One of the Internet Marketing Experts by the name of Michael Rasmussen sent me this email, and I feel that I must share it with you.
Even though it is very lengthy, I feel motivated after reading it, and hope you will find it useful.

“It’s Michael Rasmussen here, and I want to tell you about something that lots of people completely ignore when they’re trying to make an income online.

Listen, I know what it’s like when you’re trying to start your own online business.

There’s no shortage of people out there screaming at you to “buy this!” or telling you “here’s the HOT thing!”
It’s very easy to get distracted by all of that, and find yourself chasing after every fad.

Here’s where you need to use your head as a business owner.

Motivational author Stephen Covey wrote in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” that winners in life balance production and production capacity.
People aren’t really factories, but in a way, we are.

When you run your own Internet business, you’re producing something.
Specifically, you’re producing the products you sell.
Now, here’s the lesson…

If you spend all of your time producing, and none of your time making sure you can KEEP producing, pretty soon you’ll grind to a halt.

Your production capacity is your ability to do what you need to do keep your business going.

To put it more familiar terms, your production capacity boils down to your skills.

If you’ve been trying to make your income online for a while, you know that it doesn’t happen by accident.
You DO need some skills.

The list of skills you might think you need is huge.
I’m talking about everything from making graphics to shooting your own videos.
When most people think about how much they need to know how to do, they get overwhelmed.

I’ve been there, and I know how it feels.
So let me simplify things for you.
I’ll tell you the four major skills you need to be successful.

Yes, just four.
You might think you need a hundred skills, and I can understand why you think that, but most successful
Internet business owners have four big ones that count more than all the others.
Here are the big four:

* Being able to write, even just a little bit
(this means website copy AND things like articles or ebooks)

* Knowing how to set up and use an autoresponder

* Being able to set up and/or tweak a simple website

* Being able to keep your business organized

You don’t have to be the world’s biggest expert at any of those, but you DO need to be good at them.
You might call these the ‘core skills.’

Other things, like making your own graphics or shooting cool videos, might be helpful, but those four I just told you are the big ones that will make or break your business.

Take that first one, being able to write a little bit.

Way back when I was first starting out, I tried to sell an information product online.
I had almost no money, and I knew that I needed good sales copy to sell my product.

Since I couldn’t write sales copy to save my life, I had to hire a copywriter.
I was lucky to find a relatively cheap one that only cost me a few hundred bucks.

Fortunately, the copy I got was pretty good, and my product sold well.
It was one of my very first successes, and the profits really set me up nicely.

Here’s where I could have made a huge mistake.

You see, the money I made gave me a nice budget for creating my next product, including the sales copy.
I could have kept up that approach forever, if I had wanted to.

But I wrote my next sales letter MYSELF.

You might think that’s nuts, but I realized that if I never learned how to write sales copy on my own, at least a little bit, I would be in a tight spot again if I ever hit hard times and had no money.

Hey, life happens, and sometimes things don’t go like we want them to.
And at that point, I might not be able to afford to hire a copywriter at all, or I might try to hire a cheap one again and end up with awful copy.
Then I would be stuck.

If I hadn’t written that next sales letter myself, my production capacity wouldn’t have gone up at all.
That’s the key…

My production would have been good, because I could hire somebody to give me what I needed.
But my ability to produce would have stayed the same (low) because I hadn’t added to my skill set.

You don’t want to get yourself in a tight spot like that.
So you constantly have to focus on growing your skill set, especially when it comes to those four
core skills.

That takes some discipline, obviously, and some willingness to put in some extra work when you might just as easily hire somebody to do it.
But the payoff can be massive.

Not only will you maintain your production capacity, but you’ll also be able to save yourself some cash.

Think about that copywriting example again.
Copywriting is expensive.
If you can’t write any copy with any confidence at all, you’ll have to pay a copywriter for every single little change you need to anything.

That can add up.
I’ve paid over $500 to have somebody write a single paragraph before, just because I didn’t have the
time to do it myself.

Okay, assuming I’ve convinced you to keep building your four core skills, I bet you’re wondering how exactly to do it.

This isn’t hard, but it does take a little effort.
It also (usually) takes a little expense. Here’s the simple plan:

1) Read about the skill first.
This won’t cost you anything.
Google the skill you’re looking to expand, and read what others say.
You might find a blog that offers tips about it, or maybe even a free ebook on the topic.

2) Take a short course about the skill.
This might cost you something, but you don’t have to pay thousands.
I’m talking about a relatively basic course that might cost you tens or hundreds of dollars.
There’s no substitute for learning from an expert.

3) Use the skill on a real project.
Actually DO the skill, and implement what you’ve learned.
For example, if the skill is copywriting, write some real copy you’ll actually use, just like I did.

4) Assess the results.
Figure out how well you did!
You’ll be guessing a little bit, but really critique yourself to see if you did a good job, what you need to improve, and so on.

5) Apply the skill again.
This is where you get to actually improve the things you said you needed to improve.

That’s not rocket science.
I think it’s the only way to learn anything, honestly.

Think about when you learned to tie your own shoes.
Somebody probably told you how to do it first.
Then somebody showed you how to do it, maybe guiding your hands.
Then you had to try it yourself.
Then…
your shoes probably fell off.
But you learned from your mistakes, and you tried again.

Now you can tie your own shoes like a pro.

The same is true for the core skills you need to succeed online.

When you first start, you don’t know anything.
That’s when learning is hardest.
You can feel like you’re drowning.
Everybody goes through that, and you should expect it.

But if you stick with it, you’ll end up being pretty decent at it very soon.
Then it’s just a matter of learning how to do it better.

I hope you’ve learned something important here.

You don’t ever have to be a professional copywriter, or business manager, or website designer.
But you do need to have solid skills in those areas so you can be more self-sufficient in your business.

That will keep your production capacity high, and set you up for success.

I hope this helps.

All the best,

Michael Rasmussen
–

Does having a good education guarantee you success, and a happier life?

In my home country Singapore, Children can be seen lugging and carrying heavy bags, shuttling to schools and tuition centres and back home. Going for stressful examinations are a common sights in Singapore, as most people assume that all the sacrifice will be worth it because education is the key to success, wealth and a better life.

On the other hand, we have heard of college dropouts like Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, and businessmen – like the late tycoon Ng Teng Fong. They only have little or some formal education, and this apparently prove that all that schooling may just be a waste of time.

Of the 25 richest billionaires in the world, their educational backgrounds range from high school dropouts to only 1 doctorate degree. 17 out of the 25 billionaires qualified for university, and 3 dropped out before completing their Bachelor degree. co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin, famously dropped out of his Stanford PhD programme. At least 5 hold Masters degrees, including Warren Buffett, who is the third richest man in the world.

Of course, a person’s qualifications are only one indicator of ability, but examinations results and having degree qualifications can never truly measure a person. There are many other factors which contribute to success. e.g. Upbringing, inheritance, business and financial EQ etc.

According to the statistics above, since the number of billionaires who completed their tertiary education is more than those who did not, it shows that dropping out of college was not what made Bill Gates or Lawrence Ellison who they are today.

–
Article source: EZine Articles
For more videos featuring millionaires and billionaires, visit www.helpempire.com/sqc

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shawn_Lim

The Pareto Principle: 20/80 Principle

* 20% of your priorities will give you 80% of your production IF you spend your time, energy, money and personnel on the top 20% of your priorities

Prioritizing Your Assignments To Success!

* High Importance/High Urgency: Tackle these problems first because they are the most important

* High Importance/Low Urgency: Set deadlines for completion, and get these projects worked into your daily routine

* Low Importance/High Urgency: Find quick efficient ways to get this work done without must personal involvement. If possible, delegate it to a “can do” assistant

* Low Importance/Low Urgency: This is busy/repetitious work, such as filing. Stack it up and do it in half an hour segments every week; get somebody else to do it; or don’t do it at all. Before putting off until tomorrow something you can do today, study it clearly. Maybe you can postpone it definitely

Some Questions to help you in the process of managing your time to success:

1. What is required of me?

2. What gives me the greatest return?

3. What is most rewarding?

I have followed these 3 steps in helping me manage my time for a couple of years and counting. It has helped me find more time for myself and my family. It is highly useful and i believe it will help you as well.

Try using this method of prioritizing in any area of your life (example; work,school, relationship etc) and experience the difference it will have over your time management which will be crucial to your success.

Cheers and all the best!

–

Marcus Heng is an experienced Internet Network Marketer who loves to add value to others. He believes in the power of leveraging to help people get rich. Learn more and join his team of internet marketers who support each other on their journey to financial freedom!

–
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marcus_Heng

Picture Your Life – Create a Vision Board

Through my networking efforts I meet a lot of people: business owners, employees, executives, volunteers, etc. No matter what you do or who you define yourself to be, you have a vision for something! Maybe it’s a vision of where you want your business to be in the next 3-5 years, maybe it’s a vision of things you want to focus your life on, or what you want to be when you grow up, or where you want to live, or maybe you have a vision to overcome an illness. Whatever your vision is, think about creating a vision board to help direct and focus you on the path to making that vision a reality.

What is a Vision Board?

A vision board is simply a visual representation of what you want to have, what you want to be, and/or what you want to do in your life. The most common version of a vision board is a poster-board filled with a collage of pictures, images and words from magazines all related to your vision.

At a recent networking meeting, we worked on individual vision boards. One of the participants made a small vision board for her business. It was on 8.5 x 11 poster-board and she filled the board with photos and words related to actions she must take in order to be successful in her business. For example, among many images, she had a large eye representing the idea of keeping her eye on the goal.

Many years ago a struggling comedian named Jim Carrey was booed off the stage in a Los Angeles comedy club. That night, sitting on a hill overlooking the city, he decided it was time to either make it as an actor and comedian or hang-it up. He really wanted to be an actor and comedian, so to help him visualize his goal, he wrote himself a $10 million check for ‘acting services rendered.’ The story goes that he carried the check with him everywhere he went and just a short time later he was earning $20 million per film.

My friend Max is a fabulous artist and instead of a traditional vision board, he has created a vision journal. He was going through a lot of change and found that trying to keep his poster board up-to-date was too much of a hassle. So he created a vision journal which is a sketch book he uses to depict the vision he has for each area of his life.

An acquaintance who was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago decided that she was going to create an “I Win” board. Her board is filled with quotes and pictures of healthy living that motivate her to eat healthy and keep fighting against cancer.

As you can see from the examples above, there are a lot of different types of boards you can create. The key factor in creating a vision board is that it should motivate you and it should mean something to YOU!

If you know what you want in life and you’re clear on what your vision is, you probably want to create a board representing those things you want and what you need to change in order to achieve and live your vision. If you’re unclear on exactly what your vision is, think about putting things on your board that resonate with you – they make you smile or make you feel good. If you have a significant event coming up, perhaps a theme styled vision board is a good option. The only limitation is your own imagination!

How do I get started?

If you’ve never done a vision board before, getting started is really simple! Begin by collecting images, pictures, words and/or phrases from magazines, newspapers, or even from your own collection. Once you’ve collected a bunch of items, get yourself a poster-board and start laying out your items like a storyboard. Once you have an idea of what the board will look like, start gluing items to your board and don’t forget you can write or paint on there too! The beauty of the vision board is that it only needs to make sense to you!

How Do I use a Vision Board?

The idea behind the vision board is to engage the law of attraction, so you’ll want to place your board in a location where you will see it every single day. By keeping it forefront and present in your mind, you’ll keep your eye on the goal, you’ll make decisions to help achieve your vision, and you can start realizing and living your vision today!

Coaches Challenge

Start creating your vision board today! Begin collecting images, photos, phrases and words that represent the vision you have for your life; your business, your organization, your non-profit, your family, etc… in the next 30 days, you should have plenty of items to complete your vision board!

–

Article Source: Michelle_Seyfarth,_Ph.D.