In true Christmas spirit, today’s post will be about babies. No, I’m not drunk. I don’t even drink, but I have forgotten to take some of my vitamins.
Babies are loving and happy little buggers. They are awesome at drooling and puking, but they are horrible at business. Babies just can’t seem to get anything done.
And let’s face it, their communication stinks. However, there is still a lot you can learn from the mistakes babies make that will catapult you to success.
Babies are famous for their ability to entertain themselves and chase shiny objects. The same is true for people wanting to make a living online. I’ve talked with a lot of people behind the scenes and the number one problem I see is that everyone wants success fast.
This leads to impatience and thinking that there is that one system out there that will allow you to click a button every day and magically thousands of dollars will appear in your closet, in that secret box of yours. You didn’t think I knew about “the box”, did you?
If you want to succeed online, you will have to pick one system and run with it. Focus entirely on that one thing until you’re making money. It doesn’t matter whether it’s blogging, niche websites or affiliate marketing, because it’s going to take you 6-12 months to see some real revenue come in.
When I started looking at making money online I was the best shiny object chaser on the planet. I literally spent thousands of dollars on different courses. I even bought one of those investment courses, which promised to make me a millionaire.
It turned out to be a 27-page PDF that was completely ridiculous. When I asked for a refund, the guy told me that I first have to use the system and show him that it doesn’t work. Oh well, lesson learned.
It wasn’t until early this year that I realized I had to drop this nonsense. I started to focus on one thing and one thing only—building niche websites. I worked my face off for 3-4 months and it worked. I now have several websites bringing in a passive income, which allows me to focus on this blog.
Remember, it isn’t about finding a the best system. It’s about choosing something that you resonate with and putting on the blinders. If you love blogging, then join a blogging course and follow the instructions. If you love affiliate marketing, then find a mentor or training program that feels good and start taking action, now!
It doesn’t matter if you pick the wrong road, because you will always learn something from taking action and you will often create a passive income stream that will keep going for years to come. That is the beauty of the internet.
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Perfect analogy, and every startup founder I know (myself included) is guilty.
There is one caveat: If normally you’re deeply focussed, after a few years you get burned out. At that point, chasing another idea can be a good way to reset yourself, realize that the grass isn’t greener on the other side after all, and then get re-excited about the original idea.
But you’re right — most people never get to that point because they never get deep enough into anything to get burned out! Great article.
I completely agree with trying something else once you’ve made one thing work. Our brains seem to be good at tricking us into believing that the grass is always greener on the other side. Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Jason!
It is quite true that there is no universal best way to make a living be it on line or off. The key is to find what is the best way for you to make a living and then fallow that. be your self and work in a way that is productive for you as well as pleasant. But even if you find your best way of working you may discard it if you do not dedicate enough time to see it through.
Exactly, putting in the hard work is crucial, because things don’t just fall into your lap. No matter what those salesletters may tell you ;).
Nice way of summing it up Henri. So many people think that there is going to be a huge magic pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and as soon as they build a site and write a quick list of top 10 phone apps the site is going to get millions of hits and become a massive success.
If people only knew how much work it actually was and how many people you need to connect with and how much you have to go out there and actually sell what you do to they would be very surprised. You have to have some serious passion to get it over the line and turn it in to a major site!
BTW back to your email shortly!
Also I don’t drink either so snap there!
Right on, Niall. You have to work your arse off if you want to succeed. That’s why I keep talking about doing what you’re passionate about, or even somewhat passionate about, because you’ll need that fuel to keep going.
This article actually made me stop and think for a moment because the next article I’m writing about has to do with this in the way that you need to keep at it and learn from your mistakes and work hard to make it out there.
There are so many things that come into play when you want to blog (unless just for fun) for a business or just to earn income at all. I wish people would just stop and look at how difficult it really can be to get something started and keep it going.
I believe there’s too much drama online and too many websites and blogs that promise you everything they know you want to hear without actually delivering the results you’re looking for. Find your ground and stick to it! Great post.
Yes, it takes a lot of hard work, which is why you want to be 127% passionate about what you’re doing. I’ve worked extremely hard on this blog in the past few weeks and it has grown very well, and I have loved every second of every minute!
I agree that a lot of people promise too much in order to make a few extra sales. I intend to change that. Thanks a lot for the comment, Eric!