I am constantly thinking of ways to reach my goals and also reading and listing to audio so I can better reach my goals. Recently I have been feeling a bit worn down trying to take my business to the next level. I am doing all of this work and not getting an outcome. I was listening to Dan Miller’s (48 Days to the Work You Love) podcast and he mentioned that you have to put together a plan and then focus your energy for a defined period of time. He also pointed out that you cannot keep burning the candle at both ends for extended periods of time and expect to keep up the other important areas of your life. I realized that Dan was talking to me. I needed to put together a plan of action and work on doing one thing at a time. Prior to putting together a plan of action I was wondering what was keeping me from progressing. I thought it was fear, I thought I was wasting too much time, I thought it was procrastinating, I thought I was not working hard enough, the main problem was I was not focused. Once I was focused my attention I realized I was happier because I did not feel like I was a failure and I do not feel like I am neglecting my business when I am with my family.
Now that I am focused on 1 step at a time I have found another limiting factor to building my business. If I spend all my time building a business I will be neglecting the other areas of my life. Time is the limiting factor. Since time is my limiting factor I need to focus on a part of my business that I can spend a little time and get a big long term return. Some things that come to mind are writing books, speaking, and internet marketing.
I was listing to one of Dan Miller’s teleseminars and one of the guests mentioned one of Dan’s past quotes “Find something that you can do all the time every day and then become the expert at it so someone will pay you for it”. This statement opened my eyes; the only thing I can do all the time everyday is something I enjoy. So then I realized that I need to start enjoying the process of growing my business or it will not make it. Also, I need to enjoy the business itself or it will fail. On top of all of that I understand that I have a long learning curve in growing my business so I know this will take a long time for me to get it where I want it. I need to enjoy the process. I need to focus on the things I am good at, the things that I enjoy, and the things I just seem to do automatically. Side Note: there will be things that have to be done in the business that are not your favorite, especially when you are just starting, but you need to focus on the goal and you need to find people that you can contract or hire to do those things for you so you can focus on your strengths.
Ron Morris, of The American Entrepreneur, says it took him 10 years to become an overnight success. I am starting to fully understand what he meant. It is hard to start a business and for it to become successful without lots of learning and trail and error. Along with that I am starting to realize the power of wisdom, it is something you cannot gain without time. You cannot gain wisdom through sitting in a classroom or just going to work everyday and punching the clock. I know I need to be patient, keep trying to learn and do different things, it is a long road so I better enjoy the journey if I want to make it.
I was listening to an interview of Timothy Ferriss (4 Hour Work Week) by Yanik Silver. One of Timothy’s core philosophies is to define the life you want to live and then calculate the amount of money you need to live that life. Now find a way to make the money for the life you want to live. The main concepts here are setting a goal and do not chase money to the point that it does not allow you to reach your goals. For example: you want to make money so you can spend more time with your kids but you spend all of your time working for your paycheck that you do not have time to spend with your kids. On a tangent: we have gotten so used to the mottos of having a “good job” and “making money” and “paying the bills” that we have stopped asking why we want to make money.
To sum it up: you need to have a plan, you need to focus on 1 step at a time in the plan, you need to find ways to make money that do not require you trading hours for dollars, becoming successful takes a long time so you need to enjoy the process, you need to earn wisdom over time, and you need to design the life you want and find work/income that supports your life.