The Long Slow Road
Image by Edward Dullard
When I first entered the realm of internet marketing, I bought into the hype and figured it would only take me a few months of studying, minimal work, and a bit of patience before I was making 10-50k per month. I figured I was smart enough to make more than everyone else and that I wouldn’t have to do a lot to make it happen. Boy was I wrong!
Internet marketing is certainly a legitimate way to make a living, but it can take years of studying, years of practical application, and a lot of patience before it pays off. This is the part that most people dont’ want to hear, but wouldn’t you rather know the truth so you don’t give up before your efforts pay off?
I almost quit after a few months of work because I wasn’t seeing any return, but I decided to stick it out and keep trying. As it turns out, I made the right move…I also learned a lot along the way.
Internet Marketing is NOT a Game of Short-Term Profit
Regardless of what the “Gurus” tell you, IM is not a quick and easy to make a load of cash. Sure, there are exceptions to this, but for most of us the road is long and difficult. I don’t tell you this to dissuade you from trying, rather I tell you so that you know what to expect.
Regardless of how you want to make a living online:
- Writing poetry
- Publishing novels
- Blogging
- Ebooks
- Membership sites
- etc
It will take a lot of planning to get you on the right path. You’ll need to define yourself, create an elevator pitch, and keep pounding away with your brand until you get a breakthrough. It could take weeks, months, or years, but if you find the right angle and keep pouring effort in, you will crack the wall. Once you see that first crack and smell blood, you can start the onslaught and break the shit out of that wall.
Your Brand Might Change
Mine has…it changes all the time. My readers and customers see different things in me than I saw, so I respond with new insights and strategies to help them achieve their goals. If you meet them halfway, you’ll find that the difficulty of the process is drastically reduced. You’ll start gaining traction in your niche and people will start talking about you. The buzz will turn into momentum, which will turn into a steamroller ready to take the world by storm.
Just keep at it and don’t give up. You can make it happen if you just keep chipping away at your long term goal, one small step at a time. It worked for me…I’m sure it can for you.
![[Post to Twitter]](http://nathanhangen.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter-big2.png){kind=icon}
![[Post to Ping.fm]](http://nathanhangen.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-ping-big4.png){kind=icon}
![[Post to StumbleUpon]](http://nathanhangen.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-su-micro4.png){kind=icon}
Do You Have a Release Mechanism?
Courtesy of ConoTube
I have a tendency to work too much when I’m involved with projects that I enjoy. I love consulting, building websites, writing, blogging, creating products, and a little bit of everything else, but the problem isn’t that I love work (who could ask for more?) but that sometimes I let it consume me. When you are knee deep in client work, it can be easy to lose track of the big picture. You stop taking breaks in an effort to get more done and in the end, you get burned out and lose your drive, purpose, and motivation.
You can feel it coming long before it hits you, but we often push it aside thinking that if we can finish just “one more” task, then we will be OK. Of course, you get in a rhythm and stopping is not only an afterthought, but a scary one at that. If you want to have long-term success as an entrepreneur, you will need to change that thought process.
I believe that everyone needs a release mechanism to help them avoid this cycle so they can refresh their mind and body before, during, and after long sessions of entrepreneurial work. Even if you love what you do, the process of grinding out work all day long can wear you out. This includes spending time on Twitter, responding to messages on Facebook, and commenting on blogs. Any act of engaging with others can be considered work because you aren’t in a state of natural rest.
So what does it mean to be at rest? I’m not asking you to sleep all day, rather I’m simply asking you to let your mind have a break from time to time. Even better, find a way to engage your body in order to energize your mind. I call this a release mechanism because it helps you reboot your mental process in order to come back with a more refreshed and well-balanced state.
My release mechanism is running, but I also go cycling and swimming to prepare for Triathlons. Some people enjoy Yoga, while others spend 30-60 minutes per day in meditation. If you like using weights, hit the gym and burn out your arms or legs. I know it sounds crazy, but spending time to exhaust your physical body can help you energize your mind.
Even though I encourage some type of physical activity be implemented in your weekly routine, release mechanisms don’t have to be physical. The simple act of writing in a journal can help you unload a heavy burden in your mind. Sipping coffee and listening to classical music with headphones on can be a great way to refresh the senses.
The bottom line is that regardless of what you like to do for fun, and what type of fun you like to do for work, you need to make sure that there is balance in your life. If you find yourself slipping into a workaholic frenzy, gently remind yourself to release some tension via an activity enjoyable to you. It feels good to get things done and cross another project off the list, but the price paid for a life of doing nothing but can be much more damaging then taking time to energize yourself.
Are You a Social Media Bore?
Courtesy of TurtleMom4Bacon
As much as I admire the power of Social Media and Social Networking for business and marketing efforts, personal branding in particular, I’m getting a bit disappointed with the redundancy of it all in the current climate of news hysteria. With the recent passing of Michael Jackson, the big news was not that he passed, but that his passing virtually “shut down” Twitter. While this may be true (I didn’t notice a shut down, more like a slow down), what astounds me is the fact that everyone likes to play news reporter and repeat the same message over, and over, and over, and over, and…well you get the idea.
Look, this post might offend some people, but I’m OK with that because it has to be said. If the only thing you are doing on Twitter, or any other outlet for that matter, is trying to copy what everyone else does and then play Larry King until you beat the dead horse a second time, then you need to take a good hard look at how your brand is being affected by your inability to be original.
I get it, a pop icon has passed away, but is it really sentiment to talk non stop about MJ until the cows come home? To me, it seems more like a trite way to play along witht the crowd and try to capitalize on the hype rather than grieve at the passing of a legend. The same was true for many events, not just deaths. People love to sound like parrots and as a result Twitter is becoming a broken record.
There’s nothing wrong with being respectful and saying what you have to say, but for the love of David Hasselhoff please stop adding to the noise if you have nothing to say. It just seems to me that people are more concerned with being the one to share the news rather than actually observing it. Or, I could just be an ass…you decide, send a comment below.
Does Your Daily Task List Look Like This?
I spend a lot of time tasking the little time I have so that I can accomplish as much as possible throughout each day and every week. Part of the reason I do this is because I’m a goal orientated person, but the rest is because like you, I don’t have a lot of time to work with. If I don’t stay on task, then I fail.
Many of my readers have a busy schedule as well and the task of trying to balance the day job, entrepreneurial work, and fun, can be an exhausting assignment. I’ve got more than my fair share of hobbies and interests, so my days are usually made up of way too much work and far too little play.
Here’s an example:
- Do something inspiring (for both my family and my business)
- Run/Bike/Swim (Triathlon Training)
- Blog on one of my many websites
- Answer customer service emails/requests
- Analyze current week’s sales for my products and affiliate promotions
- Finish consulting tasks
- Deliver content to clients
- Relax
Does your task list look anything like this? If it does, let me ask you…how often do you get to that last part? I can tell you that very rarely do I, and if my experience is any indication of yours, then we both need to relax more often. I don’t mean just sit down and watch a movie or TV; I mean sit down and just CHILL.
The thing about relaxing is that it helps your mind reboot so that you can work more efficiently down the road. If you don’t give yourself this time then you will eventually burn out, at which point everything will suffer.
Spend some time just talking, hanging out with friends, reading a book, or meditation and reward yourself with something for all of your hard work. Isn’t the goal of building a business so that we can have more time to do the things we enjoy?
It is very easy to get into a pattern of becoming a workaholic, especially if you are trying to build a business so that you can retire early, quit your job, or travel the world. I understand that there are a lot of projects you have to finish and tasks you have to organize, but just make sure that you keep a balanced perspective. I know I have no room to talk, but I plan on fixing that. Life passes us by too quickly not to take time out to enjoy it.
What do you think?
How to Control Your Emotions Before They Control You
This guest post was contributed by Meredith Walker, who writes about the top nursing schools. She welcomes your feedback at MeredithWalker1983 at gmail.com. Make sure to give her a warm welcome and leave a comment below!
There are times when you wish you did not have emotions, when you would rather forgo the ability to feel rather than suffer the intense pain when your heart is being put through the wringer. Unfortunately, there is no getting around being human and being able to experience pain and pleasure. The trouble with pain of the emotional kind is that it cripples our ability to do anything else; a broken heart makes it impossible to concentrate on work or any other aspect of life.
What happens when a personal relationship crisis begins to affect your ability to focus on your work? What happens when you’re not able to give your best at the office because your mind is in turmoil over a break up or other a messy fight? We’re only human, so it’s natural to feel this way. What’s not natural however is to let emotions rule us for too long, and the only way to do this is to:
- Fight to keep what you do have: You may be mentally upset because of a personal loss or problem, but if you let this dominate your thoughts and dictate your actions, you’re going to end up losing much more. If you stop working efficiently at your job, you’re at risk of being fired. Or if you run your own business, you lose concentration and let go of good deals. It will take a great deal of determination and will power, but if you apply yourself and think of all that is at stake, it’s easy enough to pull together.
- Keep yourself busy: It may be clichéd, but an idle mind is definitely the devil’s workshop. The more time you have on your hands, the more you feel the need to agonize over and analyze what happened. Even if you don’t have enough work, create something for yourself to do. Go out, meet friends, and as much as possible, try not to wallow in self pity.
- Exercise a little: If you’re a regular exercise buff, you’re bound to know that a workout session is the best way to boost your energy and get your adrenaline flowing. If not, now is a good time to get started. Exercise can make you feel better, both mentally and physically.
- Stay positive: A bad experience or situation can get you down and make you lose interest in life. You need to make the extra effort to stay positive, and the only way you can do this is to look at all the things that are going well in your life. Alternatively, you could also take a look around you and think of others who are worse off than you. When you do this, you put things in perspective, and you’re able to feel better about yourself and your situation.
- Happiness is something that we must look for within ourselves, because when we look for it from others, we leave ourselves open to disappointment and hurt.
