In the previous lessons, we’ve talked about getting a vision for your business, setting goals, and creating a business plan.
However, all the effort you’ve put into building the foundation of your business will be for nothing unless you follow through and take action.
So today we’re going to talk about staying motivated…
(Watch this video…)
Main points:
Examples: Losing 5 pounds or getting a new car by a certain date = short term
Feeling good about yourself or living a certain lifestyle = long term
-My faith
-Family (external factor, but there is also internal side to it)
-A sense of fulfilling my purpose
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/thirteen-tricks-to-motivate-yourself.html
http://zenhabits.net/2007/02/top-20-motivation-hacks-overview/
Action steps:
1) Figure out what really motivates you internally
2) Make sure those things are a part of your vision
3) Think about whether your vision will motivate you for the long term, and if not, tweak your vision.
Even if you follow all of my advice from this lesson, there will still be times when you don’t feel motivated. There will be times when you don’t want to complete the steps. It involves a choice, and the choice is yours. I’ll be talking about it in the next lesson.
As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below. (Feel free to share something that motivates you)
Have a great day!
Yes enthusiasm is an important emotional component.
One of my favorite sales quotes is by Zig Ziglar:
“A sale is a transfer of enthusiasm from one person to another.”
Yes that is interesting, thank you.
As you will see in the next lesson, commitment may be needed to get someone through the valleys until they find success. But I do agree that tasting success is one of the most powerful motivators. That’s why it’s good to start small and hit some goals in the first months.
That’s cool Colin, and that’s a neat way to stay motivated 🙂
Great illustration, thanks!
My vision is = To make money online. What motivates me is = I know you can make money online but I don’t know how to. I have made some money online but I want to have a monthly income coming in. My biggest vision is to pass this on to my children. My goal is = to sell products online (affiliate). I have been on the internet now 2 years and the only thing that keeps me from getting discouraged is = I KNOW YOU CAN MAKE MONEY I JUST NEED THE KNOW HOW! When I decided I wanted to be a nurse I just couldn’t go to the hospital and say I want to work as a nurse. I had to go to school and learn how to be a nurse. This is the same with making money online. There is alot to learn and I am determined to do it. Then I will be able to reap the benefits later like quit my job, enjoy my family, vacation (my vacation is taking time off from work to get caught up with my work at home), no more 12 hours shifts to work, no more working with lazy people and the biggest one the POLITICS in the work place. All of the above what motivates me. As you can see I am still here.
Eric your advice is remarkably precise and includes so many things that most people would not think even about. Your lessons are truly building me that excellent platform and I feel as though I will be fully equipped and confident and any future business adventures. Thanks.
Eric please tell me how i can quickly start my business. i have actually no time to read a lot of instruction.please tell me brifly how i can earn money.
sandipan- that’s not really my style. There’s plenty of so-called experts out there who will tell you how to get rich quick. But what I’ve discovered is that those methods don’t work for most people. Those who seek the get rich quick methods usually don’t learn how to build a viable business, and that’s the epidemic that I’m trying to counter. If you don’t know the fundamentals of business building, there are two ways you can go about it…
1) Trial and error. Just jump in and fail as fast as possible. Then you can try again, and try again, until you understand how to do it. This is how many successful people get started, but it usually takes years.
2) Take the time to learn. This does not guarantee success, but it can cut down your learning curve significantly and help put you on the right track.
Hi!
Eric this is perfect example of commitment, you stay with your conviction to do think the way you consider to be the right way, and this is the way which gets your success as an Internet Marketer.
Actually this is what we want to find out from you, not another get rich quick scheme.
I want to replicate a good business pattern, something which is coming from experience and is durable in time. Thanks again.
Michaela
Hi Eric,
To achieve one’s goal and vision,one must have
the commitment,dedication,determination and
perseverance .They play a huge role in determining one’s success.Stay focus and march
forward whatever it takes.
Thanks Eric for your vision.
God bless
Mike Wong
Hi Eric, we all have the tendency to want immediate results but the slow and steady rule. Good things come to him that waits!
Hi Eric,
Thank you very much for your introductory video. I am looking forward for all the lessons, presented in one shot, so that whenever i have leisure time, i can make use of it, ie., kindly share those 100 lessons or first 1-50 lessons, which i can pursue step by step.
Once again thanks for the clear presentation and your mission/vision.
Cheers,
Ganesh
Hi Eric,
When I saw the cover mail i never expected to see any content as intersting as this as there is nothing technically related to IM.Surprise Surprise!This article hits right on the nail.Everyone is proming you thousand and one things and a newbie tensts to get distracted easily though the ultimate vision remains the same.I can now i identify some draw backs of mine and the action that should be taken.
I found Janices and Lens commeents too are enlightening.Thanks every one.
rgds
Great lesson Eric. To digress, where do you get the images that you use in your video from?
Hi Eric
This is probably the most important lesson you’ve given so far. I have been on line for 3 years now and I work very hard but still have not made my fortune. Why because motivation when you are on your own is hard.
I am currently rethinking my vision. Goals are easy to put down but vision is hard.
I need to think what does motivate me and then set my vision accordingly.
I think my major motivation is helping others. This is shown in my personal life because I am a chairman of two pensioner groups and a leader of health walks all of which entails helping others. Financially I have enough money to live on and frankly money doesn’t motivate me. I do love the business I run because it is selling toys but my joy comes when I see my grandchildren playing with them.
Perhaps I shouldn’t be in business but I would then lose the joy of seeing happy children. What would be interesting would be to see how you used your inner motivation to arrive at your vision.
Eric, I have been following the lessons all the way, but have not posted. But today I was struck by the revelation that I am an external motivated person by upbringing. Through parents, teachers, work, always other people to motivate me. Now I realize why these lessons have been so overwelming. I thought I needed someone else to tell me to go ahead, that sounds like a good idea. But now I realize that it is up to me to make the choice. Thank you Eric.
I got some from a royalty free package of images I bought… some are from istockphoto, some are pics I took… some are screenshots.
Hello Eric,
I am sorry I have been away all this while,I have been on Course.I am sorry once again.
Uour Entrepreneurer,
Graham.
Hi Eric,
Thanks you for sharing such practical advise. For me personally, motivation comes from determining my WHY. My long term vision is to gain financial freedom. By that I mean, being able to maintain my lifestyle without going to work. My website has been running for some time. I tried using various search engines optimization tools but still have not seen the results. Now I feel more confident that I am gaining more knowledge to get a real business going.
Eric, I have my vision and I am motivated, all i need is more of your great know how, I can hardly wait to get my feet wet, I can’t say it enough Thanks again for all your hard work. P.S. I have started reading How To Win Friends and Infuence People by Dale Carngie, great book. Thanks, James
Eric, thank God for you. You are my blessing. I’m motivated by my faith also cause without Jesus I just could not make it. Thanks for the lesson and for trying to counter the epidemic of methods that others put out there but don’t work for most of us.
eric, thanks so much for your lessons, i watch them because i new to this business and you teach in a way that’s clear to me. I have a site, and dont know how to navigate it. its so frustrating. the c-panel is like another language, so i’m learning the language, the Adminstrative area is difficult also, is there some place where i can get some help from someone when i need it? I hope u read this and answer my pray!
Thank you Eric for these lessons. I really enjoy reading the honest, heart-felt responses posted here. It makes me feel more trusting of my own feelings and inspirations to see others posting their feelings and experiences. As a result my vision becomes more real to me. That is motivational!
It depends on what you need help with. Your web host (ie. Hostgator) can answer a lot of questions, and most likely has a forum available.
If you need to hire someone to help with your site, you can get cheap help for small projects at http://www.rentalcoders.com
Hi Eric-great TIPS!-Eric what is the VISION for your business and why do you what you do?
Thanks for lesson. I have been blown out of the water so many times trying to make money on the net. I have spent way to much much money and have seen little in return. It is now become very clear to me that I was missing a foundation. I have motivation and vision but I was trying to build a business without a strong foundation. I was building on sand and not concrete. Thanks for giving back to all of us that have been struggling. God Bless Bless
Hi Eric. I seem to have lost lesson 13. Would you be able to resend it to me, please? Thanks, and thank you for all of the great tips, Darrell.
HI ERIC!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TODAYS TIP!
THE GOING IS ALREADY TOUGH FOR ME!
ON YESTERDAY TIP I DID NOT POST ANY COMMENTS!
I WAS JUST BORRED! BUT HOWEVER I’M MOTIVATED BY YOUR TIPS, SPECIALY THIS ONE! I KNOW I HAVE TO BE PATIENT! SOME TIMES I WOULD LIKE TO START RIGHT AWAY! BUT I KNOW I WILL GET STUCK ALONG THE ROAD. HEY! I WOULD LIKE BE AS MOTIVATED AS YOU ARE. PROVERBS 6:6-11.I LIKE TO GET BUSY TOO. THE 3 MOTIVATION ASPECTS YOU STATED ARE THE SAME AS MINE.PROVERBS 10:23. ONLY I MISS THE DOLLARS YOU HAVE! AWAITING FOR THE SUNSHINE I REAMAIN.
here it is: http://www.ericstips.com/tips/lesson13/
Thanks Eric again for the great lesson!
For me you are the real example to follow. I appreciate every tips you are sharing with us. Thanks for the links,
Taking action is the key. It doesn’t matter what motivates you to take action to achieve your dreams.
Throughout most of my life I have been driven by internal motivation. My parents never had to remind me to practice the flute — I did it because I wanted to perform well at my lessons and in school band and orchestra. While I was not an “A” student in high school, I did my homework every night because I wanted to learn the subject. Okay, I admit that there were times when I did my homework because my parents had instilled in me the importance of doing it. Looking back, the only area of my life where I lack motivation is my health. I cannot seem to keep an exercise or eating program going. I always find more important things to do….
I usually perform the action steps as soon as I finish watching the video — while the messages in the video are still fresh in my mind. Occasionally, I have had to put it off for a while to get my “ducks in a row.” The business plan was one of those times. I was able to finish it before I went on to this lesson — still on the day I received it.
My major motivation for succeeding in business is two-fold, with one part being more important than the other. These are:
1) To feel like I am somebody — to leave my mark on the world so people will know I was here. In the back of my mind is the image that no one will be at my funeral when the time comes — scary!!
2) To live the rest of my life free of financial woes. I am not asking to become a gazillionaire or anything. I just want to be in a position where ALL my needs and wants are possible and I can give abundantly to charities and my church. Once I am free of obligations such as the mortgage and school loans, money will not be much of a motivator any more. I am actually looking forward to that day. Once my current situation is resolved, I vow to never be poor again!
Louise
Thanks Eric!
I am highly motivated to achieve my vision of a successful future in internet marketing because this is a perfect fit for the way that I want to live the other half of my life. My vision for the future is what motivates me since I have created a compelling future that will be quite different than my present life. You are right, it is the vision that will motivate for the long term-not the goal. Thanks for letting me see that!
Thanks for this much needed. Now I understand why I gave up in the past. I need to make sure my business vision inspires me to continue taking action no matter what happens.
I am internally motivated to achieve my goals. I am highly motivated. I have no problem doing what is needed to succeed. Sometimes I have trouble even getting off of the computer, which can be a problem sometimes. My vision is to help others which keeps me inspired.
My family is my motivation, and the reason I’ve started this journey, so that I can provide for them long term, and help to take care of their needs. As long as I keep that in the forefront, I’ll continue to stay motivated to grow my business successfully…
Hell Eric prince here. Thanks for reinforcing the motivation thing. I know myself to be self motivated, but sometimes I lose track of what I’m suppose to be doing. This is the key self motivation because life will always give you the unexpected, and you can’t always rely on others to pull you up. Thank God because for some reason everytime I face any kind of struggle, get more determine. I guess God shoud allow more problems in my life. This not to preach to anybody, but it works for me. I like encourage others to find something daily that is bigger than their daily problem. Eric thanks again for reminding me. foloow me on twitter.com/sam1847
my motivation has and will always be doing the best i can for my family.i worked long hours and long weeks but i always set aside time to be with my wife and daughters i wanted them to never do without.now there on their own and this is something i want to do for my wife and i.i want to suceed to show them that i never give up on dreams and they should follow their heart to sucess.i would like to make money on the internet thats why i started this course but its not why i continue,the more i learn from you the better i feel, i know following your advise will work.but i do need something to show my wife that i can do this even if it s only making a hundred she’ll know that the time i spend on the computer will pay off.i work at this harder then i did when i was working for a living,i’m not looking to get rich quick.i’m looking at staying mentally active in my retirement and i believe i will eventuality make this work and maybe have something to pass on to my grandchildren like an ongoing internet business thats my real motivation. thank you eric.
Hi Eric, I think I lose motivation when I encounter something that I am actually afraid to do. I might take longer to get up the courage to actually move on something. Making phone calls and talking about financing is especially hard. When I’m procrastinating I’ll find some project around the house that “I just have to do..” which is really just me stalling…sometimes I may even attack the fridge while I’m processing the negative stuff in my head. I hope to do less of this as I gain some experience and get more confident.
Thanks for the tips. I will use them along the way.
Eric, thanks for the tips. My motivation is to get out of my rat race job. I work for someone else making them money and just getting by. even with yearly raises the cost of living just kills me. that is motivation to get my business online. We been making some profit off of it I am wanting it to blow the roof off so I can quit my fulltime job.
dyuane
Hi Eric;I like Len,s fishing story; if i could catch my 1st dollar in internet marketing think i could stay motivated but until then i got keep the vision and it might b hard. Can u make a internet marketer out of x-coalminer and unemployed owner operator truck driver? third carreer; help; KEEP THE FAITH
I don’t think your past occupation really qualifies or disqualifies anyone’s ability to become an Internet marketer. So can someone with your job history do it? Sure. But like I said in lesson #3, it’s not for everyone. But if you’ve got the desire to make it happen and you take action, I believe you can do it.
I have found that sometimes motiviation is lost, as you said ,when you have achieved something. When you get to a “comfort zone” it becomes harder to take the nex step. This I guess is where keeping a strong vsion comes in or is it something elese?
Hi Eric,
You make more sense every time I listen to you.
I will tweak my vision and goals as I understand them much more clearly.
Regards Butch
Thanks for another great lesson Eric. I felt good about this one because I do need help staying motivated. Also, I was pleased with myself because my vision did include intrinsic motivation.
I’m always looking forward to the next lesson. You may have mentioned it before but is there a reason why you present these lessons in short simple tips over a span of several months instead of all at once? Is there a higher percentage of people following through this way?
Hi Eric,
To stay motivated, firstly we got to think positively. Second, self-discipline. Without it, I think it’s difficult to stay on course.
Regards,
Bert
When I’m done with them, they will be available all at once so people can go at their own pace 🙂 But in general I do think it’s best for most people to take it slow, otherwise they tend to skip action steps and get ahead of themselves.
You are inspiring,selfless, inteligent and cool! SOO happy i “found” you.
God Bless***
the only motivation i have is the small amount of money i generated from adsense a day. very small, but it lets me know I can make it big.