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- Sep 12 2007
- 59 Comments
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Some days, you wake up to challenges...The alarm clock didn’t go off. The modem isn’t working. The milk has spoiled.
And yet, there are opportunities...
You awake to the feeling of sunshine streaming through a window. You read a newspaper instead of scanning news online. You drink your coffee black.
Each day brings new challenges and opportunities. But what if you could turn those challenges into opportunities for greater productivity?
It’s possible, because I do it every day.
Here’s the secret: Focus attention on the tasks that will lead to success.
Before you make your coffee... Before you butter your toast... Before you drop the kids off at school or complete any part of your morning ritual, ask yourself this question about your business day:
What am I trying to accomplish today? It’s a short question, but it packs a big punch.
Many of my coaching clients, most of whom are online entrepreneurs, are blinded by the prospect of making lots of money without spending much upfront.The potential of having a successful online business is enormously attractive. Not only does it sound cool to say “entrepreneur,” but it’s even better when you can define the term by saying “look at me.”
Yet, the same low-cost barriers to entry can bring a low probability of profit if you can’t address the question: What am I really trying to accomplish?
You need to spend some quality time figuring out what your objective is and how you need to focus your attention to accomplish and exceed that objective.
- Do you want to become the best Internet business coach?
- Are you hoping to sell self-help books online?
- Have you discovered a way to feed the masses and end world hunger?Whatever your goals, whatever your talents, you have to give this your full attention. Anything less will lead you in the wrong direction – closer to frustration and further from your goals.
So, ask yourself again: What am I trying to accomplish today? And continue to ask this question every day, several times a day, to maintain your focus on achievement.
I know from asking several of my coaching clients that many people struggle with this question.
It’s not because they lack confidence. It’s not because they are trying to be evasive. It’s simply because – no matter how long they have been thinking about building an online business – they just haven’t given the question sufficient, serious thought.
What are you trying to accomplish with your online business?
I am asking this question within the framework of our discussions about attention and, more specifically, our anticipated return on attention.
If you choose to give your attention to something that will become your livelihood, you should certainly know what you hope to accomplish with all of this attention, right?
Remember the examples in previous posts about Starbucks and Apple. Their corporate and critical success is about passion, customer service and paying attention to the right things.
You have to find those same magic seeds and spread them among your customers.
Without a well-researched and well-executed plan for growth, you stand little chance of succeeding against a world of competitors as an online entrepreneur.Yes, I said an entire world of online entrepreneurs.
Remember, the Internet is not located on a street corner; it’s located on the World Wide Web. Your competitors may be found anywhere on the globe. Are you ready to compete with them and win?
So, ask yourself again: What are you trying to accomplish today?
How will your focused attention translate into higher profits for your business?
If you’re struggling for an answer, it’s time to maximize your attention on the subject. Here are some tips:
- Prioritize. Gain the ability to organize your tasks in a way that aligns with your goals.
- Determine really clear short-term goals. Long-term goals are great, but the short-term goals provide a “scorecard” to make sure you are completing the most important things that will keep you moving forward.
- Upgrade your ability to deal with information. Take a speed reading course. Discover new methods of research and study. Become informationally efficient.I’ll have more tips on how you can accomplish these attention goals in Part 2 of The Attention Age Doctrine, which will be released later this month.
But in the meantime, I want to hear from you.
What are you trying to accomplish with your online business?
Besides trying to make lots of money...
No one knows better than you about your passion and goals. Share some of them here and build a community of fans who will cheer for you as you exceed your own business expectations.
You have my attention... Now, start accomplishing your goals.
Show me how it’s done.
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Rich;
It’s a funny quirk of nature that it’s so easy to diminish the value of what you have to offer that you bypass your own possible best and hawk other people’s goods or ideas, or even worse, do nothing. It’s easy to visualize a talented musician or singer who keeps their talent hidden and only “performs†behind the locked door of their bedroom, or perhaps only for their family. Lots of times, these musicians are better than the majority of professionals. This same “Shy Musician†syndrome applies to other areas. How many people get up in the morning, just as you’re suggesting, and answer that question about what they want to accomplish, but never act on it, or only put forth a half-hearted effort.
So what am I trying to accomplish? I want to give people the knowledge, tools, confidence to achieve something they desire, and then give them a good shove out to center stage!
Fred
Hi Rich, love the new theme.
This is a great question - what AM I trying to accomplish!? I used to think it was having a huge workload of clients who pay me a really great rate but as I become more tired of working ALL the time I find that’s not really what I want.
So, now I’m trying to accomplish building a team of people who I can rely on while provide the highest quality service to my clients.
I love the idea of asking yourself each day - what am I trying to accomplish. What is the END goal? Sometimes we are always so busy working that we forget exactly what we’re even doing it for.
Thanks for the reminder!
Angela Wills
I used to have a habit of planning my days in reverse. I went so far as having a Franklin dayplanner that I would keep “empty,” only to be filled in at the end of the week with the things I accomplished.
This way, I never had anything on my “to do” list that didn’t get done and if anyone read my dayplanner at the end of the week, they would think I was a genius.
I called that dayplanner a “Nilknarf” (Franklin spelled backwards) because it only made sense to me if I read it in reverse. I was young, and it seemed like a cool thing at the time.
At the same time, I also began another habit that I kept up for quite a while. I would do the thing I least liked to do — like balancing my checkbook — early in the day, then consider the rest of the day a triumph because I got that one, ugly task out the way.
Of course, if I spent too much money during the day, it threw my checkbook out of balance, but that’s another story.
Now, the first thing I tell myself each morning is that I already have all that I need to be happy: a wonderful family, a strong spiritual life and a career I feel passionate about. Anything I do during the day to augment these things just makes my day better.
So, what am I trying to accomplish today? I’m trying to complete my tasks early so I can play catch with my daughter after school (she plays softball). I’m trying to set small goals for myself that, when l look back at them, will be appear as huge accomplishments.
This may not be the best way to keep my attention on task, but it is a method that certainly makes me feel happier each day.
Thanks, Rich, for the insightful blog posts. I enjoy them all.
Today, I’m cold calling to get some work to provide seed money for developing my business.
Better get to it…
I accomplish to streamline my affiliate marketing programs I do use, and must say I lost track how many logins I had with different projects for you
- do I need to sign up again here at your site now for the recent affiliate program? I did email you but did not get any response about it.
How true is that! Even with the best intentions, we seem
to get caught up in “got a minute” interruptions that side
track us from our main goals.
I love to “chunk” my days and concentrate a certain amount
of time for each physical activity that drives toward my main goal.
Rich, thanks for staying focused and sharing the timeless principle of success!
Hi Rich, Great Question there,
Since I have started asking myself that in the mornings,
What do I need to do today to create momentum in my business?
I do write a to do list the night before usually, & mark them off as I get them done. I have been able to be a lot more focused now.
Knowing the What ? & Why? I am doing it has certainly helped.
Angela explained that well, & I got a chuckle from Phillips post
I am looking forward to Part two of the AA Doctrine though….
Cheers, Dianne Kneller
Rich,
Powerful in it’s simplicity. Thanks for reminding us all of a simple tool to refocus.
Tony
Rich,
Nice insights. Thanks for sharing your view. I love your work.
For my online business purpose, I desire to empower the 35-55 year old female focused audience through education, resources, and insight. I believe by monetizing this empowerment process that I will build wealth for myself while I facilitate the women of the world to be the leaders of the future and to live their lives fully. We all know that “if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”.
I aim to help momma (the ones with or without children) to be happy.
My site is full of info but not monetized properly. What I want to accomplish in the short term is to properly organize and monetize the various streams of revenue I wish to capitalize on and do this no later than the end of Sept. 2007 for a miminum of $1000 per week net revenue. My longer term goal is to build a scalable empire to create residual, leveraged, and passive income for myself and my family. My personal motto is “The less time I spend, the more money I make”. Fulfilling that motto is my ultimate desire.
Thanks again for leading the discussion. Best of success to you!
Vicki Flaugher, a.k.a SmartWoman
http://www.SmartWomanGuides.com
Hi Rich,
I help my clients set these kinds of goals all the time - big ones, long-terms ones, weekly ones, etc. It focuses the mind and helps manage time by clarifying what needs to get done, and what is really a distraction.
Today I am networking with 100 powerful women to make sure they know I can help them be more successful and enrich their personal and business lives. Today I am starting the process of figuring out where my business goes from here.
Today I am introducing two of my coaching clients to my network to help them grow further, faster, deeper.
Today I am going to my daughter’s soccer game to cheer her on and have a picnic with the rest of the family.
Last year I built a business that makes a great living, and this year I will accomplish turning it into a business that frees me to do the parts I do best.
This is more attitude and determination than checklist and daily planner material!
Laura
Laura Huckabee-Jennings
Transcend Business Coaching and Consulting
Taking the Pain Out of Your Growth
http://www.transcendllc.biz
Hey all,
My greatest accomplishment would be to finally get a real start on
building a website. Have been putting this daunting task off for
eighteen (18) months now!
It would seem that my attention span could use some work as well…
All the best,
Jon
Rich,
For a long time I was feeling lost and directionless. What saved me was a bit of preplanning. I first developed a ritual which I was comfortable with - not just someone else’s suggestion but something that I “wore” well.
Discipline is an important habit to develop. Og Mandino’s “The Greatest Secret in the World” helps with focus and gets you into that sphere.
I next sat and thought through, brainstormed and wrote down my goals. This took some time but I broke each goal into steps and then create sub steps. I worked with the law of attraction by Michael Losier and created desire statements for each of the goals I was working on.
Then I followed Napoleon Hill’s think and grow rich and wrote out a statement of the money I wanted to make and what I was willing to do each day to move towards that goal. I read this aloud first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
All of this may sound like a lot but it doesn’t take much time and now my brain just zeroes in naturally on those activities that are carrying me closer to my goals. Do I make mistakes? Sure! Do I sometimes get discouraged? Certainly! But I have put in place my insurance against losing focus which is having my goals constantly at hand - and I have those desire statements that keep me motivated.
The result: I seem to have MORE time, I am getting through with more: writing a book, writing a regular column for a business newspaper, creating a product AND clients are starting to call ME!
It has taken me some time, testing various approaches - throwing out what doesn’t fit etc. But it’s a great place to be. I am finally enjoying my days!
Rich,
I really appreciate you sharing this with me.
Focus is one of those things that I know is important (without it I wouldn’t have achieved fulltime online income) - but sometimes I forget, and spend all day doing work I should have outsourced, or just plain old chasing my tail.
I really need to define, each day, what I need to accomplish - and then go do it!
Sean
Ask the right question… you get the right answer! Great reminder Rich. Energy leakage at a mental level eventually seeps down to your pocket. By shooting arrows … enough arrows we will eventually get a bullseye!!!!!
http://www.turkeytwinkles.com
Rich, I want to re position my fitness and lifestyle coaching business attracting committed clients and making a great rate.
I have just launched a weight loss program with a Chiropractic Dr. and want it to be a success for our clients and us
Hi Rich,
You’re right…Before we ever make that first call to action to a prospective customer, we need to look that man in the mirror and ask him to act as well.
The billionaire creator of Mary Kay attributed her success to writing down just 6 things that she wanted to accomplish that day the night before.
Through wise planning is a house built.
All the best,
Doug
Hi Rich and everybody else! I saw one of your videos, Rich, in which you said to work only on the one thing which you can monetize, and let the rest slide. This gem has helped me to concentrate on the one affiliate program I belong to. Thanks Rich. Your ideas are always the best.
Ed
Rich, thanks for the great post.
I complete a to-do list for tasks I have to accomplish the next day. As I complete each task I check it off. Sometimes, there’s a subtask that can’t be accomplished until the next day. That subtask becomes a main task for the next day’s list. I complete my To Do list each evening. Then I focus on what I want to do for the rest of my evening…watching a movie, reading a book.
I want to succeed in our home based business, but downtime is just as important as working on the business.
Your posts are always to the point and force me to think.
Thanks,
Sandra
Greatly appreciate this Rich,
Seeing as it is now 3 hours later than when I’d set my tentative ‘cut-off’ time for going through emails at this one account, I can really relate to and appreciate the nudge and reminder of the need to focus and re-focus throughout the day.
What I’m trying to accomplish overall, is giving a combination of free information, free resources, along with niche-related products that will ideally provide quality offerings to site visitors, open-up a new blog or two in the next two weeks to provide venue for discussion & inf. such as you have here, and lastly, is being able to earn a living from it at the same time.
Many thanks again for all,
Richard
Distraction is my biggest issue. Because most of my clients come to me for my “personal branding and self promotion” package, I find myself doing a lot of surfing in the process of executing their promotion. It’s so easy to explore some interesting links and justify it because it is relevant to what I’m doing and I need to keep up on what’s new. But it makes a 2 hour task take 8 hours. So now I just copy any interesting urls to a notepad window and save it for a single day of exploration/research. I get way more accomplished (100% more!). My next step is to be even more disciplined with the process because I still allow my self to indulge in the distraction a bit. I could probably get another 50% of my time back. Once I hire someone to do this, I will be free from the temptation, but it was still a valuable thing to be challenged and overcome the problem.
~V.
Rich,
Great post! Sometimes the obvious things aren’t so obvious… distractions happen… etc. etc.
I’ve put the phrase ‘What am I trying to accomplish today?’ as my screen saver using the Marquee. That should get it in front of me first thing in the day!
Cheers
Joseph
Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I want to have a total Financial Freedom.
Be able to live in a calm, spiritual and full of love and happy environment.
I want to learn and share as much as possible with my dear ones and others.
I want to make a difference in this world.
Thanks, Rich-great questions. I’m trying to build an online community of people who want to “tame their stress” and build healthy, happy and prosperous lives. I’m working on my website and adding to my blog: http://www.TameYourStress.com/blog. I would be honored if you or any of your readers visited my blog & left a comment.
Thank You and have a great day!
Del Hickson
http://www.TameYourStress.com/blog
Hi Rich,
thanks for your motivational push spiced with a pinch of discipline and methods.
My mornings usually bring a bunch of duties. So I’ve taken up the habit of planning and listing the day’s short time goals the evening before mixing tasks and goals as they fit together.
Long term goals, visions, concepts of projects take their time to grow, you’d probably say research or speed read resources.
Being a somewhat controversial mind I love and need to weigh alternatives and contrasting options, my last and fascinating discovery in that field Paul Lemberg’s BE Unreliable! very new, highly motivating and encouraging creative powers for a successful performance.
Some of your recent thoughts confirmed me to plan a project
combining informational and entertaining aspects although the ‘product’ will afford some furher technical skills and drills. -certainly I’d need some motivational push and support to get things running, to do the research, the rest and the framing.
And, yes, I enjoy every step of it, every morning.
Mara
Hi Rich
What you’re saying is what most of know and have known for a long time.
However the problem is always that we forget to follow the principles. We get lost after an initial energy and mind boost and fall back into our old non-resourceful ways.
The beauty of your thoughts outlined on your blog (and your various other advice/information pieces) is that we can once again focus on what is of paramount importance in our daily battle to win more business.
Most of us need to be jolted back to the reality of why we’re here and what needs to be done.
As Euan Chia says ’success is getting things done’.
What am I trying to accomplish today?
Well, everyday I been asking myself how I can publish my own self-designed website which I was able to complete some months ago. This website of mine speaks about birth control and how one can easily use the software included to avoid getting pregnant. Finding a web host for my website is a problem to me since I don’t have paypal account which requires credit card which I also do not have as well as bank account.
And perhaps the thing I want to accomplish each day is to find a web host which I can send payment directly to their bank account no.
Yes Rich, this is my short-term goal at the moment to be able to get to my long-term goal.
Hi Rich, love this blog! You always have great content, an easy to read writing style and there is a passion and excitement to your words that lifts the spirit. Keep up the good work.
Today you seem to have hit right on the one topic that is occupying my attention at the moment. Where do I want to go? And what I have found is that this is a question we need to ask ourselves not just once, but on a regular basis. Because life changes. We change. And sometimes taking action illuminates our future path in ways that we did not expect. Sometimes we pursue one goal only to find that another pops up and feels so much more right.
I think the key is to being successful at anything in life is to first tap into WHO YOU ARE. What do you need? What do you value? What EXCITES you? The answers to these questions will change over time and then your course needs to be redirected. But if you stay true to what feels right for you and you keep your eye on whatever goal you have at the time, then I believe you will always be SUCCESSFUL - however you measure that - and your life will be one amazing ride.
Here’s wishing everyone a great ride today!
Kelly
Words of Wisdom are worth all it takes to gain them. Take them and print them and post them near you. Incoperate them in Prayer Time. Use Them Like A montra untill they become part of You and Yours. Follow them like a Map. There’s nothing Happier than a Wise Soul. Eye Wonder tho, everytime I leave My Montra to go to Rich’s Site,Blog, his Mentors or his co-qualty Marketers, is this Wise? I need to raise Money for Advertising, build another Landing
page, Help someone, learn another piece of software and Write another letter. OH ya become successful.
Thank You Rich
RESPECTIVELY
ZWONK
Hi Richard,
There is one woman in my life, I haven’t met, but I learned a lot from her teachings and I admire her for all the good things she brought to my life. This woman is Mary Kay Ash and here is something she said and I like to share with your readers. she said:
“It is so important at your skin care classes that you go to give, not to get. I promise that this will help you succeed. With those women at your class think, ‘what can I do to make them more attractive?’ not ‘how much money I can get from them?’. Your customers will recognize your giving spirit, and success will come to you. Strangely enough, the more you give, the more you receive. All you send into the lives of others, does indeed come back into your own”.
I do like what you said about some entrepreneurs wanting to make money overnight without spending a lot upfront.
I am very sure that the launch of one product of yours, Richard, that probably generates millions of dollars, had months of preparation and lots of efforts of you and your team. One example is the attention age part 2 report you’re preparing. Look how many weeks of work this report, just writing this report, consumed you.
And that’s a good thing, don’t get me wrong. It is becoming rare to receive valuable information for free these days.
Anyways to answer your question, earlier, I was working on 3 things:
- creating my website and all its content
- improving click through rate and
- growing my list.
Last week, Sept. 1st, I launched my website.
Then I monitored the click through rate after optimization. And it went from 233 clicks over few months, to 7,000 clicks in 5 days only.
My list had originally 15 members over accumulated over months. Now, after optimization, I was able to get around 100 members in 5 days.
I am currently focusing on ways to improve conversion rate.
Wish me luck if you like me…to succeed! and … when I call you next time, please, don’t rush to the next one in the Q before I finish my questions to you:-)
If there is anything that bothers you about my questions you can tell me. I’m an open person. I don’t get upset if you tell me so. But I assure you, there was no time on any call, I was trying to compete with you. You’re my coach. I learn from you; and I’ll be silly if I think of competing with my own coach.
good night Richard!
Today and this weekend, I am emptying my mind, putting all marketing efforts on hold. I took a short break from my daily life, came to a secluded area of an island, and I’m doing meditation, reading affirmations, doing self-hypnosis, reading mind-inspiring literature, doing some alpha training, swimming early in the morning, eating low-cost but healthy and well-prepared food, communicating with the animals in my setting (You may not believe this but this little resort has bungalows in the midst of a zoo. This morning, I spent time with a couple tigers. ). My objective - what am I trying to accomplish? - total reduction of stress so that I can start a new life. (You can be amazed at how much better you can look, and how much you can accomplish just by removing stress from your face and body, and from your mind.)
That’s what I’m accomplishing this weekend. All my marketing is bound to start from scratch. And I am weeding out most of the experts’ emails..
Jerry Waxman
http://www.worldsways.com
Hi Rich,
Yep, it is vitally important to have your goals for the day. I always recommend that people write down 3 little things that will move them closer to their goals - that they are committed to accomplishing every day, no matter what else happens.
I find that most people spend their energy focusing on their problems instead of the solutions. Commit to spending an hour a day when you will not think about your problems, only focusing on the work you need to do. You can increase it once you get better, but for now - start with an hour. You’ll be amazed at how much progress you’ll make.
Now - I have to go finish my 3 things…
Thanks Rich!
Carole
It is the end of a day and I should be in bed sleeping. I did stay focused with my work as a fitness trainer as only worked the morning an easy day.
The rest of the day I focused on preparing advertising for another job and business I am challenging myself with. I working on my store manager or several sites, search engines, key words - still don’t have them right although getting response from search engines.
Far too many emails and some I know I should have looked at last week or at least deleted as they are in the thousands.
No prospects, lots of spam, lots of other marketers trying to get me to join another program. What I do need is to get a downline and maybe make some money on the websites that are costing me money each month.
And lots of coaches trying to get me to join so they can teach me more.
My focus is to be positive and stay on track without getting lost in all the ways one can be driven on the internet, join this, get this free report, get this new website today and so on.
I did accomplish touching base with prospects I am teaching, did some advertising posters and will prepare how I will fit looking after my instructors, clients & customers tomorrow by getting products ordered and sent out. I have a busy day tomorrow helping people stay balanced, strong and safe. I need to get up early and know rest is important.
Thanks for this bog, I don’t often read or write them. Certainly made me more aware I did accomplish a lot today and do need to catch up on what I couldn’t do today tomorrow.
Rich. Good question,” What am I trying to accomplish today.” It wasn’t apparent to me when I read that question but stuck out like a sore thumb when I wrote it out. That is the word “try”. I’m not sure but I think it was in an excerpt from the “Sedona Method,” that says,” Try to pick up a pencil from your desk, you either do or you don’t.”
So to answer your question, I will strive to be better today than yesterday and not as well as I’ll be. tomorrow. Thanks for the reminder.
-Robert
Rich, you are so right on with what you are saying. For years I have dabbled in this opportunity and that, while trying to find that which was my HIGHEST PURPOSE all along.
Before discovering my real reason for being here, I would ask that question of “what am I really trying to accomplish today”, you know? It finally hit me that I didn’t want to be another “affiliate marketer” pusing the same ol stuff everyone else is pushing.
So, back then and instead, my question every morning was, “what the hell am I doing and why AM I doing this?” It actually became depressing and kept me from the joy I was looking for, let alone the monetary success. It became my nightmare and worse than having a JOB.
But through persistance, perserverance, the right mentors and deeper searching of my soul, the light switch came on and the others went off. The universe (God) spoke to me directly since I asked the universe DIRECT QUESTIONS!
Since then I have created a non profit organization assisting and empowering our youth with the tools and skills of positive emotional expression through the language of art. The BIG picture is that I am going global with this raising the peace vibration of the world.
Now my goals aren’t “how much money can I make” but “how can I keep a teenager’s from taking their own life” or “can I help another angry young person from committing a heinous crime?” by showing them that there is balance to life and a better way of expressing emotions in a positive way through art.
Now when I wake up every morning I feel so much more ALIVE, happy and grateful that I found my higher purpose. I always wake up asking myself, “what am I accomplishing today?” and I find that they are daily goals that propel me through the bigger picture of my long term goals.
My motto is moment to moment, day to day and one step at a time with actionable details of movement for maximum results; that’s how you build the bridge to your future i order to reach your goals.
I have been reading your stuff Rich Shefren and what you have done for the community reaches far and wide. Take care and thanks. Hope to see you soon.
Rich,
As usual you continue to highlight those topics that concern the majority of newbies need to hear.
For that matter, those that are not so new need to hear it too. There are people like myself who have been online for a few years and still do not do this one little step.
I am sure this is a common theme. My biggest problem is I lack focus. Why? because until now I blew off the question of what do I want to accomplish today.
No matter how many times you hear it. You only do it when the light bulb goes off. For some it is now, for others it can be years.
I strongly urge whoever is reading this to do this one thing before you spend years jumping from one thing to another.
Hi Rich:
A friend of mine, (that I met in the late ’70s, when I was living in Calgary, Alberta), showed me an interesting trick. He kept a “steno pad” (you know the ones, with a line down the center of each page), with him, at all times. At the top of the page, you obviously write the date. (You could “print”, if you have a tough time reading your own “writing”, like I do.) At the top of one side, (or “column”), you write, “OBJECTIVES”. On the other side of that center line, you write, “DELAYS”.
Judging by those titles, it doesn’t require a “Rocket Scientist” to figure out what needs to be listed, on each side of the page. In the morning, while you’re having your “Breakfast Of Champions”, (for me, that usually means a coffee and a couple cigarettes), write, (or “print”), those two lists.
Carry that note book with you all day, along with three pens. A red pen, a black one and a blue one. I use the black pen, to make my lists, to begin with. The red one is used to underline “key words”, that I found to be quite important. As I “overcome” each “DELAY”, I scratch it off, using the blue pen. Any extra notes, (such as phone numbers, or time to call somebody, where to meet, etc.), can also be made with that blue pen, (if it doesn’t run out of ink).
By the end of the day, that page should be quite a mess. If it isn’t scribbled all over, YA AIN”T DONE NUTTIN’! So don’t be affraid to make a mess of todays page!
Of course, that was back in the ’70s, (and early ’80s), when computers were machines to play “Pac Man”, “Space Invaders”, etc. on.
Tom
Mr. Schefren:
You have risen to the top of the heap as far as I am
prepared to write. I just finished your latest queue on the interruption
age. . .all I can say is EXCELLENT. You rock, you rule, I would like
nothing more than someday be able to pick up the phone and call
you direct. That is the GOD’s truth.
Robert Cohn
CEO Quantum E3 Corporation
1301 E Ave I suite 223
Lancaster Ca 93535-2127
(661) 946-6581 M-Sat 9a~4:30p PST
Hi Rich,
I had my website and blog launched yesterday and my technorati and squidoo completed this morning. But that was just the beginning…the promotion, the testing, and the revising parts have only begun. Having said that, I am up to my eyeballs with work (plus my charity board meeting tomorrow ), the onus of replying to your email has been great.
But with your sincere invitation to share my experiences and beautiful smile, how can I say, “No”.
I used to meditate to get rid of a nasty cough, which was quite effective, and so continued for about 20 years or so, having learned it from an excellent chi fu (who also trained some prime ministers and presidents) in the Southeast Asian region.
Meditation teaches you how to focus, quite useful for my kind of work at that time as regional co-ordinator for research and population. Apart from focus, peace, satisfaction, and acceptance can come with meditation.
With meditation, I had a kind of feeling I was an outsider looking in at our planet. I was quite accepting and understanding to any fault and metaphysically-oriented. I thought I was losing my competitive edge (altho the big bosses in my university thought I was creative, having developed a vital program on public order security copied by other universities and governments around the world).
Anyway, I gave up meditation last year, and locked myself in a very competitive field, i.e., the IM although the pedagogical/educational aspects of the Internet still remain one of my great loves. My real love is only one—work for charity/humanity.
You know what? I can get angry a bit now…am slowly flexing my muscles.
Yes, I am focused. Thanks.
One third of my life I spent growing up and learning a few things to get ready for life; the next thirtyfour years went working for the faceless organisation called Government and the past Nine years I have been on my favorite Passion of helping the poor and marginalised sections of Society to find work and live with honor.
I am planning to enter the Internet Marketing Community for three specific goals:
Get a reasonable sum of money as Reserve fund to guarantee that my small family does not fall into difficulty if my income stops
Create a Reserve fund that would allow me to attend any course of learning I choose to , without pinching the family’s reserves.
Get enough cash to be able to back up efforts of the poor in communities known to me to come off the days of poverty and support the educational ,Health Care and livelihood needs of these communities
These three goals have a certain Money Value attached to each of them as of now, but I have an open mind that would allow expansion of those limits as situations develop and new demands arise.
Goal One is not yet reached and the efforts continue.
Goal two was recently added after I got frustrated about not being able to join some courses I felt were necessary for my growth in the Business world.
I have been significantly successful in utilising my abilities and obtaing a World Bank Prize as Small Grant for a Project to provide Drinking Water to a Tribal Community in Remote parts of Orissa, India. It was implemented as a Self Help Project with the Villagers working and earning on the Project and assuming responsiblity for its maintenance. Phase Two of this Project still needs some funds and I feel confident I will be able to source it soon. New Projecte and new sources of funds will follow.
I appreciate your provoking assertion that attention, both quality and focussed, is the key to achieving large goals. Look forward to more from these series. Thanks.
My friends,
Concerning the first half of the post: I’ve found it real useful to set accomplishment targets not only on a daily level, but on a weekly/monthly level. The real challange is dealing with the important but distracting factors every day - and building a system that takes off these loads.
- - What am I trying to accomplish? - - Getting ambitious, adventure-loving people like you a high mountain for an experience of a lifetime (sell it to them on the web). THere’s some huge opportunities here, my friends - the biggest players don’t use 5% of the tactics we have learned from Rich and the others.
Good luck to everyone!
[Hi Rich and everybody else! I saw one of your videos, Rich, in which you said to work only on the one thing which you can monetize, and let the rest slide. This gem has helped me to concentrate on the one affiliate program I belong to. Thanks Rich. Your ideas are always the best]
Hi RICH,
Your message on focus and the above quot from ED has realy inspired me today, Thank you so much
JOHN
Hi Rich,
The new series of threads are great and yesterday I started a diary or should i call it a goal map?
I wrote down what i was AIMING for in the long run and why i wanted to achieve this.
I added my own set of goals that i want my new business to help me achieve for my family, myself and others.
I then started writing the process i will need to undertake to reach these goals and I took action by writing some of the content i need.
When i finished yestewrday evening i wrote down what i need to achieve today to keep giving me forward momentum in starting an online business.
For each comment i have written down i have used a highlighter to pick out the most important words.
This is going to be my living breathing document and i hope one day it will be used to make lots of people successful.
All the Best
Richard
Rich,
Thank you for throwing this question @ us, I have reading some of you post, and must admit, YES!!! you rally got it. As an Emotional Intelligence Coach & Practitioner, a big part of my work is to ask challenging questions to people to impulse their “emotions” and “thoughts”, the 2 building blocks for lasting behavior changes.
Thank you, I believe that I will be using your help more and more, as my business is not really an internet business, even thought there ar so much I should do on this matter.
And to answer to this question: creating and keeping the Relationship with potential clients….and ensure that they see me as an expert.
Olivier,
http://www.thinkbeyond-management.com
Hi Rich,
That’s the main question related to “how much worth my time”. It very difficult to actually stop moving and just Think.
I’m trying to explain the same things on my blog (french).
Thanks for the reminder !
Hi Rich.
This is my first time of being here though I have been receiving your treasures for sometime. A whilw ago, my husband and I decided to launch an online version of our environment and sustainable development magazine online. We thought it was going to be a breeze. But, we were wrong.
I came across your newsletter and subscribed to it. Studied some of the materials and realized that being online requires a whole lot more time than we were able to put in. But, my husband was riding high on nthe idea and so in February this year we went online. Yeah, we are online (www.earthwatchmagazine.com) but that is about all we are, for now. It has been really hard to acheive the goals we set out for the online magazine. now, i know why.
We have not given it the attention it requires. What with all the other stuff we have to tackle, (we also have a print magazine and a training/consultancy firm) it requires a lot more than reserve energy, which it currently gets. We must find a way to feed this baby all that it requires to be a winner.
Now to your question: we want to provide people in Nigeria and West Africa with the necessary information and resources they need to protect public health, occupational health, safety and the environment. And we want to use every means possible and reach as many people as possible.
To close: Rich I must thank you for the rich materials you send out. I susbscribe to a lot of stuff but I find that oftern times they are not useful to me here in Nigeria, plus, the people just seem to be interested in my money only. But between you and Jenny Hamby, you make my work easier and help to do my buhsiness better. Thank you for being real, always.
Well Rich I shall be more focused.
Hey Rich, and all the other keen readers,
I get very excited when I read posts like this. How is it that this really obvious step was pushed out of my mind while I was too busy working on the wrong things? Asking myself that question today has totally pushed me in a new direction. Which makes me think, where was I going then? I still want the same successes as yesterday? Aaaah, today I’ll actually get them!!
So today, my short term goal is to achieve efficiency.
This week we will increase traffic to our website.
By the end of this month we will convert all the free single downloads we’ve been giving away, into profitable sales.
Thank you Rich, to higher profits
Love & Light
Allan Price
http://www.futcha-records.com
Thanks Rich,
These are searching questions that will enable me to keep my focus more easily.
Your first paragraph illustrates so well what I have learnt about the power of our minds over the way we feel. If only it hadn’t taken me so long to discover that our minds can control our emotions so well!
Just another example of the need to spend time working ON your business rather than IN it - to think I had never come across this concept until I found out about [url=http://www.themoneygymclub.com[/url] !
What am I trying to accomplish? My passion is to enable an awakening of understanding of the power of complementary therapies, especially when used in conjunction with modern medicine. My mission is to do this within animal health, so my business intention is to spread this message out to animal owners, complementary therapists and vets worldwide. For now it is to have 100 members, then 1000, then 10,000….
Dr Alison Grimston
[url=http://www.thenaturallyhealthypet.com[/url]
The question you raised about accomplishments— is also a question of purpose. With any business, whether onine or offline, the foundation by which we build upon always begin with the question “How do I fit in the world of entrepreneurship”? Without this question being asked, we are like a blind man wandering in the desert.
Even before the first word is written as we are trying to form the basic and fundamental ideas for our businness, the future business owner must justify his/her existence. Only then can the entrepreneur begin to form the image of him/herself that they truly want other to see.
On topic…………..
The absolute best way to start out a day is to ask that question.
Off topic………..
I believe that by just being a part of “Priscilla Palmer’s Personal Development list†suggests that each of us post this list. You like me (Killeris at “Attitude, the Ultimate Powerâ€) are on this list. If you have already posted it, THANK YOU. If you have not posted it, I am officially putting out a challenge that you add additional sites that fit the theme and post the entire list. This is my opinion only. If you disagree I respectfully understand. If you do agree with me this list can be found at: http://mondaymorningpower.blogspot.com/2007/09/personal-development-list-challenge.html
Hi Richy,
It is amazing how one gets clarification of ones ideas and how someone else can help you find it.
With your latest email and the contents of the link in it to your coments such as
“I am asking this question within the framework of our discussions about attention and, more specifically,
our anticipated return on attention.
If you choose to give your attention to something that will become your livelihood, you should certainly
know what you hope to accomplish with all of this attention, right?”
I have been suffering from that old addage of information overload.
Don;t get me wrong I am glad of all the info I have gained but Puting it into the wright catagories and utilising it if and when needed was eluding me.
Should I do this or put that here?
Sort of questions that all this info CAUSES without you realising it is keeping you in a place you should never have landed.
Shore you want the best site. The best info. The best product but have we ever stoped to think of the time as you say spent wondering or trying to acheive by following idears that you see or gain from many of the other people on the web or training offered.
Over the last 4 years I have joined many affiliate sites and have only received 1 cheque.
Now I know this has been my own fault because I have been to busy to devote the proper time to each of them with out trying to build my own site and content.
By the way you have given me a great idea for my site as well. Thank you.
Please anyone reading this post. Set you goals on one or two sites only; work them to your best. plane your use and advertising.
write down your planes for the day the night before and follow them the next day; even if it is an automatic site you still have to work them (advertising) is one.
Goal setting should be made for 1 year
6 monthly
3 monthly
1 monthly
weekly
and most important daily.
Go over these regularly and refresh your mind being prepared to change items you find you need to without changing you altimate goal.
Rich this has all come from your 2 paragraphs above pluss much more.
Thank you so much.
Dale
Hello from my heart,
I always read your news letters, I as a New online person(wouldn’t call me a business person yet), I don’t want to change the world anymore, thought we could do that in the seventies.
With the business I have chosen to be a part of, People can come together, play games etc, I want it to be a great place to go, Make money obviously. Once I’M comfortable off, then & only then I will be able to make a difference to others. I shall try to focus.
Cant you do a blog about how tough it can be no hype, If I knew what I have gotten into, I would never have got involved with business.
Regards
Margaret
Hi Rich I just want to thank you for all the great advice you provide in your great newsletters.
Hi Rich,
as always your insights are simple to understand, yet profound in their actual meaning….you enable internet entrepreneurs like myself really focus on the core essentials of what it takes to run a successful online business, in the midst of so much confusing “clutter” that is out there.
Thanks alot Rich, for sharing such wonderful insights with the rest of us here !
i like the question ” what are trying to accomplish today” It seem a difficult for an answer every morning but it helps me really keeps focus on my goals and reminds me to work to accomplish it
hi rich, It is a question and will keeps me more focus on my goals
Hi Rich, I agree with the others that was a great question and specific. Since it’s TODAY–I want to record one quick video to promote my e-book. So first I have to record what I’m going to read to a tape recorder, and second I have to play it back with a hidden ear piece so that I don’t look like I’m reading. Then load it to youtube and my face book page.
The other thing that I would like to accomplish is to get 100 subscribers to my youtube page.
With the big picture of selling 8500 e-books. With that pay off $90,000 in debt.
Katheryn
I am simply trying to finish one project from start to finish without being tempted to start another. Marketing is like a sweetshop, just when you think you’ve decided you like humbugs, chocolate creams suddenly seems the better choice so restricting myself to one choice is like denial of all the others. I have ‘imagined’ that I have a strict mother and that she allows me only one treat, this imaginary parent keeps me on track.Ain’t imagination amazing.
I recall seeing an interview with someone greatly over weight who managed to lose half his body weight. He imagined that anything with sugar in it was glass. The thought of eating glass repelled him from the choice.
What the mind can conceive our ambition can achieve. Both positive and negative images are ours to control.
Currently I’m working on a new product to help people master the technical side of being found on the internet. I have set a deadline of end of November otherwise I will keep adding to it for years. Creation is more fun than marketing to me. Yet marketing will become a new adventure for me soon and far more fun than creating because I will it to be so.