I hear so many people talking about their inability to focus. They question if they can make a living online. If they can have their own business or if it is all a facade. This is a place you need to move yourself away from . You have to move into the mindset of “I can create anything I think of. I can achieve anything I contemplate”.
You can make ANYTHING happen with enough attention and effort focused on it. You need to realize your own creative potential and you have to start seeing yourself as WAY more powerful and capable than your lower self has been making you see yourself. By focusing on how hard things are or spending all of your time doubting wheter it is possible or not, you are literally interrupting your ability to make it happen.
Having a full time business online is not brain surgery. By having this goal in your life, you are not trying to a be a trailblazer and do something that has never happened before. Its not like you are trying to invent a light bulb or an airplane or a radio, etc…
You are simply trying to form a business that pays you enough to maintain whatever lifestyle you have grown accustomed to while experiencing way more freedom than a “day job” will ever afford you.
You first steps are to realize that:
a) it is NOT that inconceivable that you can make this happen
b) making it happen doesn’t have to be seen as this massive difficult undertaking
Yes it will take a ton of learning, hard work, dedication, sacrifice and focus. But what doesn’t? Tell me anyone who is good at anything that hasn’t put the time in. The best musicians, actors, teachers, speakers, doctors, race car drivers, etc…. they have given all of their focus and attention to their craft.
So make the decision that you are going to do this full time tell yourself I KNOW I CAN CREATE ANYTHING IF I BELIEVE IT. Repeat this over and over again. This gives you confidence and power. Rather than focusing another second on “I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know if this is possible”, you spend all of your time reminding yourself of your own power to make things happen.
You are not trying to end war or solve major world issues. You are simply trying to build a business. Millions of other people have done it. Many other people have accomplished far more difficult tasks. It is not unreasonable to believe this is also possible for yourself.
Once you are in this place in your mind, do whatever you need to do to stay there. And when you fall back in to your “lower doubting self“, you create rituals that bring you back to this place of faith, confidence, belief and passion… like reading an article like this for example. Or playing your favorite songs. Do what it takes to get yourself to a state where you firmly believe you can make it happen… Then get to work.
Love, love, this post!!! It’s sooooo the reality check that many push-button-solution-hopers need
I work quite hard, and somehow I hate it when that’s made out to be something that’s looked down upon, grrrr. Yes, I agree, work smart, take help, outsource as soon as you are pulling in the profits to do it comfortably… but you need to put in at least a li’l bit of your soul into what you are doing! That’s what makes you stand out in the crowd and makes your business uniquely you…
Thumbs up on your train of thought!
On a totally unrelated and mildly selfish note, it appears that your version of commentluv is outdated… and reminds me, I need to install it on my own blog!
Hey Avani
Thanks for your awesome comment. I agree with everything you said.
Regarding CommentLuv, you are correct. I have some blog maintenance to do. Thanks for letting me know
I enjoyed this post, makes good timing for me.
I agree that making money online is not some intangible, magical artform but just a simple step by step process of building a business.
I can also relate to having a lack of focus as would always jump from one idea to the next.
What I have decided to do now is concentrate on writing for other internet marketers as a freelancer so I can earn stable money, whilst learning first hand how successful online businesses operate.
And then by learning how others make money from my writing skills, I can then start to build up my own online business assets…and hopefully make even more money from my skills for myself!
Hey Adam,
Love it man. Perfect plan based on sound principles. Your patience will pay off and you will see more and more opportunity come your way as you stick to this path! Best of luck
Thanks Justin. It is true too many people put things off as they perceive them to be too difficult. Think about what you already know and how you can take this and help others. We all had to start somewhere, so find something that you overcame and turn it into a product!
It does take time to make things work but it will be worth the effort in the long run. When you can take time off when you need it to spend more time with your family.
Well said Sue. I appreciate your comments as always
Justin,
Nice post. I agree with pretty much all of it except for one small word.
It’s only six letters but placing it where you did in the second paragraph from the end really backfires. In fact, I think it softens what you are saying considerably.
You wrote: “You are not trying to end war or solve major world issues. You are simply trying to build a business.”
My argument is with the word “trying”. We are NOT trying to build a business. We *are* building a business.
It’s a small but significant difference and speaks directly to our ability to focus on the tasks at hand.
Apart from that, I thought what you wrote was right on the money.
Debbie
Hey Debbie
LOVE IT!! haha, to be honest I can’t stand when people say “I’ll try to be there”… or “I’ll try to get that project done”
And then I put it in this article. I wrote the whole thing in a matter of about 3 minutes after just feeling inspired… and sure enough there was the word “trying”. LOL
Great catch and I 100% agree
Great advice Justin!
Staying focused is one of my hardest things. I work out of a home office and family/friends seem to think that the “door” is open anytime they feel the need to approach me. Being firm with them is a balancing act:) that sometimes means making someone mad, lol
One of my best tools is a white board. Actually two, one for project flow/to-do and the other to work out issues on current the project. There is not a better feeling than erasing the “issues board” – means I have completed another project!
Tried and tried to replace the white boards with project management software and it never worked out for me. Old school works better for me and keeps me better focused.
Keep’em coming Justin,
Terry
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Hey Terry
Thanks for the comment man. Sometimes old school is best. That’s a great setup you have and I’m actually kind of jealous now lol. I need to go get some big whiteboards for the office. I think that would really help me
Great tip
Ugh. Well at least I know I’m in the same boat as others. Some days I feel hugely powerful and then others — not so good. Thanks for the pep talk!
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Hey Lana,
I think we are ALL in the same boat together. I wrote this as much for myself as I did for anyone who wanted to read this post. I’m glad it helped and you should definitely know that everyone goes through those ups and downs… so don’t feel bad about it
Hi Justin,
Your blog post reminded me of something I read earlier this week about creating a motivational video with visions of that “goal” you want to achive, using your own voice over, and done in a way as if you are selling that vision to an audience, but the audience is yourself..
Then play the video to yourself on a regular basis… like a reminder or a motivation.
Will try that if it works
As far as making money online is concerned, it is really possible because I’ve seen it.. The only reason people think it’s not doable is because they don’t take action to make it happen.
Gerry
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Hey Gerry
Love it!! And I’ve actually done that myself on a few occasions. I even created a more generic one and it got quite a few youtube views so obviously people see the value in this stuff.
Thanks for your comment and I hope that process works well for you
Hi Justin,
Great post man! I often refer to the professional golfers and the hidden hours they put in practicing that everybody doesn’t get to see. People get fooled into the fact that they can work an hour a day and click one button and make great money.
Yes I agree that everything is achievable when you put your mind to it, but people have to be prepared to push a little harder for it, many simply won’t push that little bit harder. This is why many will go back to their comfort zones..
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Awesome point Chris. I see way more people retreat into those comfort zones than I see otherwise. But it is the small percentage of other people who seem to be the most successful.
Great post Justin! After two years of being a newbie looky loo things are starting to click. Still having problems with all of the BSO’s but my focus is much better and I am working toward that ah ha moment. I am determined to make this work. Thanks again for the post.
Skip
Hey Skip
Thanks for your comment. Sounds like you are making good progress and you are keeping the right attitude about your growth. Keep it up!
Justin,
Just wanted to tell you that your post is spot on!. The new marketer needs to read these types of articles and know that it’s “not impossible” for them to do it as well!
Self doubt is a killer, but if you can withstand its force and keep working towards your goals, your chances of success are really good.
Mark A Geisler
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Hey Mark
Thanks man. This is especially powerful information for the new marketer… or the new piano player, or golfer, or singer or what have you.
Starting anything new, we look at the experts in awe. But the secret is to just chip away and before you know it… you are looking back and people see you as the expert now
Brilliant post man. They say it takes 10,000 hours to master something. You and I build new businesses all the time. Focus is not an issue for either of us because we recognize that there is no better time to be alive than right now.
It’s never been easier for the little guy to make it with almost no ad budget.
Everyone should be participating in the gold rush.
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Great point man. Your comment is very interesting because you have experience and for people just starting out, they may feel like “Well Brad can say that because he has the experience”…
But the truth is, you had to start somewhere too
Hey Justin,
Great comments and great timing. It’s not the “ton of learning, hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and focus” that I mind. It’s the thought that, in spite of all that, I’ll fail. WRONG thinking! Brad talks about getting in on the goldrush. Think about the original gold miners. All they had was themselves, a shovel, a lot of back breaking hard work, and a manaical belief that there was gold and they could get it. And some of them did! I think IM is a lot easier than that.
Time for me to get back to work!
Thanks for a great site.
Diane
Hey Diane,
Great comment. And you are right. It is WAY easier than what those entrepreneurs had to do back in those days
Regarding your comment about putting in hard work and still failing, it comes down to how you look at it. If you commit a ton of time, energy and passion into something and then base all of that work on a single judgment of an outcome, it will destroy your motivation. What I do is look at everything I learned throughout the entire experience INCLUDING the result (whether a good or bad result) and keep moving forward with my new level of experience. Do that long enough and you will meet with success.
Really Great post and timely too… I love learning this stuff and have spent the last 2 years studying with little action and the actions I did take were unfocused and scattered all over the place.But Now I feel READY for Massive Action … I have a Real Plan of Action.
Now my sole focus will be to build my company verticly …. I want a complete sales funnel from entry level products then several medium level and build up to highend products and coaching
As they say… an Ok plan brutally implimented beats a great plan thats halfheartedly attempeted … or something like that
Thank You Justin for the encouragement
Hey Red,
Happy to help. Sounds like you are putting all of the pieces together to build something very fun and exciting. I wish you the best of luck with it !
Hi Justin,
Thanks for the great post. Like many others I suffer from the “not enough focus or dicipline” syndrome. Thanks for the reminder to keep my nose to the grindstone.
Hey Alan
Thanks for your comment. Glad this post helped you. Hopefully your recommitting to focus will get you to your next level
Hey Justin
Great message sure can relate to this and how effective taking action on the inspiration we give our selves after all we all crawled before we learned to walk well at least most of us, some career junkies are still crawling near there boss feet lol.
Hey Brian
LOL great comment. Good point too. I think we all share that common bond of not wanting our boss to have any control over us… or in my case, simply not having a boss PERIOD
Hey Wibber,
Great encouragement! For me, the greatest hurdle (which I’m continuously working on) has been taking the leap of ridiculous amounts of effort on & offline to build a business and not caring about what kind of yield it brings financially..at least in the first 6 months – 1 year. It’s the ultimate test of character when you can still keep the energy and drive as high as it was the day you decided to start the venture of independence. Taking time to celebrate small wins are highly important to generate more fire and keep pushing ahead when doors seem to be tough to break through.
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Hey Man
Totally true. The enthusiasm can quickly die if you don’t have a rally strong driving force. I think many people are driven by that desire for freedom so as long as that desire remains strong, I believe you can always create the energy you need to make it happen
That was a helpful post… Justin, it is easy to lose self belief sometimes when outside pressures build up, and create corrosive thoughts!
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Hey Sean,
Glad you liked it and hope it gave you a boost
Smart post i like it very much. Taking time to celebrate small wins are highly important to generate more fire and keep pushing ahead when doors seem to be tough to break through. Keep up good work, thanks for the sharing.
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