First of all, I apologize that I haven’t posted in a few days, but I had to “go off the grid” this week and get some work done and do some reading.

Do you ever feel like your hard work isn’t showing any results, you are losing a little hope, and in the back of your mind you are contemplating changing direction?  Suddenly out of nowhere, something you did shows hope.  That little prayer you made to see some result was answered and something positive happened.  That scattered puzzle in your mind comes together a little, and you have proof that what you are doing is going to produce results.

This past week for me has produced a coctail of these feelings and I just wanted to share with you some hopeful advice.  If you find yourself losing hope and wanting to give up and start again- DON’T.  Stick it out a little longer and if you are passionate enough, you will undoubtedly see something happen.   Don’t let all your hard work go to waste.  Yes, sometimes you have to overcome pride and learn from your mistakes.  But other times you have to get your knees dirty, your knuckles blooding, and stick it out.

Christopher Gardner: Hey. Don’t ever let somebody tell you… You can’t do something. Not even me. All right?

Christopher: All right.

Christopher Gardner: You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.

I was watching the movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” yesterday, and one scene really stuck with me.

Christopher Gardner (Will Smith) and his son (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) have a father son sort of moment in the basketball courts. The father has a feeling of regret, reflects on his life, and gives advice so that his son doesn’t have to feel or go through the same problems. This information, in my opinion, is the best that you can ever give your child.

All throughout our lives we are told more often what we shouldn’t do, and not what we should or can do. However, there is a logical reason why this is the case. When we are children, our parents want to give us the best life possible. Some think that if they play it safe by never taking chances or risks, they will teach us to be safe by example. The basic reason that our parents do this is because they have learned what to do and what not to do in life- what works and what doesn’t. The major problem with this reasoning is that the perception of, “safe,” and, “danger,” or, “not safe,” is entirely up to the individual.

One person might think that poverty is something to fear, and will not take risks in life because of this. On the other hand, a person who has experienced poverty first hand has nothing to lose and will take a risk as though it is not a risk. For this man a risk is only an area of opportunity or a challenge. For the previous man, a risk is something to fear because he does not completely understand what it is to lose something. Without knowing what it feels like to lose something, to try something and fail, you can imagine the fear you would have to overcome.

To change, you have to redefine what, “safe,” actually is. One day you open your eyes and see the world for what it really is. Is there actually anything to fear in your life? Do you work the same job you are unhappy with for 20 years because it is safe? Or do you work towards a better life, take a few risks, and find true happiness? I’m not saying that you can’t be happy with a job and work it for as long as you would like, but I am only pointing out a common example that I see everyday.

The bottom line is exactly what this quote points out…

“You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.”

If you have a passion for something, then fulfill your dream. If someone tells you that you can’t do it, then that is their problem. Forget what they tell you, make your own mistakes, create success from what you learn, and fulfill your own dreams.

All too often you find someone searching out that one answer that should exist- how to make money. However, the answer is not always easy to find. This person will search and search until they finally understand a simple thing. This my friend is the first thing you must learn when beginning to make money on your own.

Working for someone else usually has a lasting affect on the way you know how to make money. Every week, two weeks, or month you receive a paycheck for a certain amount and that is reassuring. Whether you had worked yourself to death that month, or not really at all doesn’t matter too much. You have actually learned that instead of working to your full potential, you can set engines to half speed and you’ll still accomplish the same thing in the end.

To make money by yourself, you have to break this work pattern. You have to understand that you cannot use the same rules you had used all these years to make money, but instead have to flex your creative muscle in order to make this money.

Have you noticed why you only hear that money is easy to make if you are paying for the information. On the other hand, if you go to a blog on the internet with free information, you will read the opposite. This is because creating means of making money takes… creativity… As you know, anything that takes creativity is often thought of as difficult. I’m not saying that making money cannot be difficult, but you have to weigh your options accordingly. What is more difficult? Working for 20 years and realizing your work has not given you much in return. Or trying, failing, trying, failing, succeeding and finally establishing a means of making money that will give you much more- skills to repeat the process, unlimited potential, to say a few…

What Not to do

Searching out, “make quick money,” or, “get rich quick,” books will get you nowhere and quick. These books are usually (99.97% of the time) designed to lead you in circles. They are also most often based on out dated concepts that have already been used over and over again until they are no longer effective. Before you spend money on this information, ask yourself the following:

• If this information is worth a million dollars, why is the author selling it… and for $14.95?
• Was this information easy to find? If the information was very easy to find, imagine all the other people like you who have already read it…
• If the author really has made a large sum of money so that he doesn’t have to work, why is he writing an e-book and selling it for X amount of money? However, there are some legitimate e-books with authors who really have made a lot of money. But don’t expect them to tell you all of their secrets.

Many people don’t realize how much of a difference they can make in the world.  They spend most of, if not their entire lives, not knowing their true potential.  All because they don’t recognize something- change.  Your life can change in an instant.  In no time you can go from happy to sad, rich to poor, and even healthy to unhealthy.  Could these changes be entirely based on fate?  Or is there more to it?  I believe that we all have complete control over our lives.

• Do you hate your job?  Well, you are the one that chose it- so why can’t you find one that you like? 

• Does your car break down constantly?  You bought the car.  You pay for the gas.  You can find a way to getting it fixed.  Stop getting used to complaining and plan for a solution.

• Maybe you have a problem with your friend’s constant bad attitude.  Making friends does take two.  If you are unhappy with the presence of that person, you can change it. 

You have control over your life.  Not your government, job, friends, etc…  If you want to see change in the world around you, don’t vent your frustrations on the world, but take action and make that change.

Solitude is the ultimate creative environment for some people.  In the silence of seclusion you can produce much more than in the presence of others, but again such an environment is only good for some. 

Being alone while creating something is good for productivity, but has many downsides if you are not careful:

Television

               If you leave your television on while you work, you will find that you don’t get much done in the process.  When your TV is on, you of course have it on something you like to watch.  This of course causes you to continually watch the show or movie instead of working on your project.  In order to stay on track, just turn off the TV and set aside time for it later.

Internet-Fun Websites and E-mail

               When you are working on a computer, the internet is loaded with distractions to get you off track.  From e-mail to video, you can find many ways to waste hours upon hours away before you even realize it.  To make sure that you don’t waste these precious hours of work, don’t navigate for entertainment and close your e-mail. 

Phone or Cell-Phone

               Sometimes you will get a call from a friend, you answer it.  And if that call just so happens to ring in while you are working on something, you could spend any amount of time talking instead of getting something done.  Instead of answering the call in the first place, don’t answer it and call the person back later when you have time.  If you do have to answer the call, give yourself ten to fifteen minutes to talk, end the call and then get back to work. 

So you see, continually interrupting your work will slow your progress and possibly cause your project to eventually fail.  For many, finding ways to not get off topic is a never ending battle.  If you are going to finish your project, the best way to do so is to set aside time for only one thing.  I will describe this in more detail in the future…  Some call it The Power of Concentration (link will be added here when the article is written).