Success...One Day At A Time

Success. Life. And Knowing What's Important.

Just a short issue this week, as Lesley has been ill in bed for two days, and little Skye has been feeling a little under the weather.

Throw in seven hours of coaching calls in two days for my Adsense mentor group...and my life suddenly has turned complicated!

So...my early-morning starts have continued this week, getting up at 5:30am and having an hour of focused work before the 'new dad' side of my life kicks in once the kids gets up, allows me to feel as if I have accomplished something even if I spend most of the day doing chores!

I'll admit it...I'm terrible when Lesley is ill. (I blame my parents!).

I do my bit and do whats necessary, but, for some reason, I find it very much like hard work...even though I am more than capable of doing whatever's necessary.

Perhaps it puts me out of my comfort zone...which I can always tell when I have to take a sharp intake of breath before I 'dive' into the next household/children thing to do.

Typical man many people would say!

One of the benefits to my family of me working from home is that I am around when all hell breaks loose!

And...one of the challenges of working from home is being able to juggle moving my business forward whilst in the midst of that stuff called life.

I wouldn't change it for the world...though I certainly know why I try to organize my working life around my family life - and not the other way around.

This last couple of days has been a reminder to stay focused on this point!

As should YOU!

And I'll paraphrase something you've probably heard quoted before...

"When you're on your way out - you won't be saying to yourself 'I wish I worked more' for all those years"

In the grand scheme of life...it's often the people and circumstances we take for granted that are THE most important things in our life.

I'm going to try to handle the juggling of both my worlds better today (because Lesley deserves it).

And I think that you should give a few seconds thought to how you can focus even a few minutes a day towards WHO or WHAT is REALLY important in YOUR life.

Then go and prove it!

Thinking Your Way To Inspired Action

It's not every day that you will find me up at 5:30am and sitting at my computer in my study.

Yet...today, I seem strangely inspired to make an early start before I have to get Katie ready for school, and before little Skye starts to demand 100% of my attention.

Inspiration often comes from the most unlikely of places!

Perhaps it's also because I'm a little psyched-up because I've set myself a challenge.

You see, in September, I'm speaking (as Gary Smith!) at top Internet marketer Yanik Silver's Underground Online Seminar - perhaps one of THE highest profile internet seminars this year.

And...I've decided that I'm going to do a completely new presentation about my Adsense success than the only one I have done previously back in February.

Not only that...on the night before the seminar, I've decided to arrange a Master Mind meeting with the participants of my limited Adsense Mentor Program - at which I've already told people that I will be sharing some of my newest ideas and programs that I'm working on.

Thing is...many of these ideas are either still in the concept or 'spec' stage!

Funny thing though...I also KNOW that I will deliver on my 'promises'. No question in my mind.

And...whether you are in the UK or not, if you are remotely interested in coming to the Underground Seminar - then YOU will be invited to my closed-door pre-seminar Master Mind meeting, too.

I know many of the speakers (and a lot of the attendees, to!), and can certainly say that it will be a great seminar.

Which leads me onto something that has fascinated me for some time...

How is it that one day you can be fired up - yet the next just not being bothered to do anything?

Even if you love what you do like I do!

I've given this some thought recently as, over the last month or so, I have been a lot more creative than usual...and a lot less interested in just doing stuff for the sake of doing it.

Sure - external influences like friends and family play a part in this.

Anyone who is on the receiving end of a verbal volley from my darling wife, Lesley will certainly NOT be in a motivated mood for a while! I know, I've been there too often!

For example...if I sit there and think 'I've got this to do, that to do, I need to speak to this person' - then I often find it difficult to motivate myself to get things done.

Yet...if I sit there and think 'Wow...now THIS is an interesting thing to do that I haven't seen done before, or I wonder what will happen if I try this?' - then immediately my brain kicks into gear and I'm off and running.

But...

In both cases - I could be thinking about the SAME project - and yet am able to get a different result (ie taking inspired action) just by looking at it in a different way.

Also...if you're feeling sorry for yourself because you're too busy then immediately you're going to stifle an such action.

But...if you are challenged because you have got so many interesting things on the go - then you're going to want to get up early like I did today!

Now, you may be thinking - 'That's fine, Gary...but what about those mundane things that I have to do, how can I get inspired about them?'

Well...THAT discussion will be for NEXT week!

Focusing On Your Successful Life?

It's been a while since I last wrote to you...perhaps the longest period of time I have not written anything motivational since I started back in 2001.

Why's that?

Well...as you probably know, I 'play' at different things on the Internet. I earn a lot of money from Google Adsense, and currently have a few people who are paying me to mentor them.

Also...I'm constantly evolving my knowledge about what currently works online, and also, working on applications that will 'meet up' with where I believe that the Internet is heading over the next year or two.

Plus, and perhaps most importantly - I'm spending a lot of my time just doing what I love to do...both in my business, and in my personal life.

So...why am I telling you all this?

Well, I was having a conversation the other day with someone who has been travelling around the world for a year. In fact, it was Connor's former community 'nurse' who helped us from the day he was born to the day we lost him.

After being out of the rat-race for a year, she now understands that, for the last 20 years of her working life...she had her blinkers on.

Sure...there IS a place in most peoples' lives for a job that is challenging, interesting, and pays well.

But, there is also a place for many other people (perhaps YOU) where there should be a reverse in the balance of working and living.

Of course, mortgages need to be paid and money needs to be earned to live a reasonable life in our world.

But...there is something BIGGER at play here.

Most of us stumble through our lives, paycheck to paycheck, wishing for the day when we can retire and enjoy life, wouldn't you agree?

Or we work hard all year - just so that we can take a vacation to recharge our batteries.

And...in the end, most of us just accept that this is the way it HAS to be, because millions of people like us do (and live for) exactly that, right?

Well...it doesn't HAVE to be like that!

Yet...I work longer than I ever have done. My PC is on seven days a week, almost every week.

But I don't need to go on vacation. I don't care about when (or if) I retire.

And, even though I have the sole responsibility of providing for my family...my life isn't the least bit stressful.

Now...I'm not for a moment suggesting that you up and quit your job and start out on your own.

In fact...it might be the WORST thing you could do for where you (and your mind) currently are.

And, there are many, many more stressful people who work for themselves.

So...why is my life relatively 'easy'?

It's because everything starts in my mind...not from a perspective of reacting to what other people say and do.

An example...

Sometimes Lesley gets wound up with family 'politics' and 'he-said-she-said' stuff that, quite often indirectly impacts upon us (I've got quite a large family!).

And it really gets on her nerves when I just say 'so what' or don't happen to have an opinion on the situation.

She just can't understand why I don't get angry (or even get involved!) when other people do and say stuff that they shouldn't.

Me. I am honestly not bothered because I KNOW that I have two choices:

1) Let the words and actions of other people decide the outcome of my day and my mood.
2) Let my day and my mood be decided by ME alone.

Guess why I love #2?

By not reacting...I remain in total control of the direction of my life.

I can tell you, though, that in a few situations...it's not always easy to step back and NOT let yourself get involved!

And this applies to YOU, too!

But...the way that I have found to work on this aspect of my life is to take it in stages.

- From 2001 onwards, I worked on my attitudes to work-life balance and 'job security'.
- It's also taken me since then to get to the point where I can TRUST my instincts about the role my mindset plays on my life.
- Last year was the year to sort out my finances.
- And this year it is my health.

Next year?

Well...it's going to be securing my family's financial future in the longer term.

And...all through this, there is the constant education of re-wiring my brain to believe that what you can't see plays the biggest role in your future, not just what action you take.

So...what will YOU be working on for the rest of this year?