Isn’t it about time you stopped wasting you time and just start a blog already?
The basics to starting a blog are really simple with a step by step walk through. It doesn’t have to be hard and you definitely don’t have to overthink it. Starting a blog can be a great way to share what you know, learn design skills, connect with a community, make money, and more.
Why did I start a blog?
I started this blog because I wanted to share my experiences and expertise with the world hoping that it will inspire and motivate others. I chose the topics I did because that is what I knew about and can most easily talk about.
This post will cover the basics of starting a blog such as how to prepare for writing your blog, how to choose a topic, choosing a domain name, a hosting service, and setting up wordpress.
Why start a blog?
A blog is a great way to share the knowledge you have and to put your personal voice into the world. I always used to enjoy writing in journals and making up stories when I was younger. Those journals I now have stored in a box in my garage, never to be seen again.
Starting a blog has been a game changer. Not only can I share what I’ve learned about life but I can also help others accomplish their goals.
Blogging gives you sense of accomplishment. It allows you to be yourself and help others with things that you know about. It can also help you create an great income.
I think making an income from blogging is fascinating. If you do it right you can make thousands of dollars a month and replace your full time job’s income.
My original inspiration to start a blog came from Michelle Schroeder-Gardner from Making Sense of Cents. I stumbled across her blog post on Pinterest and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. She is making more than what I make from a full time salary for 2 years in JUST ONE MONTH!
All she did to accomplish this was just writing about what she knows about while at the same time writing to help others. Thousands of people read her blog for advice. Thousands purchase her products to help them accomplish something. It seems so simple.
Yet a blog is a lot of moving parts and if you don’t know what parts to focus on, it can turn into a complicated mess really fast.
I have started up several blogs and the initial investment is not that big so it is a great side job to work on when you are not yet ready to quit your full time job.
Where to Start your Blogging Adventure
I’m going to be honest, the hardest part of blogging is starting. The best thing that you can do is be prepared to start your blogging adventure.
Being prepared is more than just getting your domain name and hosting. It is making sure that you have time to blog. As well, it is deciding what you are going to blog about and picking topics that you can talk about for days.
To get ready for my blogging adventure, I made sure that I set aside time for my blogging.
With a full time job and an 11 month old, time was really not on my side. I barely had time to think, let alone type up a post.
As soon as I designated time for my blogging it became a lot easier. I had to find time in between my day, in places I never thought I had time.
On the days that I am working, I will take my keyboard to work and plug in the usb to my phone so I can type on my break or in the car before I start work. I also found that I have a few hours after my baby goes to sleep at night.
Time management is definitely important when starting a blog because you want to be able to post consistently, not twice a month every other month. Posting consistently will not only allow you to be present in the blogging community, but it will also give you better search results as Google looks for fresh content.
You are what you consistently do. Therefore, if you are consistent at blogging, you are a blogger.
Finding Your Topic
When you first start out blogging consider some of these questions…
1. Do you have any expertise in a topic?
2. Do you know about something that others would like to know about?
3. Do you have any creative ways of accomplishing a task?
4. What do you feel like talking about?
In order to prepare for writing your first post, consider what you will write about. Make a list of all the topics that appeal to you. If you have several items on your list, pick a few that will be easy and fun for you to write about. If you don’t like what your blog is about, then you won’t stick with it.
A blog doesn’t have to be a document of your life. It doesn’t have to word for word what you did that day. In fact, you will get a better following if you consider who will be reading your blog.
The reader is the person that you have to appeal to. Many times the reader is not looking to just read a story, they are looking to solve a problem. If you can solve that problem for them or offer a solution that they haven’t thought of, then you will get more readers.
Choosing a Domain Name
When choosing a domain name, you will want it to somewhat relate to the topic of your blog. If you are creating a food blog you don’t want your domain name to be FashionFriend.Give your blog a domain name that will identify your topic.
Of course, not all bloggers associate their domain name with the topic of their blog. If you have a personal brand (like this one), something that reflects you as a person, then making your domain name your personal brand is not a bad idea.
If you plan to write about multiple topics such as a lifestyle blog then you can name it whatever you want, but make sure you realize that you won’t get as much traffic from SEO or search engines if you don’t have a specific niche for your blog.
Search engines look for domain names that are specific and identify a particular niche. So if you are creating a lifestyle blog or a personal brand with a random name, that’s okay but you will have more work to do on the traffic front and on social media after starting a blog.
Purchasing Your Domain Name and Hosting
In order to register your domain name and hosting, you must set it up with a hosting company. Bluehost is a popular and cost-effective hosting service that you can purchase your domain name and hosting from.
Setting up an account on Bluehost is easy. First, on the main page select the package you want to go with.
Then specify if you have a domain name or if you need a new one.
Go through the check out process to pay for your domain and hosting. You save more if you pay yearly, but if you want to you can pay monthly.
Once you do this the follow these steps so you can get WordPress on your blog. I would highly recommend WordPress as it is the easiest to work with and has some great customization options.
After purchasing your domain name and hosting and confirming your order, you will head over to your server panel. This is where all your files are for the blogs on your account.
You will hit the button that says Add On Domains and add the domain name you just created.
Then you will head over to the WordPress icon and install WordPress on your domain. This will turn your regular website into a blogging platform so you can start your blogging adventures.
Once that is done you can put in your domain name..com/wp-admin into your browser and sign into wordpress.
You now have access to your dashboard which is where you can customize your blog. Hit the button that says Write Your First Post and start typing!
Congratulations!
The purpose of this is just to get your blog started. You don’t need it to be perfect from the start. After starting a blog and beginning to create posts, you will find it is easier to then create menus, tags, and get the theme of your blog going.
If you need more help with these technicals, feel free to subscribe to my email newsletter, the 5 Day Build a Blog Course that will give you the next steps after starting your blog to get it to a stable and profitable website.
Please feel free to comment below if you have any questions on how to start your blog.
Just Start Your Blog
Don’t be like me and wait so long just to put something out there in the world in fear of what people will think or wait for it to be perfect.
You can fearlessly take action and create an asset that will continue to benefit you emotionally, mentally, and financially. Don’t worry about all the details. As you work on it each day, you will see it come together. Keep in mind that how it starts is not how it will end up, your blog will constantly evolve and improve over time.
When you are first starting a blog, there are many things that can trip you up. Most of the time it is knowledge on what to do next. Or maybe it is writer’s block and you can’t seem to create content. But what if it is something more. Something that doesn’t have an easy fix or a learning curve.
What held me back in my blogging journey was harder than ever to get through. It may sound silly, but I had a deep fear of putting myself out there on the internet.
Growing up in the 90’s
You see, I grew up in the 90’s. The internet had just reached homes when I was in middle school. My mom didn’t trust the internet and had us follow some simple rules.
Don’t use your real name
Don’t use anything that can be tied to you (birthday numbers, age, house number, etc…)
Don’t put your location
Back when I was a kid, these seemed like reasonable requests. I created a screen name that had nothing to do with myself and it stuck up until college.
Now that I’m older, my kid screen name is well…a little naive.
It’s not something I would want to use for business or other online endeavors. So I had to create a new online identity.
The Reality of Branding Myself
The internet seems to have changed so much from the 90’s. I remember blogging on LiveJournal, creating my page on MySpace, and making webpages on Angelfire. It was all just for fun back then without a real driven purpose.
Today it is different. First, I’m already known on some social media as my real name. If people wanted to find out about me I’m sure they could just Google me. For every social media account, I try to keep a similar handle.
THE BEAUTY OF THE INTERNET IS YOU CAN BE ONE PERSON AND YOU CAN BE A HUNDRED PEOPLE.
More and more people are using their real name, a stage name, or a business name to brand themselves online.
Branding yourself online is a combination of your values and what you support. It is what you are known for in the online community.
In order to gain trust in the online community, you have to tell people about yourself, about your life, and your general location if relevant. If you don’t feel like a real person, then it is hard to gain the trust of others in online communities. I realized that I was afraid of putting myself out there and telling others about my life.
It’s my life, it’s private to me. But how can I compete with others who are putting themselves out there?
I have considered several options:
Create a business brand instead of a personal brand
Making a new identity, a stage name if you will
A Place to Network
Small fears sprout up in my mind. Will people take me seriously? What makes me stand out as unique? Why do people want to hear from me?
I realized I need to stop being afraid of what I don’t know. I don’t know if people will like me, follow me, want to read my posts. The fear has paralyzed me from taking action. I know I can’t be the only one with this fear either. Anyone who is older than 28 today is most likely not that keen on putting their information online, nor do they feel good about creating a completely new identity.
We see the internet as this big environment of learning new things and catching up with friends. I never saw it as a place to meet new people because that was always discouraged.
Now the ability to network is not only engrained in our children from a young age, but it is also an essential part of survival in today’s digital world.
We are all online to learn, to network, to tell the world about our businesses and professions, to tell others how we make an impact in the world and why they should support you. Talking to others online is a necessary evil and no matter how scary, we must evolve.
NETWORKING WITH OTHERS IS WHAT THE INTERNET WAS BUILT FOR.
Vulnerable vs. Being Authentic
Is it still possible to be vulnerable on the internet and get taken advantage of?
The short answer is yes.
You still have to watch out and never post demeaning photos of yourself or others, post your exact address or phone number, or meet people outside the internet alone. That makes you vulnerable.
Instead, it is time we opt for being authentic.
Being authentic today is showing up online, with all your morals, values, hobbies, reality, and personality in full view. Your authentic online presence makes up your inner self and it gives people just the right amount of information about who you are to support you and follow you.
Generation Y Advantage
In a way, I feel like my generation has an advantage. We are growing up with the advantage that we could really create an online presence. We could promote ourselves, we could get internet famous with one funny video. We could have our 15 minutes of fame on the internet, or we could stay in the limelight.
From an introvert to another introvert, why would I want all eyes on me?
When you get traffic, people visiting your site or speaking with you, you have more of a chance of people liking you. They in turn follow you or give you their email address so you can update them on your life. These people support you. You can market to these people and perhaps develop an income online.
I see now more people that make claims of internet success and profit. Many people live off the internet and make great incomes blogging or creating webpages or doing internet marketing. Many people have a personal brand and they are not afraid to promote it.
These people are making part time or full time incomes online, just for putting themselves out there.
Today it is easier than ever to become an influencer and turn others on to things that you love or use daily. And if your audience is full of loyal supporters, you will get people paying for things you promote.
It benefits you to put yourself out there a little and tell others what has helped you, what you like and use, and most importantly, what can help them.
WHEN YOU START HELPING OTHERS, THAT’S WHEN YOUR SUPPORTERS GROW AND START HELPING YOU.
Since Generation Y or Millennials are getting increasingly familiar with digital technologies, it is becoming more common to see entrepreneurs out of this generation. Yet the Generation Z’s are catching up. They have a comfort with technology that we will never have. The majority of their socializing is on social media instead of interacting with people in person.
It’s really quite interesting.
Share What You Know
It seems like what the internet did was make knowledge a lot more accessible. Of course, no one is going to know everything, but everyone knows something. The internet has now become a tool to share your expertise. It is literally built from the information that people know or perceive. It is also built on the reactions of other people and they keep the conversation evolving.
Don’t be ashamed of what you have to share. It doesn’t have to be in a Top Ten Ways list or a How to post, your knowledge can be shared however you would like it to be.
When you show what you know and your expertise, you automatically create your brand. You create something that you stand for and that is important to you. There are millions of people on the internet and no one is going to get stuck on your 15 minutes of fame. We can all help each other get there and keep the conversation going.
What I Stand For
This post would not be complete without a realization on what I discovered about myself. It is only natural that when I talk about sharing your views and branding, that I share what I have learned about myself and what I have to share.
This is me being transparent.
I remember back to my days of LiveJournal and the random blogging I did on my frustrations with classmates or the crush I had on a boy. I had always been an advocate of telling it like it is. That is one value I will not stray from. I will always try to be honest and upfront.
As well, I will always strive to make my audience think. I will give them a different view, something that they maybe haven’t thought of.
Lastly, I hope to share what I know. I’ve been blogging for some time now and I would love to share what I have learned about blogging and how to get started blogging. Your blog should have it’s own unique personality and should give your audience your expertise on a topic.
THE MORE YOU LEARN, THE MORE EXPERTISE YOU POSSESS.
Here are some take-aways that I will impart on you before I finish…
Keep learning and growing.
Don’t be afraid to share what you know.
Get involved in the community.
Help others and they will help you.
Give yourself a brand name and stick to your values.
You don’t have to post what you have for breakfast everyday, but if you can find your thing, your niche, your section of the internet, with the people that also enjoy that thing, you are well set up for success in the internet world.
If you have the same fears that I had putting myself out there on the internet, then that’s okay. You don’t have to tell people your life story. Peel off a small layer of yourself, help others with what you can, and keep the conversation going.
I’d love to know what you think, keep the conversation going by commenting below.
Are you a mom trying to juggle starting your own business and raising kids?
Today I am going to talk about what it’s like to be a mompreneur, the struggles that are real, and how to give time to and prioritize both in your life so you can really show up in a good way to both your clients and your kids.
First things first, I have to do a shout out to my good friend Caz Gaddis and a huge congratulations on her new podcast More Than A Parent. In this podcast, she goes into how to be your best self as a person and a parent. She is on a mission to empower parents to choose themselves first so they can really show up for their kids in a meaningful way.
Listening to Caz’s story inspired me to really look into my own views about being a parent and having a business and I found out I definitely held onto some limiting beliefs.
Here are just a few limiting beliefs about being a parent and an entrepreneur that have made their way into my thoughts.
Being a parent, I don’t have time to start a business.
Running a business would take away time from my child.
I can’t start a business because I want to spend time with my baby while she is young.
I won’t be able to show up fully for clients while my baby is competing for my attention.
Not only that but I have my own experiences of my parents running their own business while raising me. My dad had started a security system business when I was about 8 years old. My mom worked with him as the bookkeeper. I have fond memories of getting out of school and me and my brother hanging out watching movies in the Theatre Room (a demo room for automated technology).
I grew up around a lot of new technology and it was exciting as a kid, probably prompting me to get into the technology field today working with the latest phones daily and having a passion for automation and technology that improves life.
My dad passed away when I was 12 years old. The business was left to my mom who wasn’t a strong entrepreneur type and didn’t know how to run the business. The business was sold and eventually dissolved.
I think about all the time that if my dad was here with me today, he could have showed me so much. I could have learned first hand how to start a business with a small startup amount and grow it to become profitable. I’m sure he meant to start that business so me and my family would be set up in the future and not have to work for someone else, but that is not the way it worked out.
My dad worked hard and long hours, but he still had time for family and family outings on the boat every weekend. I really appreciated that time he had with us.
Now as an adult, I feel like I have the same entrepreneurial drive and passion that he had. I have the willpower and the ability to follow in his footsteps but the only thing I am lacking is the knowledge and that trusted person pushing me to go for it and take risks.
My mom didn’t take risks and never wanted me to take any risks; she preferred the safe route. My boyfriend is a hardcore realist and is not able to work with me and focus on one thing. So I am left supporting the household (almost entirely) at a corporate job that doesn’t help me improve my skills in entrepreneurship and pursue my passions.
Do What You Want to Do
It’s hard for me knowing that I have this passion inside of me and I am not able to pursue it. I’ve always thought, how easy it is for some people to say “just do what you want to do.” To them, I say, easy for you to say.
This is not the life I envisioned for myself at 32 years old. It’s not financial there or emotionally there and sometimes I am overwhelmed.
I imagined my 32 year old self living comfortably, maybe working on buying a house, having a job that fuels my passions, and having enough time to spend time with my baby and also have time for my hobbies.
As a mom, I give so much to my kid and the household. Sometimes I feel like a sinking ship.
It’s true there are certain unnegotiables when it comes to being a parent, after all, if you had to choose between being with your kids or working on your business, it’s a tough choice. Most of us moms, I’m sure, would choosing being with our children.
But it’s not about the choice. It should never be about the choice. It should be about working on your business so that you can create a better life for you and your kids. You can do both. You can do one to enhance the experience of the other and enjoy the journey.
How I Make Time For Being a Mom and Running a Business
The reality is that the urge for starting my own business is not going to go away. I have realized it is my calling and until I’m on my deathbed, I will not stop reaching towards this goal.
Of course there will not be a break in motherhood either as that is constantly ongoing. I have to learn to live doing both. Although it may be a long slow road, one day, I pray, my goals will be reachable.
So how do I work at my business while being a mom?
1: Batching tasks
Being a mom has made me really good at breaking up tasks into small chunks. These small sections of time have to be super focused on what needs to get done.
The goal is to do more of the 20% that works in your business and eliminate more of the 80% that is not working.
2: Take advantage of naptime
Using naptime to really get some work done is ideal. You can at least dedicate about 2-3 hours to your work while your baby is fast asleep.
Being that this is interrupted time, make sure you are using it wisely. Get things done that need your full attention.
For example, something like creating graphics on Canva or posting to Pinterest I can do on my spare time with my cell phone. Although, writing a full length blog post is something that takes time and consideration. I need to schedule these for naptime or else I will never build enough concentration to make it happen.
3: Finding time inbetween
In between running back and forth to the daycare, cleaning house, going shopping, and my day job there are small pockets of time where I can really focus on my business.
It may take giving up watching movies at night or using my down time for a long spa-like bubble bath, at least in the beginning. I have to use that time wisely to make sure I am set up for success in my future.
4: Treat your side hustle like a business
It is important to realize that if you want to get somewhere, you have to work on it. It’s not called a side hustle without the “hustle”. Without that, it is just a side hobby.
Learn about your trade and dedicate time to it. If you have an important client, invest in putting your baby in daycare and go to the meeting. Work on meaningful projects. Learn new skills. Do more of what works.
5: Invest in yourself first
When you can, invest in yourself. What I mean by that is invest in things that you know will make you better in the future. Instead of buying something random at the store, think about investing that money back into your business.
I say invest in yourself first because you really can’t show up for your kiddos in a meaningful way until you take care of yourself. We are naturally prone to doing everything we can for others that sometimes we forget about doing things for ourselves.
6: Create systems
Systems are amazing and so is automation. Putting systems in place such as preparing your lunch for the whole week on Sunday night takes decisions off your plate and really allows you to use that mindpower towards something more productive.
As well, using automation such as email marketing to keep up with your clients or having templates to track tasks, chores, meals, and more completely put your mind at ease that things will get done regardless if you are spending time on them.
When you are a mom in business, the best thing you can have is a support group. Join a few Facebook Groups with other boss moms, sahm, and mompreneurs. This will help you if you have any questions, need support, or just want to know how other moms in your situation are juggling all their responsibilities.
Here are a few Facebook Groups that can help you start creating relationships…
The most important strategy I have for you being a full time parent and entrepreneur is to just take action. No matter how big or small that action is, some type of action is better than none.
After time all those small actions will add up and produce the results you are looking to achieve. Be intentional with your action and make sure everything you do you are doing for a reason. Make sure what you do will push you in the direction you want to go.
Again please check out the More Than A Parent podcast by Caz Gaddis for more tips to help you be your best self in life and business so you can show up for your kids in meaningful ways. Check out the podcast now.
We have all been there before. We create a goal at the start of the year and by the time the second month comes around we have already abandoned those goals.
I’m not going to bore you with examples and reiteration. We all do it. We all have been there.
So what is the difference between someone who achieves those goals and someone who gives up and doesn’t achieve their goals?
This is what we will focus on in this post.
We will focus on why some people achieve their goals and others do not, what makes a goal accomplishable, and how to create actionable goals that will not make failure an option.
So let’s jump right to it.
We can start with some reasons why a goal may be abandoned.
#1: The goal is too overwhelming
Time and time again I see people make goals that are just too large. Their goal is to go the gym everyday and they have never even been to gym once. When a goal is too large, it can give you more demotivation than motivation, it feels unreachable, and can give you anxiety.
Check Out: Easy Stress Eliminating Methods For Everyday Life
#2: The goal is not specific enough
A goal that is too general will only have you lose sight of the finish line. You may even focus so much on reaching the finish line that you try to come up with ways to jump right to finish.
Having specific goals allows you to plan out step by step what it will take to reach those goals and make them seem more manageable.
#3: They are never written down
Goals must be written out, reviewed, revised. You don’t need your brain working against you when you don’t remember the details of your goals.
Use this free goal planner to keep track of your goals.
#4: There is no action made
Goals are meant to be accomplished. Goals that aren’t accomplished or at least on the path to accomplishment are merely dreams. While it is good to visualize your goals and imagine yourself achieving them, it is not good to remain in la la land.
How to Create Actionable Goals
Creating actionable goals will allow you to stay on a rinse and repeat cycle where you will have the willpower behind staying on track and making your dreams a reality.
Set specific timelines
Map out everything that needs to get done. Set an alarm clock for 25 minute intervals. Take a short break of about 5 min. Then set the timer for another 25 minute interval.
Keep a list of how long you want to spend on each task and when you want it done by. Make sure the list is adaptable and fluid as you move through your day. You will have times where you are interrupted. You must adapt to your changes in mood as well as the surroundings.
Just Start Somewhere
Find the minimum thing that would have to be done to get something developed that you can put out to the public. With every task, ask yourself “Do I need this to launch? Or is it just nice to have?”
If you determine it is needed, then do those things first. You can always tweak something after it is out rather that wait until it’s perfect before even releasing it.
Write Down Your Goals
It is important to write down you goals because that is reinforcement. It is important to say your goals as well. Write them down so you can review them every day and say them outloud.
Visualization can go a long way. Imagine yourself achieving your goals, imagine the feeling associated with achieving those goals. Imagine how others will view you after you achieve your goals. Imagine how proud of yourself you will be.
Visualizing yourself achieving your goals will associate positive emotional connections in your mind which can help you feel more motivated to reach those goals.
If you have to create a visualization board so you can wake up each day and see your goals visually. Head over to selfmadeladies.com to find out how to make a vision board that works.
Surround Yourself with Motivating People
It is hard to stay motivated when you are surrounded with Debbie Downers and people that don’t give you encouragement.
Make sure you surround yourself with people that will motivate you, either someone who is doing there own thing and succeeding or someone who will be cheering you on every step of the way.
Even if you don’t even care what people think, having someone who gets what are trying to accomplish and can cheer you on, promote your accomplishments, and stick up for you is BIG!!
They also act as an accountability partner so if you get demotivated or stop making progress, they will give you the kick in the rear that you need.
Keep in mind that sometimes the people closest to you are not the best accountability partners.My own mother always wants me to take the safe route and will never cheer me on if I’m attempting to reach a risky goal.
Find someone that understands your goals and ask for their help to keep you focused.
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You will not fail if you make a mistake, you will fail when you blame others for your mistakes
We are all human and as humans we don’t like to be wrong. We don’t like to make mistakes and especially we don’t like things to be our fault.
I’ve seen many times where people have blamed others for their lack of success or their mistakes. I’ve been blamed before for mistakes of others. I’ve blamed others for my mistakes. When you begin to blame others for things, you don’t take responsibility for you actions or your situation and you don’t learn or grow.
The hard truth is, wherever you are now, it is your fault.
Realize your in control
You have control over you life and of situations that happen to you. The sooner you begin to take responsibility for your actions and your situation, the sooner you can work to resolve it.
If you never recognize it is your problem, then you will have to rely on someone else to solve it for you. Once you realize that the problem is yours, you can then take the steps needed to solve it.
Losing your power
When you blame others, not only are you unable to see that you have a problem to solve, but you lose your power.
If you take responsibility for yourself and your actions you will be able to learn from your mistakes, find a better way to do it, and try next time to do better. Winners have tried and failed many times. But they pick themselves up, accept responsibility for their failures, and try again.
If you never take the first step in accepting responsibility for your situation then you will never work to fix it. You will have to rely on other to fix it or make it right. You are at the mercy of others for your happiness and joy. No one should have control over how you feel and function.
Take control of your own life
Taking control of your life and situation may be hard or scary, but it must be done. You must realize that you create situations, they don’t just happen to you.
Next time you are faced with a situation you want to blame others for, think about these questions.
Is it really the other persons fault or am I at fault?
Am I blaming my performance on an uncontrollable?
Is this problem something that is a controllable?
Did you do everything in your power to avoid this mistake?
If you took responsibility for this mistake, what would you learn from it?
What would you do differently next time?
Asking yourself these questions can help you take control of you situation and shift the blame from others to yourself.
Some common examples of blaming others
Salespeople most commonly blame others if they don’t make their sales goals. I know I’ve made some excuses and blamed others for the situations.
They got more customers than me.
What can I do to get more customers?
Everyone came in for issues.
Am I optimizing every opportunity?
They didn’t want the service.
Did I discover why that don’t want it?
They gave me an objection.
Did I take the time to attempt to overcome the objection?
Many of these are similar to the excuses that we blame others for daily, monthly, quarterly in our everyday lives. Some of these typical excuses give your control to something or someone else, here are some questions you can ask yourself to shift the control.
There was traffic.
Did I leave early enough?
You forgot to do…
Did I also forget to do this thing?
I’m too tired.
Am I tired or is it a will issue?
This is not what I asked for.
Did I go over the details or read the fine print?
The sooner you can begin to start taking responsibility for yourself and your actions and stop blaming others, you will find that you will have much more power and avoid bad situations easier.
So admit that it’s your fault. Say “my bad” and work to do better next time.
What that means is out of all the people that we strove to close the sale with, the hardest door to close is the car door. The car door, the first door you have to close to get yourself out of your car to start knocking doors.
In order to close your car door and get out and start knocking doors, you had to convince yourself that you can do this. You have to rev yourself up that this is a job that is doable and you can succeed in it.
You have to muster up enough courage to get out there and knock doors, oftentimes leading to angry people and door slams. But you had to do it in order to get to that 1 out of 30 people that will say yes and make your day with a sale.
I think back to how many people who tried out the door-to-door job for one day and then quit. It is something that challenged them, that broke down their typical day and forced them to be courageous. It gave them an uncomfortable feeling. They didn’t come back, probably for that reason.
Be comfortable with the uncomfortable
Doing something new that you have never done is supposed to feel uncomfortable. The difference between the ones that succeed and the ones that fail is that those who succeed have trained themselves to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
The successful ones have developed a mindset that is strong because they can push past that which makes them uncomfortable and do it again and again and again. They do it until it is no longer uncomfortable.
Just like they say “practice makes perfect” you could also say that “practice eliminates fear and anxiety”. Practice what you want to become good at and soon that anxiety will begin to subside. All it takes is that initial courage to break the mold.
Stay humble
The only action that matters is the one done right now
It is hard to admit that you don’t know the answer. Humans by nature are proud and have too much pride to do something as simple as ask for directions. It’s no wonder many people stay in the same place.
Like stopping to ask for directions, many of us are afraid to admit what we don’t know. We automatically equate asking someone for help with incompetence and fear showing someone else that you haven’t got it all put together just yet.
Being humble is hard to do sometimes but like anything, the more you practice it the more well versed you become. An example of being humble may be leaving a comment on a blog you like to read or giving a compliment to a leader or coworker at work. You are thankful these people are in your life guiding you and giving you inspiration. Let them know.
Communicate with others
Having goals is great, but if you can’t use your human resources to reach those goals then you are making it harder on yourself for no reason. Other people can give you knowledge from firsthand experience, something better than any textbook.
Think about the people in your life. Are they in a better position? Do they make more money? Do you want to do something they are already well-versed in?
Reach out to these people and ask for their time. Many people are willing and open to giving you their time to chat, especially if they are chatting about what made them successful.
No excuses
When I think of doing something out of the norm, a fear washes over me. Not a strong fear but really just anxiety. The anxiety is over where the next journey will take me. What will happen if I were to do everything right? Will my life be different?
So in turn that prevents me from even starting to find out. I procrastinate, I find other things to do, I make excuses, and not only that but I justify my excuses with some reason that is just another excuse.
Excuses give us paralysis. Procrastination gives us paralysis. The best way to overcome excuses and procrastination is to just take action. In the words of Nike “Just do it.”
Take the Right Action
Taking action is not just about doing something; it’s about doing the right thing. It’s about doing the thing that will propel you forward on your goals and not just waste time.
You must analyze what you know and don’t know. Do you have enough knowledge on what you need to do in order to see results?
What is the right action to take? What will give you the best return on your investment of time? If you can’t answer that, then why even start. You will only end up wasting time on things that won’t be beneficial to you.
If you need more help finding out what is important tasks in your business, follow these steps.
Strategy
Think about the long term goal you are trying to accomplish. Cut that goal down into smaller tasks that need to get done.
Reduce those smaller tasks into even smaller tasks until you can set a goal for each day that if accomplished will move you towards progressing in your long term goal.
Write down 5 things that will be the most productive today in accomplishing what you are trying to accomplish.
Pick the hardest one and do that first.
It’s called “Eating the Frog” where you do the hardest task on your list first. This gets it out of the way first so you don’t dwell on it, make excuses, and procrastinate on it. Everything else on your list will seem easy once you get the hardest thing out of the way first.
Set a timer on each task and do it uninterrupted. Get rid of all distractions and focus in on that task.
Whatever you do, make sure that all 5 tasks are completed.
Why even start if you are not going to finish? Make sure that you finish these smaller tasks. Even though it will not seem like you are making a huge jump in your long term goal, doing those small tasks everyday will eventually get you to your long term goal.
Track your progress. After a month of doing smaller tasks, reanalyze your goals. Make sure that you are still on the same page. After a while, your goals can change or need to be updated with new information. If you can determine that you are moving forward, then you are on the right track.
Even if the action you take, you think it is so small and insignificant, do it anyways. Ask yourself, how would my life change if I did that small action every single day for a month, a year, 5 years?
Can you imagine where your life would be?
Before you know it, a year will pass. If you did one small action every day for 365 days, then you have accomplished a big action. If you did nothing, you will be in the same position you are in one year from now.
Be prepared to take action that matters, every day so in the years to come you will be prosperous.
