are several different themes that run throughout the blogging industry that are absolute truths.

What is the secret to success in blogging? Well…you won’t be too surprised because it is the secret to success in just about everything. Taking action! I can not tell you how many bloggers I talk to on a regular basis that want success in blogging, but they are too busy reading instead of doing. Don’t get me wrong, taking advice from those that have been there before you has a ton of value, but there are a lot of bloggers that get stuck in that rut. All they do is take the advice in the form of free eBook, eCourses and seminars to do absolutely nothing!

That’s right…they spend all of their time and money learning instead of doing. I don’t know if it is fear of failure or the inability to get the car started and start driving, but these serial learners do nothing but talk about their next big idea instead of actually trying it out for themselves.

The Secret To Success In Blogging And In Business

The secret to success in blogging and in business in general is taking action. There are times you are going to fail miserably flat on your face, but at least you tried! Now you can take that knowledge and apply it to your next success. If you spend all of your time worry about whether or not you are going to make it…you never will. If you are waiting on that next informational product or course to make your blog successful….guess what…only you can actually make your blog successful.

You need to sit down and take a serious look at how you spend your time. Are you spending the majority of your time learning or doing? Learning has its place and it is a valuable part of the process, but it is on the only part of the process.

Are you going to be part of the 10% that actually takes action and sees success? Or are you going to be part of the 90% that has the knowledge and does nothing with it? That choice is up to you…and only you can make it happen.

Filed Under: Blogging, Lifestyle Design, Tutorials/How To Tagged With: , , ,

My Zero Tolerance Policy

February 17, 2010 By 33 Comments

Ok…before we jump into one of my psychological rants where you get a peek into the psyche of Robb Sutton (I know…on the edge of your seat aren’t you?!), I want to go ahead and warn you. This following dialogue might put off some people, but it is one of those things that I feel needs to be said…especially to those in the blogging world. If you only listen to one thing that jumps off your screen that I happen to throw up there, let this be the article that kicks you in the ass to get going. The rest of what I put on RobbSutton.com is purely fluff if you do not take this one article seriously. So are you ready?

My Zero Tolerance Policy

I have absolutely zero tolerance or compassion for lame ass excuses. I think a lot of this stems from the experiences that I have had in my life where I have shown myself that you can get out of any situation through action. No matter what you do in life, you are not going to get anywhere by making excuses. You only see and realize success through taking action.

I hear so many bloggers, semi-entrepreneurs and employees whine about how bad they have it…how hard things are…what they deserve and don’t get…the list goes on. There are more people in this world that will whine and complain instead of actually taking the first step of action to change their outcomes. There are also more people that would rather stick there selfish hand out looking for something free even if it means that their “free” comes at the expense of someone else.

If you really want to make a run at making money online, starting your own business or even getting that raise you have been bleeding for…it is up to you to take the actions necessary to get the job done. No one owes you a damn thing.

There are so many people in the blogging industry that want to talk about how they are going to create the next big thing. The reality…99.9% aren’t willing to put in the effort to actually get it done. Do they have the ability? They might…but we will never know because they are full more excuses of why it didn’t happen than they are with action that is at least trying. That’s ok though…these same people make marketers rich by buying “next big product” that is going to bring them to the next level. So what do they do? They spend their money, read the great content and then do not apply a single bit of it to their blogging. They just sit on it and wait for that next big product.

So who’s fault is it today? Who didn’t give you the promotion you needed? Who didn’t just help you get over that last step? Why were you too busy? Why is it so hard? Why wouldn’t we understand?

The human brain is capable of fantastic things. I have seen people you would think would never amount to anything get to the top of the world, so don’t tell me that the successful ones are smarter or got better breaks than you did. In all reality, they probably had to overcome bigger obstacles than you could even imagine and it is your jealously that is labeling their journey as “easy”.

This might not be you. You might be taking the steps right now to insure your success down the road. But I challenge you to have a zero tolerance policy with yourself. By minimizing excuses and pushing forward with action, the windows of opportunity that will open to you are endless. It just takes the willingness to put in the work and taking responsibility for your own future. You are not a victim of circumstances…you choose and define your own future and destiny.

Zero Tolerance Image by nimboo

Filed Under: Lifestyle Design Tagged With: , ,

What Probloggers Won’t Tell You – Blogging is Bloody Hard Work!

February 10, 2010 By 17 Comments

You’ve got to love the life of these probloggers. They roll out of bed around 9:30am…make a cup of tea…check their bank account…read a few emails…respond to a few comments…choose a guest post…stroll down to the cafe for brunch…check the bank account…record a six-minute video…read a couple of blog posts…check the bank account…go to the gym…pick up the kids from school…write a page for their next eBook…check the stock portfolio…sit down with the family for dinner…write the next newsletter promoting one of their mate’s products…check the bank account…and on it goes…it’s a tough daily grind I’m sure.

Then there’s the REST of us…

…up at 6am to go to a real day job…quickly check your overnight traffic before you leave the house…listen to your favorite blogger’s mp3 on the train or in the car….sneak a peek at your Twitter followers during breaks…spend lunchtime making notes for tonight’s post…check your traffic before you leave the office…rush home to check your stats again…immediately log into the blog hoping there might be a non-spam comment….delete the spam comments…read all the email offers from every problogger you’ve signed up with…watch a training video about long tail keywords….research your niche…find some images…pump out as much unique content as is humanly possible after dinner and before the kids go to bed…put the kids to bed…tweak the post and publish…post some comments on related forums…post some comments on related blogs…look up at the clock…“Oh shit! It’s 10:30pm and I  haven’t eaten dinner yet”…nuke some chicken strips…search for affiliate programs aligned with your niche….wipe your blurring eyes….take one last look at your traffic stats….stumble to bed…dream about the life of a problogger…wake up…and start the whole process again.

The Proof is in the Traffic

If you’re not well known for blogging about sex, gambling, gadgets or making money on the internet, then you’re one of millions of content producers who struggle for readers.  If people aren’t commenting about the circles under your eyes, or your fingertips aren’t bleeding at least once a week, you probably don’t have the traffic you think you deserve.  If your significant other isn’t totally frustrated with the amount of time you spend in front of ‘that stupid computer’, then there’s a good chance you’re simply one, out of 9 million websites, battling for readers attention on the net…and not getting much success.

The reality is blogging for a living is bloody hard work!  It requires a creative tenacity, and capacity to network, which most people simply don’t have.  After spending two years writing a book in my spare time, I discovered my creative tenacity.  This post is part of the networking.

When I started my blog, it was simply going to be a marketing tool for the book.  Now, I’ve been sucked into the blogosphere.  Seven months and 130 posts later, I’ve tasted what this lifestyle might provide, although it hasn’t come without a price.  My book still isn’t finished…but my blog is page one on Google..:)

So why DO these Probloggers lead such great lives, with a freedom of choice most of us only dream about???

Because their fingertips bled for many years before you and I ever heard of them.  They put in the hard yards, fighting in the trenches of content creation warfare…and they won!  Real probloggers don’t live a life like I joked about previously.  Real probloggers run their blog(s) like a business and some actually have staff and office space.  They’ve incorporated and learned to use marketing, legal and accounting professionals to help grow their business.

They use intention to focus on what they want to create…then they take action. Probloggers not only contribute content to the masses, they contribute to the economy by creating jobs and consuming other people’s services.  In addition, they expand the economy by teaching others how to do the same thing.

Can anyone blog?  Yes.  Will everyone who blogs succeed?  No.

Why?  Because most people won’t endure through the early days of blogging.  After a few months of having no readers, receiving no comments and getting no joy from Google, most people give up.  They don’t treat their blog like a business.

Robb, Yaro and Darren invested years of effort to get where they are now.  If you think that in six months you too will have 1000’s of readers and be making a living from your blog…well don’t feel bad if it doesn’t happen.  But keep at it!

To be successful: work on your blog daily…follow the probloggers mentioned in this article…download and study their free eBooks…try out their suggestions…buy their courses…network with other bloggers…test, measure and tweak…but the most important part of blogging is the creation of something worthwhile to read!

What have you written today?

Write On!

This was a guest post by Curtis Chappell. Curtis blogs about taking control of your thoughts and words through an intense process of self-analysis at curtischappell.com/blog/. Chris is working on publishing a book titled ‘Reading Between The Lines, The Hidden Power of Language’ so head over and check it out.

Welding image by Ethnocentrics

Filed Under: Blogging, Lifestyle Design Tagged With: , , ,
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