In previous emails and articles I have talked about why there isn’t an actual ‘good time’ to start. I talked about why people fail to get started and why they should in fact start as soon as they can.
As well as waiting for the right time to come around, many people don’t get started because they are too focused on thinking about what to do and learning as much as they can first.
Now, don’t get me wrong, learning and thinking about something before you start is great… but not if it becomes an ‘obstacle‘ to getting started.
Very often learning about something and thinking it through develops into an excuse to not getting started.
The best advice I can give is to make a start as soon as you can once you start learning about a specific business model.
At least that way you can hit the finish line quicker and any mistakes you make means that you get them out of the way earlier and learn from them faster.
I’m not saying that you should rush in without doing any research or having any clue as to what to do, far from it… but waiting to get started very often leads to never getting started.
You should try and avoid making obvious and silly mistakes, but making mistakes is how we humans learn and if you keep putting off making a start until you ‘know a little more’ then you risk not getting started at all.
And that is the worst mistake of them all.
The number one reason that people who wish to become successful are not successful is simply that they do not make a start.
It really is that simple.
Someone who wants to be a successful author will look at people like JK Rowling, James Patterson, Dan Brown and Stephen King and say ‘I want to be like them, I want to make money from writing books’….
But the one thing they don’t do is start writing which is the only way they are ever going to become a successful author!
Without writing a book they have nothing to publish.
When they have nothing published, there is nothing to sell and if they have nothing to sell… they cannot make money.
People need to make a start but they will put it off while they read one more book about ‘learning how to write a successful book’ and study the craft more.
Write the first draft of your book and don’t worry if it’s good or bad.
Without actually writing the first draft, there is nothing to be edited.
Your first draft is your original manuscript.
A bad manuscript is still a good manuscript because when you have a bad manuscript there is something that can be improved or rewritten.
Without a bad manuscript, there is nothing to which you can improve… because there is nothing.
‘Just another week, then I’ll make a start.’
Thinking, planning, reading books, watching videos, and going through all of the content in a course are all fine if you take action and use what you learn.…
But if you don’t do anything, then not only is nothing going to change in your life… you’ve wasted a lot of time and money.
It was all completely pointless.
Make a start now.
Some people say that you should commit to starting a project.
I say make a start and commit to finishing. I hate to say it, but it’s far easier to start something than it is to finish it.
Far too many people start a project and then fail to finish it. That’s because the motivation and approach is all wrong.
My Number One Peeve…
I wasn’t sure whether to include this or not but for quite a few years there has been a lot said about meditation and visualization as a way to achieve success and get what you want in life.
Meditation and visualization are powerful tools for many things including changing subconscious programming and bad habits. They have their place in the tool bag for success.
But it won’t deliver success from the Universe as some people like to think it will.
You cannot meditate and visualize yourself into a successful career as an author, actor or business owner WITHOUT making a start and applying the relevant ACTION.
I need to say this because I, like many people, have seen the docu-movie ‘The Secret’ and heard all of the advice about meditation and visualization and think it’s only right that I add my two cents.
There may be a case for ‘mental entanglement’ where the thought waves of one person merges through space and time with those of other people and possibly the Universe itself if it is indeed conscious as some believe…
But nothing physical actually manifests itself from the Universe by the use of meditation and visualization alone.
All of the stories of success that you witness by watching ‘The Secret’ came about from previous actions the speakers had already taken.
For example, there is a great story about how multi-millionaire author, coach and speaker Jack Canfield had his book appear in the US newspaper, the National Enquirer.
What they failed to focus on were the events that led to him meeting a journalist from the said paper who wrote a big spread on him.
We listened in awe as Jack shared the story about the time he was in the shower wondering how he could sell a lot of copies of his book when he thought ‘if I could only get it in the National Enquirer, then I could sell loads’.
A few days later at an event, that he was speaking at, he met a female journalist who wanted to do a section about him, and when he asked which paper she wrote for, she answered ‘The National Enquirer’.
Jack Canfield then hummed the theme to the Twilight Zone suggesting that it was an incredible paranormal act of the Universe.
It was portrayed as a ‘phenomenal’ yet ‘spooky’ moment where the Universe had heard his request and put the two people together. That may be the case… a little, but what they didn’t focus much on was the fact that…
- He had already written and published the book.
- Was already doing a speaking tour of schools.
- He had already been networking and making connections with people, many who may tell others about him including talking to friends who were journalists.
- He had been taking consistent action for a while by this point.
All of the above greatly increased the chances of him being spotted by an interested journalist who would want to write a spread about him.
He had MADE A START and put the work in.
The rest followed as parts fell nicely into place.
Jack’s success came about from making a start, doing what needed to be done, and had little to do with just sitting in a chair and meditating or visualizing.
It may have helped him to focus his efforts, and formulate a plan, but meditation and visualization alone did not deliver his success… his ACTIONS did.
If that doesn’t tell you to get started, then nothing will.
It has to be said, whenever I make money; it is a direct result of actually ‘doing things’, and the more money I make is a result of doing MORE of those things.
Action. Action. Action.
The truth is this… success doesn’t come from thinking, learning, researching, meditation or visualizing, they all play an important role, but success comes from taking action.
If you want to build a wildly successful online business generating thousands of dollars each month selling digital information products on autopilot 24 hours a day… you need to create – or have created – those products.
Starting to make a product to sell is important… and finishing it is twice as important.
As I say, without a finished product, you have nothing to sell and when you have nothing to sell, you cannot make any money.
Distractions Destroy Success
Distractions destroy success, this is a truth.
Distraction is the biggest cause of people not finishing a project once they get started.
One email leads to another, one quick scroll through social media becomes hours lost watching videos and a quick WhatsApp message to a friend becomes a full-blown conversation.
Successful people know how to manage distractions better than unsuccessful people.
They don’t have a specific superpower that makes them impervious to distractions, they simply know what they are, they know that they want to be successful and so they learned how to ignore distractions.
I am going to give you four of my favorite productivity methods for managing distractions and getting projects finished.
- Set time aside each day for distractions such as reading and replying to emails, messages and phone calls. Once that time has passed, turn off or remove access to any device or messaging system which can distract you and focus fully on the task before you.
- Book yourself into a hotel room for a night or weekend away from people. This one will cost money but if you live in a house with a noisy family or in a noisy neighborhood this is a great way to get much-needed peace and quiet. You will need an understanding partner as disappearing one weekend to a hotel without warning may not go down too well and cause unnecessary suspicion. While at the hotel you can spend some time going through calls and messages as seen in method one and then go to work on your project once that time is over. Remember to hang the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on your door!
- Have a second device for working on which has no messaging services or access to any social media platforms. You may need to use some web-based tools and services or do some research so I don’t think there is any need to block access to the internet although it would reduce a lot of distractions.
- Set an alarm clock and work solidly on your project until the alarm sounds. I tend to work for 45 minutes and then take a 15-minute break. Work longer than 45 minutes and you risk losing concentration and focus. The 15-minute breaks are vital for giving the brain a break. Set your alarm clock for 45 minutes and work undisturbed until it goes off.
Okay, that’s 4 of my favorite productivity and distraction management tips to help you finish that all-important project. I have a whole lot more which you can here: SMART Productivity.
Oh yes, that No 1 productivity tip I promised, if you haven’t yet figured it out, the secret to getting more done and banking bigger profits is… simply to understand that distractions are the destroyers of success and you should do whatever you can to remove all distractions when working.
There’s no software to buy (or specific skills you need to develop) in order to become so much more productive in everything you do… Just the ability to understand the dangers surrounding distractions, and having a commitment to avoid becoming distracted by ‘bright shiny objects’ whenever they appear.
For more great tips about how you can get much more done in less time, and even be able to do tasks easier, faster, and better than ever before, then be sure to check out SMART Productivity.
>> Click Here For Full Details Of SMART Productivity <<
You’ll discover my personal secrets for becoming much more productive and also how to begin enjoying much more ‘leftover time’ each day/week/month to do the more enjoyable things in life. Enjoy 🙂
