If I Had To Start Over. . .

[bigrac]

Now we are getting to the kernel of what I was trying to say in the first place.

Let's use the analogy of a Las Vegas slot machine, for want of a better example.

Thousands of people will play that machine with grit, determination, belief, single-mindedness, commitment and they will invest a considerable amount of time and money to hit the jackpot.

But unless all seven reels drop into place at the right time, they will not hit the jackpot, indeed, they will be worse off than when they started.

Now, that is not to say that achieving success online is a gamble, but merely an illustration that it takes an alignment of sorts to be in place for that ambition to be realized.

For someone who is naturally gifted with a powerful internal drive, it may be hard for them to understand or empathize with folks who for one reason or another, lack the ability to produce the consistent level of performance that is required in building a solid home based business - online or offline.

In addition, people have vastly different skill sets, some take more easily to the various disciplines that are required to knuckle down and earn money online - and others simply do not have that capacity.

I know it is not a popular message, but we all know it to be true.

Of course, they could do it.

We all know that. Potential is not the issue here.

Ultimately, people need to take a long hard look at themselves.

Forget writing out that business plan. The very first thing you need to decide is if you are suited to running your own business.

A long and hard introspective is the one step that many self-starters overlook.


Rich

[StephenT]

Oh yeah Rich, I agree that not all people are able to become IM giants. What I am saying is that people can develop the ability to succeed.

I also agree that the first thing to do is look at yourself and ask the question, "what is my purpose, or what is it I am talented to do and what is it that I want to do?"

That being said, I believe that people are more in control of themselves than they are a slot machine. They have the ability to change, the ability to learn the skills that will bring about some level of satisfaction.

[David Jackson]

Mark Mason interviewed me for his MasonWorld.com podcast last week and he asked me if I believed anyone could do this. I said YES, if I can do this - anyone can.

Hmmmmm...I thought about this for a few minutes, Lynn. And I have to disagree with you. I don't think anyone can do it. I really don't. I think you have to have something deep inside of you that drives you to do it. I can't really quantify what that something is. Some people call it desire. Some call it drive. Others call it the will to win. But whatever you want to call IT, IT simply does not exist in everyone.

Let me give you a real life example. My cousin was a great highschool football player. He had all the physical tools to make it to the NFL. He had Jim Brown written all over him. That's not just my opinion, that was also the opinion of dozens of division one colleges that recruited him.

He eventually accepted a full athletic scholarship to Arizona State. Two weeks after arriving on campus that fall, he called home saying that he was homesick and wanted to come home. His mother (my aunt) told him he could come home if he wanted to.

He never went back to school - any school. He now drives a truck for UPS. Despite all of his marvelous physical gifts, my cousin didn't have the mental makeup to succeed. He didn't have IT.

Unfortunately, not everyone does!

David Jackson

[bigrac]

Oh yeah Rich, I agree that not all people are able to become IM giants. What I am saying is that people can develop the ability to succeed.

I also agree that the first thing to do is look at yourself and ask the question, "what is my purpose, or what is it I am talented to do and what is it that I want to do?"

That being said, I believe that people are more in control of themselves than they are a slot machine. They have the ability to change, the ability to learn the skills that will bring about some level of satisfaction.

OK, let me be absolutely clear.

I did not use the phrase 'IM Giants' and the slot machine reference was an analogy, rather than an example.

And actually, no, many people do not have the ability to learn those skills you refer to, and those are the people who are unfortunately sucked into chasing a dream that, for them, will be forever elusive.




Rich

[Lynn Terry]

I'm not in total agreement with this turn of the conversation on IT. I'm thinking... it sounds like bull**IT. It sounds like a real nice excuse not to succeed, or a landing pad for those that feel like giving up. "I just don't have IT" - pfft.

That said, let's go along with the idea that successful people have something special that some people just can't learn or obtain or ever have. How sad is that? Really?

Christian or not, I suggest you read The Parable of the Talents. Everyone is given something, not the same thing, and you are obligated to discover it and live up to it's full potential.

This whole IT discussion goes completely against the concept of being a "self starter" - of being self-motivated, self-taught, with a desire to be self-employed.

You really think I possess something that you do not?

I'm flattered.

Everything I possess - tangible or intangible - was earned, bought through sweat and elbow grease, or came as a result (reward?) to my being consistent and persistent.

You've got to want it bad enough. That's what IT is.

[StephenT]

No, I used the term IM Giants.

I just meant that a person may not become someone that everyone would say, "Oh that, Whomever, is sure a successful Im'er. I do believe that many people, maybe not all, but more than do, can develop the skills to be proficient.

I don't want to argue the point as to if a person can change, I know they can, because I have. I guess I just hate to hear people make excuses for themselves as to why they can't do this or that. I did it for years. You know how it is, ex-smokers are the ones who have little tolerance for smokers. I hate to hear people make excuses for themselves when they haven't really tried.

If they have tried and could not do whatever it was they were trying, then it is time for them to step back and re-evaluate themselves honestly. Perhaps they are not in the right spot, but that doesn't mean they are failures in life, just that they might be better off going at it another way, orin another direction.

[bigrac]

Great, we got Lynn annoyed, that should stir things up!

With the greatest of respect though, people have to get past this 'if you want it bad enough, it will happen' mindset.

For some, it won't. Ever.

I understand though that this message does not sit well in this type of forum, but I was thinking more of those who are sucked in at the periphery of internet marketing by the 'Get Rich Quick' schemes and are therefore unlikely to be found in this type of forum.

Sure, the reality is not a nice one, but many people are just not up to it.

And never will be.


ps. I didn't say I was one of them




Rich

[StephenT]

Rich, where I will absolutely jump on the wagon with you is the people that get sucked into the get rich quick schemes and are told, "If you just want it bad enough, it will happen" without mentioning to them that they will have to really work at it! That they will have to do some really inside work with themselves and decide, is this something I really want and am willing to work for, or not!

One of the things I did not like with the movie "The Secret," was that this is what I thought they were presenting. Just give your desires out into the Universe, and it will happen. Lay back on the couch and wait for it. This is where my **it gets up!

Ya can't just wish anything! Yeah, ya gotta want it, but you have to work for it too.

[Susanne Myers]

From my personal experience and that of some friends who are also doing well online, "it" is to just jump in and do it.

You don't need to be a risk taker unless you consider spending $10 a year for a domain and $5 a month on hosting a risk.

You don't have to be tech-savvy or very smart. If you can write email or participate on a forum, you have the basic skills to make it online.

You don't have to be healthy or have a bunch of energy or drive... you just have to be able to sit down and do something to grow your website every single day. I was severely depressed when I first quit my job. At this point my websites were making about $100 a month. I wrote articles and did VA work to supplement our income until my websites were making as much as I used to make in my old job.

You just have to really want it.

For me "it" was quitting my job after we lost our son during my 7th month of pregnancy. I just couldn't bare to thought of missing another day with my daughter. My husband started working exclusively online about a year later and yes, we struggled to make it and raked up a bunch of debt just to pay for our mortgage and food, but it made us sit down each day and do the grunt work.

We didn't spent a bunch of money on ebooks and courses, we just looked at what was working for us and did a lot more of it. We did our keyword research, added content, got links through social bookmarking sites and articles and tweaked the ads on our sites.

Of course we also had some projects that we put a lot of work into that never made more than a few pennies, but we moved on to something that was working and did something every single day to build on it. Work fast, fail fast and move on

Nowadays we do spent a good bit of money on tools, outsourcing and courses / conferences, but each time I make that purchase, I sit down and figure out how I can make at least that much more. Most of the time it works, and when it doesn't, I keep working until I've made the money.

Yes, there is a lot of noise out there with the latest and greatest tool/ course/ ebook etc. and there are always ideas for new projects, sites to surf etc. "It" might be being desperate or focused enough to ignore all the noise and put the things we all know work into action, and then sitting down and actually doing all the little (and sometimes boring) everyday tasks instead of looking for a shortcut.

Pick a market
Don't reinvent the wheel, look for something that people are already spending money.

Do your keyword research

Build your site around those keywords

Get incoming links to those pages (article marketing, guest blogging, leaving comments, social bookmarking etc.) using the keywords and keyphrases as anchor text.

Monetize your pages with either affiliate products or your own products.

Rinse and Repeat and do what you can to improve your sites (by adding an option form to build a list for example).

As far as the keyword research and optimizing your pages for those keywords goes, I recommend you read Dan Thies's Seo Fast Start. It's free and one of the best pieces of information I've come across on the topic. Lynn has a review of it here.
http://www.clicknewz.com/2042/seo-fast-start-review/

Susanne Myers

[bigrac]

Well thanks, Stephen, for meeting me halfway on this.

There is a strong vibe around here (and twitter) that if you don't make it, in life or in business, you are somehow just not trying hard enough.

These people are not blaming the world, or guru's or their circumstances for their failures.

Nor are they looking for sympathy, or seeking to blame anyone.

I have spoken to many people like this online and offline, Kevin Riley even spoke about this type of person on his blog.

Whether you like it or not, you cannot turn everyone into a success story, they are not wired that way.

Witness this twitter post, that Lynn herself RT'd.


RT @OmarMReyes: even if there were a blueprint, some people would still not follow it - they would still lack the motivation to succeed.


That's all I am saying.


Rich