The First Rule: Invest in Yourself

Guest article by Ian Pelham

There is one rule in the Internet marketing arena that you must never over look and that one rule is; “INVEST IN YOURSELF”!

You have very likely heard this mantra repeated over and over and over again and yet you still don’t have the first clue about what it means. Let me explain.

An internet business is a virtual object. There are no bricks, no offices (in the traditional sense) and no transport costs, etc. In other words it exists only in the intangible ether that is the internet, and in the heart and mind of its owner.

Essentially, your internet business consists of just one major component. YOU. You are your internet business.

You could make cosmetic changes to the outside of a real world business and people would be drawn in after seeing that improvements had been made, and look inside to see how your decor had changed and whether your product lines had changed.

But with an internet business there is no physical building that can be improved. The only improvements that you can make are to yourself. That is what ‘Invest in Yourself’ means. You have to improve yourself in order to improve your internet business.

Commonly people ask, “How and what do I invest in myself?” The answer isn’t a $150 haircut or a designer suit. The answer is knowledge. You need to know more. The more you know, the better quality decisions you will make, which your online business will benefit from.

If you devote only one single hour a day to reading newsletters or articles that pertain to your business, it will add up to a lot of hours every month and you will be investing in yourself.

You can take courses. You can participate in teleseminars and webinars that will increase your knowledge. All of these things are what is meant by ‘Invest in Yourself’ and that is rule #1 in the internet marketing game.

‘Abundance Thinking’ is the step that follows Investing in Yourself.

What in the world is ‘Abundance Thinking’, you might ask? Well, there are really two ways to look at the world of internet marketing. One way is that that there is only so much business out there and I should get what is mine without regard for anybody else. I call this ‘Limited-supply Thinking’.

This type of thinking might allow you to make a reasonable income, but it doesn’t allow you to maximize your income. It is the opposite of Abundance Thinking.

Abundance thinking is the belief that there is enough business to go around and that we can all make a good living by giving away referrals, ideas and assistance to help others…including to our competitors.

Abundance thinking is the belief that we are all stronger together than we are separately and that by helping one another we each become stronger individually. This principle when applied to internet marketing is usually the more productive of the two schools of thought.

Limited Supply thinking is characterized by holding on firmly to what is yours, and refusing to share anything with anyone. A great deal of decisions are made according to what your competitors are doing. It is a very defensive method of thinking and very rarely are the customers welfare taken into account.

Abundance thinking is an offensive position. Abundance thinking is what builds relationships. Sharing leads and information…even promoting another marketer…makes us happier, better adjusted, and less stressed.

If you believe that there is plenty of business out there (Abundance Thinking) then you will have no problem in sharing.

The beautiful thing about abundance thinking is that it is contagious. The better you get at abundance thinking the more accepting of you your peers will become.

Abundance Thinkers experience more success than Limited Supply thinkers, especially in the realm of joint ventures.

About the Author:

Ian Pelham is a marketer who has come through a very difficult time financially. He used a debt consolidation loan to restructure his finances. Using a debt consolidation loan was one of the best things he did to rid himself of his bad debt.

Do You Expect Success or Is It Just a Passing Thought?

The Most Important Things for Home Business Success

Years ago, I struggled to find success with one home-based business after another. This cycle of failure was not fun; in fact, it was downright depressing. The meager income, if any, couldn’t even begin to make a dent in the pile of expenses. How can this be? I was doing well with my job in the corporate world. I had good performance reviews and received recognition for my work.

It was quite a blow to my ego to be able to succeed when working for somebody else and yet fail when trying to work for myself. I had plenty of company since the majority of people with a home business have been in a similar situation. That’s right; most of us, at some point, were better at working for others than we were at working for ourselves.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to stay that way! So, what does it take to turn things around?

The things that are most vital to our success can be identified by the letters T, A, D, and A.

It’s easy to remember Ta-Da, which is the sound often heard when a magician does his thing. That seems appropriate because when we make the transition from failure to success, it certainly feels as though something magical is happening.

T – Tenacity
A – Attitude
D – Desire
A – Action

Tenacity can be described best by looking at other words with similar meanings, such as resolve, firmness, persistence, doggedness, steadfastness, drive and determination. It’s what my grandfather called stick-to-itiveness, although he pronounced it stick-to-it-enoughs. It simply means the ability to stick-to-it until it’s done.

A positive attitude is essential for success. This includes your mind-set as well as your belief in yourself and your ability to reach your ultimate goal. Yes, there might be an obstacle pop up now and then, but I think you’ll find out, as I did, that the fear of an obstacle is usually much larger than the obstacle itself. When I faced an obstacle head-on rather than let the fear of it whittle away at my self-confidence, I was soon able to continue making good progress toward my goal.

A great quote from Henry Ford really sums up attitude and mind-set;
“Whether you think you can or can’t… you’re absolutely right!”

Desire is the reason you want to reach your goal in the first place. Whatever you want to do / be / have, you need a reason to do what it takes to make it happen. Call it motivation, a burning desire, or your life’s ambition; you need a reason to keep moving toward that goal. Without a good solid reason (your “WHY”) you run the risk of getting sidetracked or giving up altogether long before you reach the goal.

Action is a must-do part of the plan; it’s not an option. Having your desire and positive mind-set cranked up to 100% won’t matter much if your action is at/near zero. For a home business, action might include activities like reading, learning, contacting people who want more information, responding to email messages, sending postcards, and keeping in touch with your downline and upline.

Whether your home-based business involves niche marketing, affiliate marketing, or multi-level-marketing (MLM), you need to have the characteristics outlined above in order to have any measure of genuine success.

With Ta-Da, there really is magic in what you do!

Do You Have the Motivation to Reach Your Goals?

What is Your Reason for Wanting to Reach a Certain Goal?

Whether you call it your motivation, a core desire, a fire in the belly, or a burning desire, you need a strong reason to reach any significant goal in order to actually achieve it. The right motivation can fill you with the determination to keep at it until you attain your goal. Without an incentive that is your driving force, you run the risk of getting sidetracked and/or quitting too soon.

Many people simply call it their “WHY” and it’s the reason why they want to make a certain goal their reality.

A goal for many people is getting a home-based business to the point where they can be personally and financially independent. It’s a great situation to be in. However, it takes time and effort to get there. So, a good purpose for making it happen is needed in order to persevere.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of a “why” for a home biz.

• A lifestyle that allows more time for family activities and vacations.
• More income than most jobs can offer.
• Providing a college fund for your children/grandchildren.
• Being able to contribute to important causes you want to support.
• A fund for your “Golden Years.” (Pensions and Social Security are often inadequate.)
• Buying a new home for your parents or paying off their existing mortgage.

It is noteworthy that when all or part of our “why” includes things beyond our own personal wants and needs, the fortitude can be even stronger and more effective. Whether we call it “Karma” or “Positive Forces in the Universe,” it’s hard to deny that good fortune flows to us a bit easier when we are not being so selfish. After all, making a better life for our families, helping those less fortunate, and supporting worthy causes is the right thing to do.

Goals as well as the reason(s) for wanting to reach them are different from one person to the next. However, it is paramount to have a good “why” to give us the momentum to keep moving in the right direction.