Planning for the future is as easy as 1-2-3. Here are 5 things you can do to plan out your goals and actually achieve them:
1) Be Realistic. Let’s face it, very few people become millionaires overnight. Not everyone can be like the “Million Dollar Homepage” guy and come up with the next great idea. If you’re one of those people, then good for you, but the rest of us have to take baby steps. The key is to set your big goals - the things you want to ultimately achieve - and then set little goals (baby steps) for each week, month, etc.
2) Don’t Use A Catapult You Can’t Handle. Taking a catapult may seem like a quick way of traveling but unfortunately most of us will fall flat on our ass if we use them. It may seem like a good idea to buy a product that promises fame and fortune, but will it really do that? Does cheating your way to the top seem like the way to go? Do you want to take the “fast route” just because you are impatient? If so, you need to take a serious look at your basic values. The best way to avoid these problems is to set your goals carefully, and if you find you are trying to take an unethical fast route correct it immediately.
3) Be Prepared To Work Hard. This is one thing I’ve learnt over and over. I have the ultimate goal of eventually being able to live off Internet income. While I knew it was going to take hard work, I couldn’t imagine how much time it would actually take. The blogging itself is fine, but all the extra crap (promotion, SEO) that takes most of my time. Not to mention there are about 30 other things I’m working on as well. So yeah, hard work.
4) Have A Backup Plan. Do you have a plan to fall-back on in case of an emergency? If you want to retire to some tropical paradise do you have a plan for the “just in case” scenario. What happens if your house burns down, your spouse dies, or you get seriously injured thanks to some drunk driver? These are all things that you should be thinking about.
5) Have Fun And Reward Yourself. Working in a fun and relaxed environment is always the best way to do things. If you achieve one of your little goals, eat an extra piece of cake or something. Do something to help keep yourself stress-free and give yourself an extra incentive to work hard and stick to your goals.
If you want even more goal-setting tips why not take a look at these articles:
Blogging Strategy: Goals
Do You Have Blog Goals?
Please subscribe, or else I will cry. Do you really want to make a programmer cry?
August 30th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Hi, I noticed your question over on Shoemoney’s blog and thought I would check out yours.
It’s nice to find a blogger who is honest about what it really takes to make money in an online business. A lot of them are all out there convincing anyone who will listen that they can become overnight zillionaires, if they buy the product they are plugging.
Any business is hard work, but it sounds like you’re working hard so you’ll get there.
Just remember that once you start making a bit of money, you should use some of it to outsource the boring, time consuming stuff. And keep eating those pieces of cake.
August 30th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
I totally agree.
It is sad how many people these days lie. it is even worse when you have people who make a ton of money who do nothing but try to sell you crap. It’s like, no wonder they make $20k a month they have a mailing list of 200,000 people and all they do is send you landing-page style e-mails for products that contain no more info than free blogs like Shoemoney and ProBlogger
While it is really none of my business sometimes it makes me wonder if those scammers are married, and if they are married are they dishonest to their family? Does their spouse know that new SUV in the driveway is from money they scammed people out of?
Almost makes me wonder if scam artists marry scam artists? An even more scary thought is will they teach their kids the tricks of the trade?
“And keep eating those pieces of cake.”
Will Do
Thanks for your excellent comment