my top 5 from Luciano’s list writing project - soupornuts’ reasons to click - #8
I was thrilled to be asked in Luciano’s list writing project. In lieu of my normal “reasons to click” article, I have chosen to list my top five choices from the list. There were lots of great articles, but these were my favorites.
- 100 Sites I Seek Inspiration From
- What you think is what you see: 4 Ways to stop negativity
- 5 Things That I Believe To Be Lies
- 7 Powerful Tips to Overcome Failure
- 21 Punching Tips On Social Media Marketing and Social Media Optimization
I hope that you enjoy these as much as I did.
Hints and help for the would-be entrepreneur
O.K. You’ve finally have a big idea but you don’t know what to do or where to start. Don’t panic yet. Attempt to corral all your energy, get a pen and paper or find a computer terminal with internet access. Soupornuts is here to offer his help.
- The first thing you have to realize is that everything you need or want to know is available.
- The second thing is that you have to actively search for it.
The following is a list of web sites that offer a tremendous amount of information. Some better than others. Visit them and glean from them the information that you find helpful. If I feel very strongly about a site, I will offer a note or two. You will also find intermingled with these web resources a number of hints that I feel will help you.
- SCORE – one of the best business information sites available – free, no agenda and lots of info. There is a reason that I have it listed first - it’s the best!
- Helpful Hint – when you visit a site, look for a links page or a resources page – this info can take you to sites (and info) you may have never considered
- Inc – great site and lots of info – take notes
- Helpful Hint – search the web for any and everything you can think of related to your “big” idea – potential customers, potential competitors, suppliers, etc.
- Helpful Hint – get the Firefox browser if you don’t have it. With this browser, you can add-on a bunch of search engines and cut down on your search time. The Firefox down load is quick, simple and easy. You’ll thank me a million times.
- Allbusiness – advice, business blogs, online videos and forms and agreements ( I purchased a package of forms and was well pleased)
- Inc – online version of Inc. magazine – wealth of info - somehow it made the list twice – must be really good!
- Get Motivation – inspiration and motivation – articles and quotes
- Entrepreneur – business tools, resources, online videos and more
- Helpful Hint – Down load the Web2.0 tool bar today – with this tool bar installed you can search the social book marking sites (del.icio.us, Digg, Technorati and more) as well as a host of blog directories. Easy down load and install plus it is a mega feed aggregator – you’ll appreciate this
- Small Business Administration – your government at work providing you with (free?) business startup info and more
- Hot Points – blog authored by Bob Parson’s, owner of Godaddy.com – unique perspective, motivational and helpful – search the archives
- Helpful Hint – if you go to a site, look for the articles section, these are usually free, but sometimes you have to search for them
- Helpful Hint – when you finish reading an article, look at the author’s info ( usually in a box at the bottom ), there will be a link to their site or more info, if you are so inclined
- My Own Business – free online course
- Better Business Bureau – educating online business
- SuccessMethods – inspiration and motivation, but you’ve got to do a little searching – hint scroll down the pages
- Startup Journal – a Wall Street Journal source produced for entrepreneurs
- Goals Guy – this link will take you to his articles, but explore the rest of the site
- Harvey Mackay – this is a direct link to his best of columns – great writer and motivator
- My New Company – startup info and help
- Visit soupornuts.com often or get the rss feed.
All right, this will help you get started. Just remember, it’s all about being passionate – but passion without knowledge creates a zealot.
- have a goal
- get some knowledge
- develop your idea
- formulate a plan
- make adjustments
- stay focused
- become an entrepreneur
Where do ideas come from?
I was recently discussing one of my web site ventures with a close friend when he commented that “he wouldn’t know where to start”. I don’t think that anyone knows where to start, but I did know that if I didn’t do something about my idea, it would “die on the vine”.
I consider this friend to be well above average in both aptitude and attitude, so I knew that intellect and motivation were not the reasons for his lack of ideas. The problem, I think is that most people don’t invest enough time in the planting, growing and harvesting of their ideas.
Where do ideas come from?
1. There is the “find a need and fill it” idea.
This is the concept that we most often envision when we think of “coming up” with an idea. How many times have you seen a new product or service and asked yourself, “that’s obvious, why didn’t I see it before?” Probably because you never took the time to seriously examine your needs. We just tend to blow them off and assume there’s nothing we can do about it or assume that somebody else could do it better or quicker than we can. All of these are false, defeatist attitudes that discount our value.
In reality, ideas are not pursued to fruition due to:
-
fear of failure
-
fear of success
-
fear of what friends and family will think
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lack of dedication to the time or effort needed or both
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poor self image
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lack of education (where do I start?)
2. New ideas are provided by new technologies.
As new technologies emerge and reach the marketplace, they often arrive before a market has been created for their use. Think of the personal computer circa 1982. Everybody thought they were great, but didn’t have the faintest idea how to put them to productive use.
Thankfully, some visionaries did see the potential and they got busy creating products and services that could and would exploit the advantages of the computer.
Have an open mind and try to think in ways that are beyond or outside the norm. Read Seth Godin’s book, “Free Prize Inside” and create a “purple cow”.
3. Use an old technology in new way.
Items that have become obsolete and disposable to us, may have or may be able to be put to an alternative use for someone else. We don’t use phonographic turntables anymore, but DJ’s mix albums with them. This is putting an old technology to a new use.
The idea is to use our imaginations and give ourselves time, so we can create and develop new business ideas. What’s your big idea?
A great video tutorial site: www.tubetorial.com
The cornerstone of all enlightenment, motivation, inspiration, education and change is knowledge. Knowledge is the accumulation of information. If we sift through our available knowledge base ( the information that we have stored in our brain and other places) and we use this accumulation of information in a way that benefits ourselves in particular or society in general then we are considered wise.
The proliferation of information
In the past, wisdom was a much desired trait. This was due, mostly because of the scarcity of information. In ancient times, the priest hood and royalty controlled the dissemination of information. Later, the church assumed this role and doled out to the common man only what they needed to know in order to control and pacify the masses. The invention of the printing press by Gutenberg in 1447 made available to the common man, first the scriptures and later other works of literature. This led to the first mass proliferation of information which allowed the common man access to facts, thoughts, ideas and teachings that had previously been denied. This was the first step to enlightenment for the common man.
It is tempting to say that today we are at the zenith of the information age. But, to our advantage, I don’t believe this to be the case. Due to the exponential growth of the internet (the second mass proliferation of information), there will be more information available tomorrow than there is today and it will keep increasing.
Information is as close as your nearest computer
If there is any subject or idea that you desire to know about, gain a better understanding of, or want to research then head on over to your nearest search engine and start typing. Within seconds, you will have access to more information than you’ve got the time to view or even knew existed on a particular subject. However, it is up to you to sift through this vast storage media and determine what is accurate and what is not. All this brings me to the point of this post.
It is my goal to help as many people as I can with this website. I do this by writing articles to inspire, motivate and educate. Today, I want to expose you to a website that I found to be very educational and I believe that anyone who has thought of starting their own website or blog will find the information presented timely, easy to understand and applicable. Go to:
This site is a great source of video how-to information. Do you want to know how to start a blog on your own domain? They’ve got it. They have a very large library of pertinent videos dealing with all sorts of subjects like web development, technological issues, legalities, search engine optimization, WordPress help and more. If there are some web related question that you’ve wanted to ask but didn’t know where to go, give them a shot.
All of the videos that I have had the opportunity to view so far have been informative, very well produced and easy to understand. An added bonus is that they are all FREE!!!
My journey for personal growth and development begins with these 6 steps
This blog (soupornuts.com) is written to inspire, motivate, educate and help you become the person you can be. I believe in goals and the power of goal setting. The first step in the journey to becoming a “new” you is to have in your mind a clear picture of the person you want to become. Without a clear picture of what you want in your mind it is like traveling down a road that divides into a number of different options. How do you choose which option to take? If you don’t have a goal, It really doesn’t matter which road you take. Does it? If we don’t know where we are going it really doesn’t make any difference which road we take to get there because they all lead to the same place – the land of lost dreams, lost hope, missed opportunity, and regret.
Today’s decisions create tomorrow’s reality
I also believe that we are the sum total of the past decisions we’ve made. All those little and not so little decisions have resulted in placing us right where we are today. The point? Change your perspective from one of passivity to activity. Make up your mind that today you have a purpose and a goal. And your goals are whatever YOU determine the goals to be. Realize that starting today you can actively determine your future by making decisions today that are in line with achieving your goals. If you can make only a small step in the direction of your goals, you have something to build on tomorrow and you begin to gain momentum.
Be easy with yourself. Here are some of my goals for today.
1. Today, I will make it a point to smile at everyone I meet.
Not a sly or seductive smile, but a “happy, How’re you doing” smile. Researchers say that one of the first things people notice when they meet another person is the presence or absence of a smile. If you smile, 99 percent of the time people will smile back. They can’t help it. Someone has to actively force themselves not to smile, when they see someone smiling at them.
A smile puts people at ease. It comforts them and is welcoming. The vast majority of the time, your smile causes the recipient to smile in response to you. The simple act of smiling causes the release of endorphins in the brain resulting in a pleasurable feeling of happiness. Smiling at someone can cause them to physically feel happy. What power.
2. Today, I will engage someone in conversation.
I’ll ask, how they are doing. An then I’ll actually take the time to pay attention and listen to their answer.
- People like to talk.
- This is my opportunity to give someone what they want.
- People need to talk.
- People want to talk to a willing and attentive listener.
Ironically, if you listen to people, you will become known as a “great conversationalist”.This will provide me with the chance to allow someone to vent their needs and emotions. Or maybe just communicate. Maybe they want my opinion, maybe they don’t. If they do ask for my thoughts, I can spread a little good news, offer a suggestion or provide them with a source of information they might find helpful.
3. Today, I am going to assist someone.
I’ll help a little old lady with her groceries or my daughter with her homework. By offering assistance, we show others that they have value to us – that we care about them. Because we value them, we want to help them.
Who can you help today? Does someone you know need a ride? Can you pick up something for your spouse on the way home from work? Do your kids need some special one-on-one time with you? Take them to the park or play in the yard. Get involved in their lives. Give them you most precious commodity – your time.
4. Today, I will embrace the opportunities that a new day presents.
Today, I have the opportunity to start fresh and handle every situation independently of every previous interaction. Today is a “do-over”. I can attempt to correct or modify my previous mistakes or learn from them what “not” to do again.
I will embrace the changes that a new day brings because all progress and growth involves change. I want change. If I am going to progress on a personal level then it stands to reason that I must change and I will start the changing process today.
5. Today, I will be thankful for all the joy and blessings that are mine.
I choose to see the good in everyone and everything. I will give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I will be appreciative of what I do have and not be upset, saddened or discontent about what I don’t have, because I realize that my happiness is determined by what is inside of me and not what I possess.
I will tell those close to me that I love them because I am not promised anymore than the present moment. I don’t want to ever regret a missed opportunity. I will hold my wife and hug my children and be eternally thankful.
6. Today, I will grow.
I will dedicate a portion of today for the purpose of expanding my mind. I will read or research a topic that interests me because I understand that “a mind is a terrible thing to waste”.
I choose not to watch television because I prefer to be in a meditative state of mind and not a vegetative one. I understand that what I allow to go into my my mind will be revealed in my thoughts, words and actions. I will experience life personally and not through the filter of broadcast media.
These are the things I will accomplish today. Each of these steps, though small and insignificant at first look, will propel me toward the person I want to become.
These are conscious decisions that I make and renew each day. For me, these simple decisions and declarations are the first steps in becoming an enlightened person, a happy person and a productive person with a great life.
Life lessons from six feet under
Okay, maybe I should say ten feet under, because that’s how deep my basement is and today, my wife and I have been cleaning and organizing the basement. I don’t know if it’s because:
- my wife’s pregnant with our third child (a boy to go with our two beautiful daughters) and has decided to start the nesting ritual a little early this time (we’re due in February)
- there was so much junk that we just avoided going down there
- it was time to reclaim the portion of our basement that we use as a garage and actually park a vehicle in it
Regardless of the motivations, we spent most of the day cleaning, stacking, packing, hauling and discarding our junk. But in the midst of all this domestic industry, inspiration hit me with a few lessons for life.
Life lesson 1: We all have too much junk in our lives
As I was looking around at all the stuff that was cluttering our basement, I wondered, “why do I still have all this useless junk?” I was looking at physical junk, but I was thinking emotional junk.
Why do we insist on dragging useless emotional baggage with us throughout our lives?
- Is it really important to remember who wronged us in high school / college / our last job?
- Why do we spend so much time worrying about what people think about us?
- Why spend any time worrying at all?
Here’s an idea, let’s get rid of our emotional junk. You know what your junk is. You don’t need it. It does you no good to hang on to it and it provides no benefit to you. Let it go and be free.
Here’s an affirmation that helps me: “I release all negative emotions”. I repeat this to myself several times when I realize that I am obsessing about some kind of emotional junk. Try it.
Life lesson 2: Junk expands to fill the space available
Looking around our basement, I wondered, “where does all this crap come from?” When you have the room, you tend to keep things just in case you need them. I pretty sure that I’m never going to need an extra 4 wire dryer hookup again, but I’ve got an extra one in the basement.
When I had less room for storage, I had less junk. That’s amazing.
If you don’t keep your mind busy with worthwhile projects, books and adventures then you have created the perfect place to store and nurture all your emotional junk. When your mind is hard at work, there is no time or place for that crap, so it disappears.
Use your mind as it was intended – a problem solving machine and not as an incubator for future, imaginary troubles.
Ask your self this question when the emotional junk starts piling up: “Do I need more of this crap in my life?” Instead, focus on filling your mind with thoughts and ideas that are of a constructive, rather than a destructive nature.
Life lesson 3: Cleaning up your junk is a lot easier with help
I cleaned our basement last year. It took me about a week, by myself. With my wife’s help, we almost finished today, and we will complete the job tomorrow.
You can clean the junk out of your life quite a bit easier if you can find someone to help you. A friend, spiritual leader, a mentor, a support group, your spouse or a counselor. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Would you help those you care about? I’m sure that someone feels the same way about you.
Sometimes just letting others know that you have the junk is enough. Talk about it – after all it’s just junk and you don’t really need it, do you?
I Believe in Personal Responsibility
Excuses, excuses, excuses. They never end. Few people want to accept responsibility for their lives. It is always someone else’s fault or due to circumstances beyond their control. The fact is that it doesn’t matter what happens out there (in the external world) because you create your life, internally, by creating your thoughts.
Every word you say, every movement you make, every emotion you feel and every external stimulus that you either respond to or react to is preceded by a thought. Your thought. You control what you think and then your thought dictates how you act or react.
1. Speech
Prior to every word or sentence fragment, you must formulate the foundational thoughts to produce verbal communication. Otherwise, understandable communication cannot take place. You determine what you say and how you say it. Your thoughts create your speech. Words don’t just fall out of your mouth.
2. Actions
Your thoughts control what actions you take and how quickly that you take them. If your thoughts determine that something is important, then you will act as if this “something” is important. It will be a priority for you. You will make sure that it gets done or acted upon.
If it is unimportant, then you may or may not get around to doing it. But it is your thought that has determined what will happen.
How to improve your thoughts
If your thoughts lead to every word and action, then it becomes imperative that our thinking process is accurate, rational, genuine and informed. How we think is determined by the quality of the content that we allow into our minds. Just like a computer, you cannot get out something that is not in there.
If you have chosen not to educate yourself, then the quality of your life will be decided by the limited information that you have available. Every time a situation presents itself, you must access the stores of knowledge that you have accumulated and then based on that information, make a decision. The quality of your decisions (and your life) is limited by your knowledge.
Read
If the quality of your life is decided by your thoughts, don’t you think it is important to improve your thoughts? Read a book. Any book. Read to your children. Just take the time to read. You will find that reading not only expands your storehouse of knowledge but it also opens your mind to the possibilities that you may have never considered.
I am responsible for my words and deeds, which are determined by how I think. My thinking is decided by what I allow to come into my mind. The resulting conclusion is that in order to have the utmost control over my life, I must control what I allow to enter my mind.
Three little lies that are limiting your potential
If you have ever been to circus or fair that had an elephant act, then you were probable awed by the strength and power of these incredible animals. What you may not have realized is that these powerful creatures are often restrained by a small piece of rope that attaches their leg to a small stake that is driven into the ground.
You’ve got to wonder, “why don’t these behomeths rip the stake out of the ground?” “Why don’t the just tear the rope apart and take off?”
Mental restraint
The reason that they don’t use their power to free themselves is because they can’t. As a baby elephant, they were chained to a long metal rod, which was driven deeply into the ground. No matter how hard they pulled, they could not free themselves. As time went on, they pulled less and less. Eventually, the elephants understood that they could not free themselves.
The rope is unbreakable
After this point, it becomes only a matter of attaching something to their foot and fastening the other end to something in the ground. These fragile elements have become enough to subdue even the strongest elephant.
It is no longer the strength of the bindings that restrain the elephant, but it is the strength of the belief that the bindings restrain them that keeps them from roaming as they desire.
Our beliefs limit us
Our beliefs, like those of the elephants are very powerful. Sometimes they are the “little lies” (that we tell ourselves) that restrain us and keep us from reaching our potential.
1. The “I’m not educated enough” lie
This one is a classic that simply will not hold up under examination. Many great men and women in every area from science to politics to industry, have had limited or no formal education. People like:
- Thomas Edison
- Henry Ford
- Andrew Carnegie
- Dave Thomas
It is not really how much intelligence that you have that is important, but how you use what you’ve got that makes the difference. We make two basic erroneous assumptions with respect to education and intelligence:
- we typically overestimate the intelligence of other people
- we usually underestimate our own level of intelligence
Case in point: after I got married, my wife needed to finish graduate school. She was pursuing a master’s degree while I had visions of attaining a Ph.D. It became a simple matter of economics:
- she would finish school and get her masters degree
- I would get a job to pay the tuition and bills
- I would return to school later
Anyway, I learned that a local manufacturing facility was in need of help in their maintenance department. Since I had experience as both a auto mechanic and shop owner, I applied for the job and found out that the hiring process involved a thorough examination of both your mental aptitude and mechanical skills.
Anyway, I passed the tests and was given a job. I only found out later that several hundred people had been tested and rejected for a handful of jobs. My point: I had no idea that my skills were in demand because I had never really tried to market them. I had underestimated my abilities as so many people do. I thought that everyone knew the same things that I knew.
This view that “I’m not educated enough” is a wicked little lie that we use to justify our standing in the herd of mediocrity. The truth is that most people never tap into their mental powers because they are satisfied to be members of the great, vast, middle class. And that’s okay! Just be honest with yourself and admit that you have mentally tied yourself by this “little lie.”
2. The “I’m too old / you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” lie
If you believe this then you have obviously not watched the “Dog Whisperer”. Cesar Millan literally has those old, untrainable dogs eating out of his hand as well as doing a number of other previously “un-doable” things.
If you lost your present job tomorrow, would you limit yourself to searching only for jobs that are exactly like your present one? If that is the case, then you probably won’t find a new job because no two jobs are exactly alike and you’ve already stated that you are too old to learn a new skill.
You can see how ludicrous this philosophy really is. We can learn and we actively engage in increasing our knowledge base in those areas that:
- we enjoy – our hobbies and pastimes
- are mandatory – required for our present job
The sad truth is that what you know today will be obsolete tomorrow. There will be fewer and fewer factory and manual labor jobs as our economy transforms itself from an industrial / manufacturing powerhouse to an information and technology driven giant.
I am not here to debate the rightness or wrongness of the situation, I only want you to understand that in order to survive in tomorrow’s marketplace, you must embrace change and the associated need to learn new skills.
Unless you’ve got a firm date with St. Peter or that other guy, my advice is to shuck the “I’m too old lie” and get busy increasing you brain power and knowledge base. Challenge yourself to see what you can accomplish.
3. The “I’m waiting for: a) my ship to come in or b) to hit the lottery” lie
I am never really sure what ship these people are talking about. It’s always some vague idea or plan that is going to miraculously materialize some time in the future.
What do you think your chances of being killed in an airplane crash are? I’m not talking about an airplane crash in which you are a passenger. I’m talking about an airplane falling out of the sky and crashing into you while you are reeling in a world record largemouth bass as you are sitting in your brand new bass boat. Pretty slim, huh? Truth be known, the odds of the thing with boat happening are better than the odds that you will hit the lottery.
In fact you have a better chance of being struck by lightning multiple times than hitting the lottery. The insidious part is that even if you hit the lottery, you stand an 80 % of being bankrupt within five years. 80%!
This is a horrible “little lie” that beats you down, even if you win.
These three “little lies” are like the little rope that restricts the massive elephant. We can break free if we try – but our beliefs have convinced us that there is no use in resisting.
What’s really holding you back – the lie or the belief in the lie?
soupornuts’ reasons to click - #1
As en entrepreneur, bolgger, motivator, pseudo-computer geek and all-around curious guy, I am always “on the click”. I search, research, read skim, click, go back , scan scour, and devour a vast amount of material in both the blogosphere and the “huge” database that we call the web.
This is my initial offering of “reasons to click”, which will be a series of posts that highlight web sites, blogs, articles/posts and videos that I’ve come across and consider to be “click worthy”. Take a look and give me your opinion.
1. The suicide of someone that you know is shocking.
It rocks you to your core. What could I have done? Why didn’t I see it? What should I have done? These questions and many more will confront you as you try to understand.
Tina Fukuchi at Public Spark posted a great article – Why do people commit suicide – that addresses some of theses questions. This is definitely an article that everyone needs to read.
2. Are you looking for help with your blog?
Have you ever seen a really cool blog or web site and thought, “I’d like to try that on my site”, but didn’t know how to start. I had this problem recently – How do you put all those links at the end of each post without having to key them in every time?
Fortunately, or by the Law of Attraction, its the same thing to me, I came across Average Joe Blogger. Nathan Snipes has some great articles about blogging and how to make your blog better. How to manually add Social Book marking links provided me with the raw information and a detailed map of how to do what I’d been trying to do for some time. Thanks Nathan.
3. A couple of new blogs.
Developing a new blog is hard work, especially if you have no idea where to start or how to start. It’s a lot more than just writing articles/posts. There’s the admin, finding ideas, theme development, building a readership as well as defining your writing persona.
Eric Sanders recently did a couple of guest posts on a blog that I co-author called My-Tool Talks. Eric has exceptional writing skills and having been bitten by the “self-expression” bug, has started a blog called Brainwavers.
It’s still developing (in fact, as I went over there just now, I could see that he was having trouble with his theme – but his text was still there and that’s the important part). Eric has the skills to create something special, given a little time and encouragement. Check out Brainwavers.
Brad Baggett has a new blog going a Juice of Champions. Brad is a connector. He is one of those people who “knows people”. In my endeavors to spread the word about the Rotater, Brad has put me in touch with a bunch of people who can help me that I could never have met without him. Thanks for your help Brad. Give him a click, you won’t be disappointed.
4. The Desiderata series.
Bob Clubbs at every, every minute has rounded up a number of the bloggers from Priscilla Palmers’ List of Personal Development Blogs to participate in the dissection of the Desiderata.
The Desiderata, a poem by Max Ehrmann, is quite thought provoking. Bob has asked for bloggers to volunteer to take one of the verses and expound upon it. My contribution to the cause will be posted on October 2.
Take the time to see how different minds look at the thought-provoking work.
5. A free online money management tool.
Take a look at this free money management software and see if it can help you get a grasp of your finances. Peruse Mint’s testimonials.
6. A couple of inspiring videos.
I originally posted an article about Nick Vujicic in an article entitled “Video of an incredible person doing normal things”. Please visit Adam Khoo’s site and see the video for yourself.
Adversity University is an inspiring blog that has recently come to my attention. Not only is the blog inspiring for what it has to say, but the author, Stephen Hopson, leads an inspiring life. Take a look at this video and you’ll feel the power of this motivational speaker.
Okay, this is the first installment of “soupornuts’ reasons to click”. If you have any sites or blogs that you would like to add to the list, then post them in the comments. Let me know what you think. – Chris
Obstacles and fears: the filters of success
How many times have you heard someone say that they had the original idea for some “hot”, new product, service or web application? The chances are pretty good that they did have the original idea or one very similar to it. So:
- What happened?
- Why did their version of the idea “die on the vine”?
- Why are they not reaping the harvest of their “original” idea?
The quick and dirty answer
The quick and dirty answer is that having ideas is easy, whereas implementing those ideas is not. Please note that I did not say that the activation of their idea is hard. I merely said that it was not easy – not easy in the sense that there is work to be done. But I did not say that the work would be difficult.
Difficulty is a matter of opinion
People tend to associate difficulty with any task that is awkward or time consuming. Almost anything new to you will be awkward at first but this does not mean that it is difficult for you. It only means that there is a learning curve involved, which will consume some of your time.
Learning to walk as a child was both awkward and time consuming, but you did not give up. You tried, you fell, you tried, you stumbled, you fell and this repeated over and over until you became proficient at walking. The same things occurred when you learned to ride a bicycle, swim or drive a car.
Learning anything new takes time. How much time? It depends on a number of variables:
- your desire to learn – do you want to learn or is it being forced on you?
- your motivation to learn – why do you want to learn this new thing?
- your determination to learn – how badly do you want to learn?
It’s up to you
You can and will do what you want to do in most cases. I can hear some people saying that they would rather be doing this job or pursuing that lifestyle. My response is, “then why aren’t you?”
And typically I get a list of obstacles and fears. Obstacles are those things that stand between you and the realization of you dreams. Obstacles can be:
1. A lack of “know how” – you don’t know what to do, what’s involved or where to start on your big idea. This obstacle is easy to overcome in theory. You only have to find the information and then apply it to your situation.
In practice it is time consuming. And because it is time consuming, it is confused with being difficult. Well here’s a clue – the difficulty may lie in you having to tear yourself away from you favorite sitcom, but the learning part is a piece of cake because you are way more intelligent than you give yourself credit for being.
The difficulty is being determined by you attitude to the time you must allocate to acquiring the information and not by your aptitude which for most people is being underutilized.
2. A lack of funding – again it seems difficult, but when you “break it down”, you may change you mind.
If you have equity in you home, then getting a home equity line of credit or a 2nd mortgage is really easy. The difficulty is in putting your home on the line.
If you have a 401k retirement account or a life insurance policy, then you can borrow against them. This is not hard to do.
You may have a “rich” friend or relative who is willing to invest in your idea or lend you the money outright. The hard part is having the humility to ask.
Obstacles stand between you and your goal. There are ways around, over, under or through them. It’s up to you to figure out how to eliminate or minimize them.
Fears are mental roadblocks
1. We are afraid of what others think – if you have a great idea and don’t launch, then people are going to say that you lack courage, that you are not committed. If you do “dive in”, then someone will say that you are reckless, that you lack “good” judgment.
The bottom line is who cares what someone else thinks? You can’t please everyone anyway. Anytime that you try to move away from the “herd”, you are inviting criticism and scrutiny because if you can be successful, then what does that say about the rest of the “herd”?
Do not underestimate the “power of the herd”. The status quo is a powerful motivating force that opposes all change. But in reality, if you want to be successful, can you remain in the herd? It’s a rhetorical question – the answer is no.
To be successful, you must think, speak and act like successful people. That alone will cause you to alienate yourself from the drones of sameness.
2. We are afraid to get out of our comfort zone – whatever it is that we are doing right now is a known situation and that makes it comfortable. Anything new will be uncomfortable.
But you can refuse to think of your discomfort in terms of anxiety or stress. Instead, see it for what it is – the butterflies of excitement. It’s the “pump” before a big gave or a big presentation. It’s the thrill and anticipation of attempting something new and wonderful. It’s all in how you choose to look at the situation.
The filters of success
Obstacles and fears are the outer and inner roadblocks to success. They are the filters that stop so many people. They are the reasons that so few ( 3–5% ) ever reach financial independence. They are the excuses that keep the “herd” of mediocrity full. These are the reasons that you hear people say, “I had that idea first”.
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