Do you ever feel like the rest of the world has gone into "vacation" or "weekend" mode... and you just feel like doing the same?
It's a rainy Friday afternoon as I write this, and a holiday week at that. Things are fairly quiet around the web, yet here I sit actively working on my priorities. Well, for part of the day at least. 😉
I'm not in "hyper-productive mode" right now. I love it when I am in that mode, but the cold hard truth is that those creative cycles come and go. The thing is, when you have ambitious goals (and every intention of achieving those goals) you have to push forward no matter what.
Therein lies the secret to your success, with online business or with anything at all you want to achieve in life. The "secret" is quite simple actually, and I know this because it has worked for me...
The one thing we all have in common is time. We have the same 24 hours in a day, and the same 365 days in a year.
The big difference is in how we each spend our time.
I'm just like you, by the way. I have distractions, bad days and good days, and I struggle with focus and motivation sometimes too. And you and I are not alone in that. Everyone is dealing with their own set of circumstances or challenges.
It's easy to believe you have it harder for one reason or another. It's easy to rationalize why you can't reach your own goals, while other people around you are doing just that.
There's nothing so special about those people, by the way.
There's no reason you can't achieve your own goals, or have a super-successful online business like you see other people enjoying!
The "secret" is not some complicated maze you'll never be able to figure out.
The beauty of the truth behind this "secret" is... simplicity. Success is simply a matter of consistently working toward a tangible goal. Period.
Obviously you have to know what you want to achieve, and why. And you need a strong desire to see that dream or idea become your reality.
From there it's just a matter of consistently taking steps toward that goal. It's not going to happen overnight. It's a process. And that process requires your constant attention. Even if you only take one single tiny little baby step a day...
It's about always moving toward the goal.
I mentioned before I'm not in "hyper productive mode" right now. I'm actually having to force myself to stay on task, and to stay focused on my goals.
Every time I get distracted I simply reel myself back in and remind myself WHY.
That's not to say that I don't schedule in plenty of downtime (and lots of fun!) but that I am consistently moving forward every single day, whether I feel like it or not. And by "moving forward" I mean this: working on very specific hand-picked tasks that take me closer to my end goal.
This morning I was reading Where Secrets Live on the ETR blog. Lately I've been reading a lot of inspiring blogs and motivating stories. Mainly because I'm not particularly inspired or motivated myself. And that one was a good pick!
I highly recommend you click through and read it yourself. It illustrates a beautiful point about the simplicity of success, one that really resonated with me - and I hope it will with you too.
Your secret to success with an online business, or with anything you want out of life, is commitment and dedication. And not just in thought (or in "want") but in action.
I wake up every day and ask myself: What can I do today that will take me closer to my goals? And then I do it. Even a seemingly insignificant task, which might seem too small a step to make any real difference, is taking you in the direction you want to go.
This is exactly how the 100 Day Challenge works. You commit to getting serious and taking definitive action toward one driving goal in your life. One thing you want to achieve so badly you can taste it. Something you think about constantly but can never seem to actually DO. And you do it.
The 100 Day Challenge is a great way to break out of the norm, ditch old habits, create new habits, totally turn your life around, or actually achieve something that's only ever been a dream in your head... until now. 😉
The bottom line is this:
Take action every single day.
Always be moving toward your goals.
It really is that simple.
Everything choice you make is either taking you toward success, or distracting you from it. Period. As a parent, I am always telling my children "make smart choices!" I find that lately I am saying that to myself as well. A little reminder never hurts. 😀
Maybe you feel like you don't have enough time. I used to say that about fitness, but now I'm devoting hours to it every week! We make time for the things we really want. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting in the habit, or changing your routine. That's exactly what a dedicated challenge will help you do!
If you need a REAL shift in your life, a challenge may be exactly what you need. 😉
Best,
p.s. Registration for the current challenge ends on July 10th.
Click Here To Join The Challenge!
* I have participated in the challenge myself, and I am also an affiliate. By using my referral link you will be supporting ClickNewz and the ongoing free tutorials and resources shared here. Thank you!
About Lynn Terry
Thank you Lynn for sharing how one can use his/her time. I too struggle to see where really time flies. This post is a reminder to look at what I have done previously that made my time management go haywire.
I am going over ETR and read the post there to nail my mind to do the right thing even though it might be a small step. By the way, Lynn love coming here reading your post and also the comments here.
Thank you again Lynn for educating my mind to change for a better life ahead. Great weekend.
Thank you James 😀
Thanks so much Lynn! I needed to read this today! I have some specific goals I want to reach that I can taste them for sure 🙂 =) Wow, your blog posts NEVER fail to please, and this one just hit the nail on the head for me!
I'm so glad, Tammy - thanks!! 😀
Lynn
I was trying to sign up for this challenge but there was a problem (it kept going to a blank page after I signed up) so I emailed support but received no reply after 5 days, but the emails kept coming. I was disappointed with this so hit reply and made them aware that they have not replied to my problem yet continue to send me emails.
I recieved what I think was a very rude reply with no intro or sign off just telling me I should check my email filters (which was what I had done every day) and they had removed me from their list! All I tried to do was sign up and pay them my money! With a customer service like that although I believe in the challenge I would not join them as my first experience was very dismissive.
Very sad but onwards and upwards, just wanted to let you know
Thank you
Tracy
Hi Tracy,
I'm so sorry you had this experience. I wonder what could have caused the technical issue, a browser incompatibility perhaps? Who knows, but regardless I'm sorry it wasn't resolved to suit you. I have only had good experiences with their group so far, but perhaps they're outsourcing support and there was some confusion. Either way, I hate to hear you felt that way!
Thanks Lynn, I was happy to sign up as per your recommendation as I value your opinions and reviews, however I replied politely back to the customer service just saying I was surprized by their reply and it would of better if they could of helped resolve the issue rather than just dismiss me from their list. To my horror this, and I quote, was their reply "no pudding for you then"
Who does the customer support I have no idea, but I felt I was being mocked. Having purchased a few internet marketing products before I never had such a response from them IF I have ever had to contact customer services, this truly turned me away (as i was thinking to try again) I just replied asking them not to email again if that is there response and again I recieved a reply! with "bye" only.
Very suprised, very disappointed. Thanks for listening Lynn
That's just shocking, Tracy. If it were me, I'd take it higher up and make sure someone in the company KNOWS what's going on with their customer support. There's no way they can be aware of that and let it continue. :-9
Lynn that was exactly my thoughts (that I doubt they know what is going on) but I could not find any contact details except using the 'submit a ticket' and was worried I may end up with the same responder!
I am glad you thought is was shocking because I did begin to wonder if it was me being sensitive or not having a sense of humor but my gut said "nope" that is not the way you respond to a customer with a simple sign up problem.
Thanks Lynn I will still see if I can find somewhere (higher up) to report the issue as unfortunately for them (and me) I do not feel to give them my hard earned money now, once bitten and all that...
You might look on http://www.betterwhois.com for contact information related to the domain registration, on their social media channels, etc. I would definitely make sure they know what's going on inside their group. Again, I'm really sorry you had this experience - that support person needs to be removed from their company. 😛
Thanks a lot Lynn ! I can't agree with you more.
In every aspect of life, even Internet Marketing, we need to act to get result.
I think the reason why most people choose to be internet marketer is to get out of 9-5 jobs and live their own life. But of course we can't achieve that goal overnight, it asks for works, hard works and, like Johnie Walker , " keep walking".
Have a nice day !
Very inspiring post, Lynn. There are really times when we have so much ideas and goals in mind, but we fail to act enough to make these possible.
Action is definitely key. And not just any action, but very specific steps toward a very specific goal. It seems to me that most people struggle with knowing which steps, which boils down to identifying the goal - and getting a STRONG vision (and desire!) for it.