I’m driven, that’s for sure. It’s such a great feeling to get up each day with new stuff to write and create. It’s exciting. And as one colleague said, "It sure beats working for a living!" I love my business and love what I do, so it doesn’t feel like work. Not always, of course, there’s the routine stuff too.
In our Pathway to Profits series of how to make money online, we tell clients to start with clarity of purpose. And of course that means a little introspection on what drives you. Maybe it’s just me, maybe it’s not this way for most other people, but I have a heck of a time putting my finger on any one particular "driver."
Why is it I get up at 4 or 5 in the morning to do my work? Why do I care so deeply? I know I’m not driven by money. I’ve had plenty of it at times, and that doesn’t in itself make me happy.
I know this piece of my story is really important. All the big name speakers last weekend at the conference quoted philosophers and experts: Anything is possible if you know why you want it. What is it you want to do so badly that you’d cross a river of fire to do?
On the way home I had a glimmer of self-knowledge, on what drives me…and it has to do with the pain and frustration of starting an online business from scratch and getting it to the point where it brings in enough money to survive…and then to thrive. My business is now working, but man, it took way too long!
Like many professionals who decide to "go online," I fell victim to a lot of hype and fluff about how to make money through the Internet. I knew I wasn’t going to get rich overnight, I didn’t fall for that line. However, the pain and suffering was in little bits, year after slow year, trying to learn everything I needed to get my systems in place so I could devote my energy to creating quality products.
My nightly cry was something like this: "Waaah! If only I could code HTML and update my own website! Waaah! It’s not fair! I’m being held hostage by techies…"
Other times, I was frustrated by my own inadequacies: I didn’t know how to write good copy that sells. I’d get mad at my computer for not behaving. I didn’t know how to get found online by the people who need me, and my services.
In retrospect, I can see that I’m driven to make up for lost time, lost money, lost energy. With all the right systems in place, I can now concentrate on providing quality products and services to clients.
You see, I wouldn’t want you to go through what I did. I’ll share with you everything I’ve learned, plus everything that my partner Denise has learned, so you don’t have to waste 2-3 years building your business.
Now that drives me. I am excited to be able to help shorten the learning curve for you. You won’t have to kick your cat or throw books or waste money on some guru’s $3,000 program…
When Denise and I formed The Blog Squad we knew that we could help others master business blogs to get results. We also knew that a blog is only a communication tool and without the other pieces in place, a business cannot thrive.
And like anything, a business, or a professional practice, is only as strong as its foundation, built on self-knowledge and self-mastery. Think about why you’re in business: what drives you?
Maybe it is to make a ton of money, or maybe the money is only what’s necessary for you to attain a something else. Maybe you have a higher purpose. Whatever it is, it’s important for you to know what drives you.
As Marshall Sylver says, "You’re old!" You don’t have as much time left as you think. So get busy, get into action, get going. Time is running out. Write that book, write on that blog: do what you have to do to get published, get found, and get clients.
Previous post in our series, Pathway to Profitstm:
1. Writing for Your Business: Here’s a Pathway to Profits
2. Pathway to Profits: The Content Journey Begins with a Map
3. Pathway to Profits: Blog First
4. Pathway to Profits: A general plan for making money with content
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