You’ve seen the numerous squeeze pages with the images of the big money checks (and not a one with my name on it – yet). 

The reality is far from what it seems for them.

Listen, if you are one of those unseasoned bloggers with a new site up and running, this article is for you. Before investing in your business you must invest in YOU, through higher education.

Be advised that you’ll have to work long and hard to succeed online, and while it is without a doubt a doable thing, you’ll be many many months, if not years trying to figure out your path to success.

Like any new field or profession, you’ll require training and a continuing education to break through all of the clutter and online noise. Without this, many hours, days and dollars will be wasted and you’ll be no further along the path than when you started.

Oh yeah, that blog looks great and those 3 articles every 2 weeks are doing… nada. You’re going nowhere fast and other than those 6 family members that come to read your work, no one knows you exist.

I’m not writing this to pitch any particular product or training course, but my message is clear and simple. Determine what you want to accomplish and seek out the proper training that will get you there. It is only through your continued education that you’ll progress toward your goals.

You’ve got your site up and running and that’s a great accomplishment for sure. But seek out a mentor, an instructor or someone who has already traveled the trail that you have embarked upon. Take your efforts to the next level and know that as long as you’re online, you’ll need to learn something everyday.

I’ve been using computers since around 1980 (damn, did I just admit that?) and there is not a single day that I don’t seek out some additional knowledge of some sort. You simply will never know it all, and who likes a know-it-all anyway? But seriously, develop a business plan, develop a strong focus and some super positive work habits and have at it. Don’t lose sight of your goals by getting caught up in information overload.

Those “must buy now” offers are just like subway cars, if you miss one, another will be coming along shortly. Move at your own pace, but do prepare to continue your business education for many years to come.

So there you have it, an unfiltered, no pitch, no BS approach to continuing your internet journey toward the success you seek.

Wishing you all the best.

Keep Blogging!

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Not one has addressed the subject of you getting out of your comfort zone.

You see, many people are working full-time or part-time jobs, doing what they need to do to make it. This is completely understandable. The economy sucks right now and there are bills to be paid and families to support. Unless there is some serious money socked away somewhere, you know that the timing is not right for you to make that transition.

But have you really considered when the timing will be right?

Now I’m not advocating that anyone take a foolish leap-of-faith in hopes that things will work out in your blogging career, that would be just plain crazy. But at some point, you’ll have to begin the process of evaluating your position and determining where you need to be in order to become a full-time blogger.

Admittedly, this is a tough decision but there is one thing I feel certain about. If you wait until the time is perfect, you may never make the move. As long as you are comfortable with the way things are, you’ll likely not get out of that comfort zone.

But consider this, being a bit uncomfortable serves as extra motivation to take action and do what needs to be done to capture the success you so badly want. It forces you to do things that you know you need to do, but may otherwise not get around to doing as quickly, because of your current level of comfort.

Being comfortable can have a bit of a de-motivating factor because you just don’t have that high sense of urgency associated with what you want to do professionally. We have all been there at some point, those procrastinating moments where you feel that it’s okay to put something off until tomorrow. The problem is, tomorrow never arrives.

Get uncomfortable today by doing a little extra work on your blog, write 2 articles instead of one, somehow step up the level of commitment.

To make a serious change in your life, professionally or academically you will have to get out of that comfort zone. This may be as simple as staying up working toward your goal through the night and operating on less sleep, skipping your favorite tv show (for months) or even secluding yourself from your friends.

Building any business from the ground up and expecting that business to bring you a serious salary in the 6-figure range will require a lifestyle change; it’s as simple as that. Lifestyle changes can be uncomfortable, but it is whats required to gain that necessary dedication and commitment toward your goal. The longer it takes to commit, the greater the opportunity for self-doubt to creep in, wrecking your focus.

Want to become a problogger?

Do what you know you have to do – starting today.

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Hey, you’ve got it going on right?

The increase in traffic and readership has emboldened your thoughts of success. What a nice place to be along the road to blogging wealth. Your online business model must be on the right track. Perhaps, but this is no time to enjoy the scenery.

If there is but one single lesson to learn about blogging, it would be that you must absolutely avoid distractions at all times. Yes, it is easier said than done but this is a vital skill and discipline that you have to have.

What is it that allowed you to progress to where you are today? Discipline.

The internet is a wonderfully beautiful place and it has more points of interest than you’ll see in a lifetime. It is so easy to become distracted, you can quickly find yourself using your most valued resource (time) inefficiently.

There are a number of distractions that will challenge you regularly and you must constantly evaluate your time.

One of the questions I ask myself continually is, do I have time for that? It makes decision making simple because the answer seldom changes.

Here are a few reminders of blogging challenges that are unhealthy for your business development.

Opportunity knocks

Here’s the thing about opportunities, the ones you don’t find will always find you. There is always some new must have, super hot product being pitched right before your eyes. Many of these are really up and up legitimate products that can do what they claim, if you apply the techniques and learn the skills required.

But do they fit in with your current business plan?

Do you have time for that?

No matter how great the offer, it will do you no good whatsoever if you cannot dedicate the time required to make it work. Plus, you have now allowed yourself to be taken away from your main focus. This is time wasted and time lost, as you can never get it back.

Spread too thin

Surely you’ve heard this term before, it’s when you are trying to do more than you can do effectively, performing at a level far below you capability.

Take the social networking sites for instance. You know you have to get out there and build your brand and gain some respect among the populous, but creating accounts on 20 different sites is just unreasonable.

Do you have time for that?

Whatever amount of time you have will likely be spent on 2 or 3 of the sites, leaving you to look like a slacker on the others.

Another example

I’ve wanted to launch another blog for one of my favorite past times for awhile now (and no I’m not telling you what it is just yet). But the reality is that it would take away from my effort here on The OBB right now, so it will have to wait.

Sure I could go ahead and do that, and likely do a half a$$ job at both because I don’t have time for that at this juncture of my blogging career. There are too many other higher priority matters that require my attention first.

This is not to say that it’s a bad idea to have more than one blog, but if you’re still in the developmental stages or have not gotten your main blog to where you want it to be, keeping your focus there may be the best option.

Stay on track

Some of you may have experienced similar situations where you’ve had to rely on your discipline or even correct your focus. We’ve all been there and some are there now, not realizing that failure awaits if they don’t get back on track.

Avoiding these types of situations always come back to your discipline. Realizing that succeeding in business is more important than allowing yourself to be sidetracked is key.

New bloggers beware, if you want to succeed and build an online business, taking action and being highly disciplined is what will get you there.

Keep blogging!

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While you’re out and about, swing past  and  and I’ll see you on the other side.

Some will choose to ignore the warning signs and continue to operate under a cloud of denial, but sooner or later, you’ll have to get to the recognition phase of your life and finally admit that serious reflection and change must come about.

You see, we’re all creatures of habit and many of those habits become second nature and are carried out without as much as a thought about them. But the fact of the matter is this, some of those habits are bad for your own progress and until such time that this is recognized and addressed, the behavior continues.

We are experts at finding excuses and not many of those excuses will lead back to our own doorsteps, but if we are honest with ourselves the list of obstacles will be easy to recognize. Otherwise, we don’t know that we don’t know. 

Failing to recognize our own obstacles and constraints places a ceiling on our overall performance in life. Traits like stubbornness will always be there to block any potential progress.

Let’s face it, you must stop and do a self-examination, make some adjustments and tune-up your natural ability to fall into the trap of thinking that all is well. We’ll surmise that everything is okay because, “I’m doing what I always do”, and that may well be the problem.

We all know that doing the same thing over and over will never produce a different result, so why do we expect that someday things will be different?

If you drive the long way to work every day, your gasoline mileage will never increase, that’s a fact. You must change your route or change the vehicle, but there must be a change of some sort to realize a move toward the positive.

Now let’s return to that self-examination for a moment. Find yourself some “me” time and quietly reflect upon the following questions;

• Do you have a plan for success?
• Does the plan include a system for measuring progress?
• Do you have clarity on your purpose?
• Do you have the skill level required to accomplish your goal?
• Are you managing your time properly?
• Do you have the level of motivation required to see this through?
• Are you so focused on the end game that you’ve overlooked the plan?
• Have you identified some things that you can do better or differently?
• Have you learned anything about reaching your goals besides the fact that you want to get there?
• Have you taken action on what you’ve learned about reaching your goals?
• Have you really been honest in your assessment of yourself?
• What will you do now, the same thing?

These can be tough to answer for many, as everyone is different and has a different outlook on where they are and where they want to be. But most of these questions will fit into any circumstance and be thought provoking in their nature.

Now I don’t want to come off like some expert with regards to personal development, because I am not, but where do you think these questions have come from?

I’ve made my share of blunders along the road of life and had to ask myself many of these on more than one occasion. Life is all about recognizing what’s going on within you and making the necessary adjustments to better position yourself for tomorrow.

Have you taken time to reflect upon your situation and if so, what tips might you offer to advance one’s progress toward their goals?

Some people genuinely have a fear of computers, to which I say, it’s the 21^st century and you need to get involved and learn something. This condition is nothing more than human nature kicking in.

Remember your first bicycle ride (training wheels and all)? You were scared crazy. You fell off a time or two but before long it was “look Ma, no hands”.  Your first rollercoaster ride was probably filled with apprehension as well, until you returned safely to the starting point. Then you got right back in line for more.

Learning how to use social media tools, blog, program or any other computer related tasks is no different. Fear can be an overpowering thing if you allow it to be, but learning is something that you should have a burning desire for.

So how does one get past that initial wave of fear? Go back to your childhood where you started off taking little steps. These small steps bring a sense of accomplishment and a “I can do it” attitude.

No matter the task, it’s important to start slow and get something accomplished, then build upon that. Everyone has talent and the ability to learn something new. To get started do a little research on the subject and read up on how it’s done.

I remember when I began to learn how to program back in (ahem). Looking at the first few lessons was completely foreign and I wondered for a moment if I would be able to comprehend the subject matter. Then it dawned on me that all I was doing was learning a different language. This is why they call it code, which is nothing more than converting information into another language or form.

So to all the newbie bloggers and social media users, remember that all of those experts and gurus started at the same place that you are today. Also know that you will never know it all and that any and everything associated with computers is always evolving which means that you will always be learning. The important thing is to get started.

Whatever your interest, the time is now to get started and build that confidence. You will grow into what you envision if you pursue the practice of taking action.

Now go get started and the best of luck to you.

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