Success...One Day At A Time

Marketing...It IS Your Business To Know About It!

I think that I'm a perpetual student!

I've just visited Amazon.com and bought another four books on marketing!

But...personal development is my business, right?

Wrong!

Learning how to market myself and my products is my business!

And it is exactly the same for YOU!

If you take one thing away from my almost daily ramblings...take away the fact that, in this world...the most successful people are those that market themselves the best.

Now...notice that I didn't say the richest? Why? Well Mother Theresa is successful (but not rich)...and yet still what she has achieved is a product of her marketing...and her saintly 'brand'.

By marketing I'm not talking about selling.

I'm talking about how you present yourself and what you have to offer.

So...

- If you're going for a job interview prepare properly and dress accordingly.
- If you're trying to sell your ebook online learn about how to write good sales letters.
- If you're trying to persuade your teenage daughter that she should do her homework...learn more about teenagers...and (nice) persuasion techniques.
- If you just want to get on at work...learn how the most successful of your peers handles themselves and how they do their work.

It took me a while to realize...but, once I began to learn more about how to deliver what I produce...my fortunes have changed.

So...whatever you want to be or do...keep learning. And...keep learning at how you can market it and yourself, better!

The Choices We Make...And The Movies We Watch

I went to see "Matrix Reloaded" today...and, although it sometimes seemed that I was watching a video game...is was a good and enjoyable film.

But...of course, films like this one get me thinking! lol

I won't go into the basic premise behind the films...but some of the ideas that it suggests how we are literally 'plugged into' our world (being a computer-generated 'matrix') are certainly relevant where success is concerned.

This sequel suggested that although we are always resigned to some form of fate...we can influence our path along the way by the choices we make.

It's simple...but powerful, stuff.

What choices did you make today that will influence your tomorrow?

It's a serious question that you should ask yourself every day.

Your life is, by default, based on the decisions that you made yesterday, last week, last year, twenty years ago.

But...let me ask you something.

What if all of your choices were the RIGHT ones for you? What - even the bad ones?

Oh yes! Especially the bad ones!

How else would you have learned how to do something without first failing at it?

I'm not for a moment suggesting that you should revel in your failures...just that you should just accept them for what they really are - learning experiences!

Remember...if your past choices have got you to where you are today...imagine where today's choices can get you if you focus on making the ones that are right for you!

And the ones that are right for you are the ones that lead you to where you really want to go.

What...you don't know where you want to go...well you'd better decide soon otherwise how can you expect yourself to make the right choices, then?

If You Want To Do Your Best...Give It A Rest!

Help...I'm overloaded!

Well..OK...I have a LOT to do...but 'overloaded' is not really in my vocabulary! lol

Let's stick with 'being challenged' instead...that's much better, don't you think?

When I get to this point I usually do the complete opposite of what most of the 'gurus' suggest.

I go out...and leave it all behind for a few hours!

I've found that the easiest way that you can deal with 'overwhelm' is to not let it overwhelm you! lol

So...I go for a walk...or follow my Lesley around the store...or push Katie on her swing.

And then...once I've completely stopped thinking about how much I've got to do...I then go back to it...and find two things...

1) It's not as bad as it at first seemed.
2) I'm able to 'hit the ground running' and get more done.

It's simple really.

I'm relying on the Law of Abundance...meaning that there will ALWAYS be enough of whatever you want...when you want it...as long as you accept that there will be always be enough.

Read that again...I'll wait.

In other words...by accepting that I will find the time to do whatever I need to do...I'm able to switch myself off from it...which at the same time allows me to re-focus and look at the 'true' picture when I get back to work.

How can YOU apply this Law in the things that you need to do?

It's another one of those that require a certain degree of belief...that's for sure!

But...when I need to apply it it works for me...and so there's no reason why it can't do the same for you (provided of course that you actually go back and actually DO something after your break! lol).

How To Get Some Help Completing Your Life Puzzle...

Your life is like one big puzzle...

Every action you take results in a reaction somewhere else.

But...you don't know where that reaction is taking place.

It could be that...

- Someone just happens to view your website by chance
- An old friend might think about calling you
- Someone that you've never met is told about you by someone that you have met

And...that's the problem for most people.

They are so busy weighing up whether they are going to get a return NOW...that they forget that this action/reaction process works unseen in the background anyway.

Take yesterday, for example.

I gave away my Ecourse (676 subscribers and counting!), when I could have sold it instead.

Late yesterday afternoon I got a call from someone who's never met me who was recommended to me by someone else who has never met me!

And...they were interested in me doing some consulting for them! (not bad, eh?)

Whether it works out or not remains to be seen.

This morning...I got cold-called by a marketing guy for a website...and, guess what? I might be advising them in the future!

This afternoon...I stumbled onto a website...and found an excellent product that was totally underpriced.

My gut-feeling was to email the owner and tell him so...and we're going to talk about how I can help him!

Now...you may say that these three separate 'coincidences' were just luck.

I know otherwise.

Why? Because I know that, because I have the overall picture of the finshed puzzle in my head...the Universe is going to help me put it together!
And, it will do the same for you if you let it!

You, Me, And The Law Of Reciprocity!

In the seven hours since I sent out my announcement...four hundred people have subscribed to my (currently free) "To Our Success" Ecourse.

Now...I'm not telling you this to boast...I'm telling you this because I'm trying my new marketing on for size!

I know that I could sell this Ecourse for anything up to $97...especially as I also know from feedback from previous subscribers that it is excellent stuff.

So...why am I giving it away free?

Well...I am because I know the power of what Brian Tracy calls the "Law of Reciprocity"...literally meaning what you put out comes back to you.

I'm a new believer in prosperity and abundance...and I'm also a believer that my 'cause' will be furthered better in the long run by giving value away now, rather than going for a few dollars.

It goes against current Internet trends to give away so much for free...because it is believed that free isn't the way to go now that the Internet has matured a little bit.

So...I'm going to prove 'them' wrong! lol

And...I would ask you to look at how you can do the same.

This isn't about marketing...and it isn't about the Internet. It's about giving someone else something of value without an expectation of something back from them in return.

Take a look at what you do for your family and friends (and even work colleagues).

- Do you go out of your way to help them when you see them struggling?
- Do you buy your spouse a little surprise gift...for no reason whatsoever?
- Do you give your mum a big hug...just for being her?

If you're a man like me...then you may think that I'm going a little soft. But...I'm not! I'm just more aware of how I can tap into the prosperity that is there for ALL of us.

Yes - even YOU. Why don't you try giving something of value to someone you love...just for the fun of it?

At the very least...won't you feel GREAT after doing it?

I certainly do!

The Problem With "Over-Thinking" Your Life

Sometimes I sit here wondering what else I can write about...

And then something just literally 'pops' into my head just at the right moment.

And...you know what...it just has! lol

Isn't it scary that, even though I don't consciously think about something...it just appears 'as if by magic' just at the right time?

But...it hasn't always been that way. For years I would 'over-think' my life, my job, my relationships, and my finances. By this I mean that I used to consciously focus my thoughts on why I couldn't do 'x'...or why I should be doing 'y'.

It's only now that I 'get it'.

I just go with something...and then just leave myself open to that little voice in my head that tells me what to type to just come up with an idea!

Now...you may think that this sounds ridiculous...but it's true! It's how I am able to have written so much in the last year or so.

It's the same where my decisions are concerned. I just do what I need to do...and I'll soon find out if it 'feels' right or not.

If that little voice keeps on at me to do something...I now know that it is doing it for a reason...and that I should listen to what it is saying.

I'll be honest with you...this didn't happen overnight!

What I needed to do first was begin to ignore that little voice that always used to say "But..." or "You can't..." or "What if...?".

I know that you hear it, too...we all do.

But...you CAN...and you MUST start looking at replacing those limiting thoughts with space that can be filled by consturctive suggestions.

And...the more space you make...the more 'help' you get!

You may not believe me...and that's fine...but, I can tell you that my life...and my self-belief are completely different since I started to ignore the negative voice...and make room for the idea generating one!

Try it...imagine what it will feel like when you are getting help...without even trying!

Your Biggest Problem Is Also Your Solution

One day it will happen.

One day millions of people will wake up to the fact that their biggest problem is also their solution.

What do I mean by this?

Well...I've come to realize over the last year or so that for the first fifteen years of my adult life...I was holding myself back.

How?

- I worried more about how much money I earned than my happiness.
- I worried about what other people thought of me more than I thought about myself.
- I worried that I could never achieve the status of those people that I admired.
- I worried that I couldn't possibly ever take a pay-cut, let alone quit work...so that I could really do what I wanted to do.

Fifteen years!

I can honestly say the only person I was kidding was myself!

And...as you're reading this, probably without even realizing it...I bet that YOU are, too!

But...did you notice that all of my worries were assumptions that I made?

All of my worries weren't based in reality...they were all based on what I thought of myself, my abilities, and my future.

And...once I consciously changed my thoughts about myself...I changed my life!

And, you know what? YOU can do it, too!

Just start focusing your thoughts on what your limits REALLY are...instead of self-imposing limits on yourself based on what you THINK they are.

It's simple. It's powerful. And...it works!

Don't Let Who You Are Restrict Who You Know You Can Really Be

It's all down to motivation...

I am an excellent guy for ideas...but I'm not always the most focused person when it comes to completely following them through...the files on my hard drive prove that!

But...I CAN deliver when I REALLY want to!

So...how do I get myself to the point where I really DO want to?

Well...I make sure that I either get technology or people around me that make sure that I am reminded that I have to do 'x'.

For example...

I know that, unless I state that my ezine comes out every Friday...I know that I probably wouldn't have written half of the issues that I have.

I also know that, unless I had Lesley to 'remind' me of the importance I had placed on "The Law Of Success", I would still be thinking about writing the copy for the website!

And...I know that with certain other commitments that I have coming up, I will need a little reminder occasionally to keep me on track.

I know that I am fully capable of delivering what I promise...but I also know that, as a human being...I lean towards my strengths (which are idea related!)

So...

Don't make the mistakes that I used to.

Don't let who you are restrict who you know you can really be.

Put some form of accountability or control into your life and your work...and you will find that you will have all of the motivation you need...at the time when you really need it!

I know it works...because that's why I am writing this at half-past eight on a Saturday evening! lol

The Vertigo Sufferer's Guide To Success...

Don't look down!

I have just had another phone conversation with another millionaire...and I now know for a fact that I am not in awe of such people.

It's funny.

The more I have raised the bar in my own mind...the more I have attracted those sort of people that are living the life where I want to be.

Now...this isn't meant to sound pompous (I'm not that sort of guy).

I'm telling you because...just over a year ago the friends I had probably earned a maximum of $50,000 a year...and now my 'new' friends and contacts all earn at least $200,000 (some a helluva lot more) per year.

They haven't stooped down to my level...I have had to climb towards theirs.

For a man who hates heights...it can sometimes be a scary place, believe me.

But...because I know that I am as competent, as able, and as 'talented' as anyone I have met (in my own way)...I know that I will be joining them within five years.

(And no...I don't have that nagging 'oh yeah' voice answering that claim in my head.)

Ever get that? I very rarely do anymore.

Why? Because I KNOW that I can achieve whatever I want to achieve.

Sure...I'm going to have setbacks on the way. Sure...there are going to be times when I doubt myself, but, you know what?

I don't care!

I don't care because I know that I am laying the mental foundation for becoming the person who I really want to be.

And, I don't care who knows it!

I also know that by helping people like you to see that chink of future success in your life...I am going to do it on my terms.

And I'm going to try my best to help you join me!

I've Lost 8,000 Subscribers...Why Should I Worry?

It's been almost a month...and I'm back!

I've been to Vancouver and back...and then San Francisco and back, and believe me...that's a hell of a lot of travelling!

In between...I had a problem. I found out that my mailing list provider 'lost' around 8,000 of my 25,000 subscribers!

Now...what would you do if you were me?

Well...I got a little annoyed at first...and chased up their support team to find out what went wrong...which took almost a week!

It turns out that apparently they hadn't been removing all of the bounced emails from my list for some time...so suddenly I have lost a third of my list due to bounce-backs!

Would you get angry? Would you wonder if they were really all bounce-backs? Would you cry yourself to sleep with the knowledge that you had lost a third of your 'business' overnight?

What do you think I did?

Well...I didn't let it bother me!

Why? It didn't bother me because I know that the success of any ezine isn't down to the numbers of subscribers it has. I know that if they were really bounced emails then it doesn't make a blind bit of difference.

But...what if they weren't? Well...then perhaps those subscribers who wonder where I am might find their way back.

And those that don't? Perhaps they were only light readers who wouldn't care if I never emailed them again.

I'll never know...but I'm certainly not going to get all worked up about something that I have absolutely no control over.

Would you do the same in my situation?

It's been almost a month...and

It's been almost a month...and I'm back!

I've been to Vancouver and back...and then San Francisco and back, and believe me...that's a hell of a lot of travelling!

In between...I had a problem. I found out that my mailing list provider 'lost' around 8,000 of my 25,000 subscribers!

Now...what would you do if you were me?

Well...I got a little annoyed at first...and chased up their support team to find out what went wrong...which took almost a week!

It turns out that apparently they hadn't been removing all of the bounced emails from my list for some time...so suddenly I have lost a third of my list due to bounce-backs!

Would you get angry? Would you wonder if they were really all bounce-backs? Would you cry yourself to sleep with the knowledge that you had lost a third of your 'business' overnight?

What do you think I did?

Well...I didn't let it bother me!

Why? It didn't bother me because I know that the success of any ezine isn't down to the numbers of subscribers it has. I know that if they were really bounced emails then it doesn't make a blind bit of difference.

But...what if they weren't? Well...then perhaps those subscribers who wonder where I am might find their way back.

And those that don't? Perhaps they were only light readers who wouldn't care if I never emailed them again.

I'll never know...but I'm certainly not going to get all worked up about something that I have absolutely no control over.

Would you do the same in my situation?