Internet Business and Personal Success

I’ve been doing a lot of things in the background, and not writing here as much as I should. My list of topics, and thoughts is growing exponentially–so stay tuned.

In the meantime (and thereafter), you owe it to yourself to visit Mohamed’s Internet Business Opportunities blog (http://www.oibo.org/). I’ve been watching his site from the beginning, and he really is getting his stuff together.

Why visit?

First, he’s way a way more prolific writer than I am. Probably because I think a bit too much while making a post, so it takes me a long time. If he takes even half as long as I usually do, then he’s really putting a lot of time and thought into his posts–which I wouldn’t doubt.

Second, and more important, he writes interesting articles. Not, just interesting, but *useful* posts on all things related to online business success. Here are just a few recent topics:

• Using images in your blog posts (I swear he was reading my mind on this one)
• Three things you must do before submitting n article to directories
• Creative Commons License
• Could your business survive a nuclear attack
• Free traffic generation
• Outsourcing
• Free business presentation tools
• Staying organized
• Many MANY more…

…and the topics above are only a partial list from the past 10 days! Even if you think you don’t have the time to visit, just make time, even if it’s to stop by once a week.

—end of blatant-but-deserved “plug”—

-Tim

P.S. and F.Y.I. Do you ever attempt to get to this (timgary.com) blog, and get a blank screen? Me too, and it’s very frustrating. Why does it happen? A combination of Wordpress 2.3, the theme I’m currently using, and the web host’s use of server performance script xcache. Thus far, I’ve not been able to fix it, other than by manually reseting xcache when it happens. If a solution isn’t found soon, I’ll be switching to a new Wordpress theme. So, until them, just check back in a few hours. I’ll likely have reset things.

Popularity: 49% [?]

I’m fairly certain that you are actually smarter than you act. Sadly, you may be acting stupid, and I’m often in the same boat as you. Without proper focus, you’re doing things. This is not to say that you are stupid, I’d be willing to bet that you aren’t. You’re just doing some stupid things. Just like me.

Why so harsh? There’s an enlightening article in The Atlantic, which basically says that multitasking makes you stupid and slow, and who isn’t multitasking these days?

• The tv’s on in the background while we “work” on a project
• We’re on the phone while driving
• We’re checking email 10 times an hour while writing an article, or performing some vital business task
• The number of web browser windows that are open an awaiting our attention is well in the the double digits
• Chewing gum while walking seems like child’s play–better add a cell phone and a jump rope

It’s a long article, but worth reading if only to scare you straight. I really love the part where a researcher gives hope for multitaskers. He says that people can actually learn to do 2 tasks “at once” as well as someone who does them sequentially. Ah… Hope! Of course, his studies indicate that it takes 2000 times before this is exhibited. So much for the good news.

Computers multi task, and it often slows them down to a crawl. Much of the time, they are responsive. This is usually because they’re doing relatively little in the background. But take your basic machine, and do something like search for all files on the main hard drive that contain the text “internet marketing”. Let it go and find those files. Then start using the machine for something else. Web Browsing. Write an article. Run your virus checker… You’ll likely notice a huge difference in responsiveness of the machine. It’ll take you longer to do what you want to do, and it’ll also take the machine longer to find the files.

This happens for a reason other than the cpu speed. It happens because there’s another bottleneck in the system, the hard drive. Not matter how fast the computer chip can process things, it still needs to access data on the hard drive to accomplish its tasks. The hard drive is extremely slow compared to the cpu, so the cpu ends up waiting around a lot for it to return data.

While I don’t know what the bottleneck in you is, I’m sure at least one exists, and if you are attempting to concentrate one more than one thing at a time, you will slow down, and become stupid. At least temporarily. The easy remedy?

1. Do one thing at a time, and do it well.
2. Focus only on that one thing.
3. Get it done. Finish it.
   
4. Move on the the next thing.

No bottleneck… Just results.How will this work for you?

Popularity: 58% [?]

Can you believe the b.s. that many marketers shovel in their sales letters these days? If you are on a few lists, and have seen a “launch”, you’ll recognize the signs:

False scarcity.. Limited quantities. “next” 100 to order. Price goes up soon. One time only offer. Coupon good only for this visit, etc.. Once you’ve been around for a while, you’ll notice that many of these claims are outright lies. There are a few ways to check this out for yourself:

• Visit the site in a different browser. You’ll probably get the same offer, even if it’s a one-time offer just for you.
• Clear your browser cookies, and visit the site again.
• Wait a few days or weeks, and see if the same b.s. shows up. I know of one site which apparently didn’t do so well, and still has the same discount, coupon, first 100 fast-mover bonus, etc… How long has it been? almost 3 months, and counting.
• Register for the site with a separate email address. You’ll likely get the same special offer, regardless of how many times you sign-up

“Weasel” guarantees… 30 days 100% money back–not enough time to implement, yet alone absorb 15 dvd’s of information… or… following our system, document the steps you take and and if you’re not making $xxxxx in the first 60 days, we’ll send your money back (never mind what we teach you will cost you many times what you spent on the course to “try” out–thus it makes no sense to “try” it).

Testimonials, and “case studies” which include already successful businesspeople and marketers

• I don’t know about you, but if I recognize someone whose put on a pedestal, as an example of what can happen to you, and they’ve been successful since way before the product materialized, I’m skeptical to the extreme. These people probably did things that had nothing to do with the course.
• Phony names, limited info.. First name and last initial… c’mon, use some real information and help promote them in the process.
• “private students” who are privy to much more information, and more importantly–support and promotion from sponsors– that is presented as “newbie makes a fortune without any skills”….

There are many more examples, and yes, I *could* name names.. The point is, there’s a lot of b.s. out there aimed directly are parting you with your money. It’s not always that the information is bad. In fact I’m sure a lot of it is useful, if you are at the business stage that calls for it.

The point of this rant is simple: Pay attention to what the people you are thinking of following are DOING, not the image (”character”) they present. If they can’t tell the truth *before* you purchase from them, how in the heck can you believe them after the sale is made? You can’t!

There are plenty of ethical people on the Internet, why not choose to support, and follow one of them?

You can find just a few of the best, on my blog roll to the right.

-Tim

Popularity: 43% [?]

Believe it or not, most of the menus I see are full of “worms”. Truth be told, I actually like it that way.

Let me explain…

No, I don’t actually like the worms. And that’s the point! But, the more “worms” there are on the menu, the fewer choices I have among the remaining dishes (the “chocolate”). It makes the choice easy.

Still confused? I assure you that understanding why having a menu full of “worms” is a good thing and well worth your time.

For some reason I grew up disliking a lot of food that other people really like (ok, love). For example, I will gag if I even attempt to eat cheese, or any one of a large group of “condiments” (what I call “goop”). To me, eating them might be similar to you eating live worms. You just wouldn’t do it, and I don’t blame you.

So, when I go to an Italian restaurant, for example, I can immediately eliminate about 80% of what I see without thinking about it. All the “worms” (dishes with cheese…) allow me to narrow the choice down to the 20% that remains (and even that often requires a substitution or two). On top of that, my expectations are often lowered a bit because I only had a few items to choose from, and they may not have been my favorite dishes. This means that I’m often happier overall with the meal.

Having “worms” on the menu makes life much easier. We people like things to be easy.

Contrast this to times when I go to a Sea Food or Chinese restaurant. Everything on the menu is more like “chocolate”. I want it all, and it takes me a long time to decide. To make it worse, my wife doesn’t like sea food, so if I find myself at one of these places, I often want it ALL, because who knows when I’ll have such a selection again.

Having too much “chocolate” on the menu slows things down, and makes life tougher. People don’t like things to be difficult.

Too much choice often leads to worry about whether the right one was made. Would I have been better off with one of many other items on the menu? This can often lead to disappointment, and added stress.

What does this have to do with business success?

Everything!

It’s just another example of Information Overload.

Every new online business tactic that comes out and promises thousands of dollars nearly overnight may look like “chocolate”, and instead of picking just one, you want them all. Your focus disappears into a sea of “research” (a.k.a. web surfing), purchases, and distractions. You jump from method to method, because you just know the next one will be better. While you may be busy, you aren’t moving forward. And since time is not standing still for you, you’re really falling way behind.

The trick is to start seeing seeing more things as “worms”. Start seeing them for what they are: distractions and destroyers of your dreams. Sounds easy, but how?!

It’s really easy, actually. You must simply decide exactly what you want before “seeing the menu”!

If you want to make money online, you must first determine what your skills and passions are. From there, you can come up with a plan, and instantly know the “worms” from the “chocolate”. You’ll know which opportunities are in line with your desires, and which will just bog you down.

That’s why setting goals and the law of attraction are so vital to success. Having a clear direction allows you to easily take the shortest path. You’ll also start to see more “worms” on the menu! By now you should see why having worms on the menu is a good thing, and the more the better.

More than half of the complementary “Wrong Action Kills, Right Action Manifests” report is devoted to helping you clarify your goals. It doesn’t matter if you are interested in business, making money, or personal growth, knowing precisely where you want to go will exponentially speed up your progress.

Here are a few tricks that you can use to start seeing more “worms” in your life…

• Decide what you want to eat before you enter a restaurant.
• Make a list before going to the store, and stick to it.
• Keep a prioritized “to do” list, and update it each night before bed.
• Create a “dream board” with your dreams and desires and keep it in a place you see it often.
• Have a written list of tasks you want to accomplish on the computer before sitting down at it. Then follow the list (checking email every minute is probably NOT on your list).
• … I could keep going, but it’s your turn… leave a comment with your own suggestions or ideas!

For a sales and marketing take on “worms”, head over to Ryan M. Healy’s exceptional Business Growth Blog where he has a post titled Improve Sales by Taking Away Their Freedom.

Got a bunch of “worms” on you shelf collecting dust? Clean ‘em up. There’s a good quick post at Internet Business Opportunities called “It’s time to let them go…”

Now, don’t you see how great it is to have lots of “worms” on your menu?

I do.

Popularity: 50% [?]