Busy, Interested and Inspired
April 20th, 2012
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Author: If there’s one thing you know about me as a friend, it’s that when anything is off kilter in my life, I can’t function until it’s back on track. I hate the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach when things go wrong.
That includes personal relationships, being physically sick, money issues, weather or disasters (even to others), and just uneasiness in regards to my business. The other day when I posted about being bored, disinterested and uninspired, I couldn’t really function because of the way I’d been feeling.
Me voicing it to you was just the final culmination of lots of fidgeting and irritation. But I’m glad I did. First, I found out a lot of others feel this way. Always nice to know you’re not alone. But second, it made me open up to others and get lots of feedback (from my sister included), which re-inspired me and put me back on course.
So I wanted to share with you what I learned from my reflection…
That night I got on the phone w/my sister Jeni, who is coming here in June (she quit her teaching job) to have me spend a week giving her a crash course in Internet Marketing so she can launch a fulltime career online.
While we were discussing that, I realized there are only a few CORE things I will be teaching her as far as areas to pursue. They are:
- PLR
- Info product creation (including online and Amazon POD and Kindle)
- Affiliate marketing (both digital and tangible)
The main things we’ll be going over to make sales in these three arenas are:
- Technical setup
- Niche research
- Social marketing
- List building
So I’m sitting there realizing as I’m talking to her that that’s ALL I need or want to pursue. So why am I out there trying to find new things to tell you about when I know what works and I know is plenty? And why am I out there looking on WF and emails for things to blog about when I have so many ideas in my head that I haven’t shared?
I can let OTHERS teach mobile marketing or whatever new strategy comes along.
And let’s get one thing straight right here – I’m SURE no perfect expert in all of those areas. I have a ton of things I need to implement that I already know and haven’t done. I also have tons of things I could learn that I don’t know yet to perfect those strategies.
For instance, with affiliate marketing. I need to be following through with my sites and testing new things to see what converts better. My conversion rate is around a 3.45% or so. Not good enough.
Stuff I AM really good at – like relationship building, writing, and product creation – I need to dig into every tip and make new videos and share my knowledge on that – because YT deleted my account and so much was lost. Plus, I’ve grown in all of those areas.
Another thing I discovered in talking with Jeni was what slant I want my Kindle book to be! I had mentioned confidence broadly and she shared something she looks up to me about – and that made me hone in on the topic I want to share with others.
I’m not sharing my slant because I don’t want anyone jumping on it – but it’s going to have some major honey badger butt kicking in it – of your own self. Kind of slamming self help up against the wall I guess and doing it the no BS way.
Then something else happened that made me de-funkify…
After writing that blog post, I realized from Pete’s comment that I HAD been scattered in my mindset and while I had been thinking that I needed to be the go to person of anything on the horizon for you…it’s really damaging.
In fact Pete said he’d stopped by less and less because I WAS all over the map. I’m bad about that. ALWAYS having to refocus myself.
My mentor’s comment was the icing on the cake…
When I conveyed that comment to Craig that asked for his input, he said it’d be like opening a can of worms because what he thinks isn’t what we WANT to hear. He’s going to spend time thinking about it.
But I know some of what he’s told me in the past haunted me last night.
He’s told me that I’m always working to make money instead of really building up one MAJOR area of my business.
And he’s right!
The one thing I have built up – my PLR store – rocks when it comes to making me money. So why don’t I do that with my affiliate sites? (I get bored and delete or sell them and move to another niche).
Why don’t I do that with my info products? I start them and move on – Content Curation, IM Writing Tips, Branding Challenge? None of them are complete yet here I go looking for a new topic. Not fair to me OR you.
My teachers used to say I was very smart – if I would just apply myself. I have a 145 IQ. That’s considered the bottom of genius level. When I tap into what I have in the smarts department, I really excel far more than others I know. But it’s getting my lazy or distracted ass to tap into things FULLY that’s a problem for me.
I flit.
I get bored.
I get frustrated not seeing results fast enough.
I need to stop. I need to do what I know works and not just do ENOUGH to do it – but master every freaking inch of it that’s possible.
I need to stop trying to be your go to girl for everything marketing, because I’m not doing a good job of it – nor is it necessary!
I need to do what Craig says and build a mammoth business. I never stick around to tweak and test and improve and dominate anything for my eBooks. I write them, sell them and put them on my PLR store.
That’s chasing money, not building money. It’s all wrong. I’ve been doing it all wrong. It’s enough to make me 6 figures, but it’s the obstacle in me making seven figures.
So that’s all I have to say about that.
I feel GOOD. I feel invigorated right now. I might even roar or something.
Tiff 
PS I fully understand I will also forget everything I learned in the last few days and fall back into the same trap from time to time, but that’s okay – as long as I care enough to find my way back to this mindset and move forward again.
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I too suffer from “distracted ass”. Maybe it is common among folks with higher IQ’s. Of course I used to say that IQ meant I quit! LOL.
So I have posted a sign above my computer it only has one word “FOCUS”
Thanks Tiff
LOL!! Barney you crack me up
Talking about lack of focus….this week…for instance….! It is Friday, and I am still roaming around like a hungry red squirrel, finding USEFUL THINGS TO DO…Like cleaning the window sills…instead of doing what I should be doing! Ahha! Productivity ZERO! Whatever, tomorrow is another day…! Loved that honest post! I think one of your major quality is probably RESILIENCE! And, that’s a good one!!! Resilient people always fall back on their feet, learn new things and move on!!! Love that “Focus” note as well- but as far my CASE is concerned, electric shocks every 3 minutes are probably more suited! HAHAHA!
I go through those phases Yoan – where cleaning actually sounds better than work. LOL It’s rare, but it happens.
Wow. I really needed to read this right now. We might be soul sisters on this. Been beating myself up because I can’t FOCUS. I have multiple unfinished projects but I’m sitting here reading and pondering about two new things to add to my plate. WHY?? I have no idea. I always say I know a little about a lot, but not a lot about anything. Time to take a walk, breathe, decide and start over and see one thing all the way through.
I do it allll the time.
I do this too! I keep thinking it’s the multi-tasker in me and she needs to be sat down in the corner on more than a few occasions!
Maybe we should start our own support group…
Hi. My name is Debi…and I’m an unfocused marketer.
Here’s to keeping enough on our plates to keep from getting bored, yet ONLY enough that we stay focused to 7-figures!
Thanks Tiff! And tell your sister congrats on the decision to choose and move!!
Debi
I will thanks Debi! And I had to giggle at the visual of us sitting in a corner getting in trouble.
Hi Tiffany,
Can I just ask, would you consider recording or noting the things you are planning to teach your sister on this ‘week-long crash course’ and releasing it as a product? I mean, seriously, if you ask any newcomer what they want, is to be walked through how to do things, step-by-step from scratch, but they don’t want to learn everything there is to know about Internet Marketing within one week, that would be insane, just being taught what works, how they can start to make money, what sort of work efforts they need to put in and produce to be able to start seeing results, just to the point where they earn their first $100 or so, that’s all. Many people say that making your first $1 online is the hardest, that’s BS, it’s easy enough to making a few dollars here and there, but when you make your first $100, that’s when you know your starting to get things right and starting to see some results. That’s all I want someone to teach me, to start with, and I’m confident that most other newbies would agree.
Thanks.
Dani.
It’s kind of hard to do that – creating products while showing someone quickly isn’t the right way to do it. Plus, we’ll be skipping things. For instance, she has a PLR store and knows how to set it up so we might gloss over it. It’s really more geared to her specifically. But I’ll be tightening up lessons from start to finish in all of these main core categories and releasing them.
I understand what your saying, I do recall you were planning to release a IM Newbies course, presuming it’s teaching these sorts of things, will you be adjusting that course to suit your new focus, and if so, when will it be released?
I’ve released parts 1 and 2 of them so far and then afterwards I’ll create individual courses. http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-special-offers-forum/562381-5-per-lesson-warrior-special-offer-introduction-internet-marketing-part-1-2-newbies-failures.html
What a great lesson! I cannot even begin to tell you how many sites I’ve created and let go of, or allowed to just sit there, because I lost interest or another shiny topic came along. If any of them started to earn money, it was more because they were kept going long enough to start attracting attention, not because I was doing what was required to build them up. In other words, they grew more by accident than intentionally. LOL!
Thanks for a much needed pep talk!
Glad it helps! I just now made a business operations file to help me keep track of everything (all the plates I have up in the air). I’m trying to view it as a corporation. Like Tandy Corporation, for example.
I worked at corporations before I did IM and I know you have different groups that run different things. They had Radio Shack and some sort of Computer City thing, etc etc etc.
So I should have a group for affiliate marketing and have different “people” to handle various aspects of that. VP of Sales, VP of advertising, etc. Only i wear all the hats and need to be enough for each position.
Might be getting rid of lots of stuff.
OMG! You just described meeeee! I’ve started and stopped sooo many project because I don’t see results fast enough or I get bored! AND I try to do all types of things when instead I need to focus on my core skills and abilities and really make those shine! You are definitely not alone!
I kind of am glad about that but I don’t wish it on others LOL
OMG! You are so not alone. Currently, I am creating PLR website themes, WordPress Affiliate Themes, Studying PLR ATM and Simple Affiliate Marketing System and also working on two affiliate websites (back end autoresponder creation and affiliate product plug ins), AND creating a new blog that promotes your products and helps others learn how to get started in setting things up in efforts of making money. It sounds like I’m a jitter bug or on ephedrine. So much to go, no constant focus.
I think the problem is having so many ideas that you want to act on them all, and when we do, we don’t really place all our energies on one thing. See, great minds do think alike. I keep going from one thing to another in efforts of making money, but I think our focus should be on what we can’t wake up to do each day.
I love creating WordPress affiliate themes, but haven’t even opened my website or sold a one of them. Why, because I’m working on something else, but also because I don’t have all the tools I need to get started, which is really no excuse.
I’m glad you were able to gain help from the words of others. I’m glad you have a mentor who you can learn from. Sometimes we need to take a day off from everything and just be. When we clear our minds from all the scattered thinking and activity, it’s then that we can see more clearly.
Do know that even if you’re all over the place, we’re still learning from you. You may not have a one thing you focus on, but some of your followers do. They take that one thing from you and that’s what they study. I’ve bought your plr for various purposes, but the thing I’m doing with them now is learning from them.
As always, I thank you for ALL that you do for us!
Cyn
I love the multiple avenues but I have to find a stopping point because some things I start and abandon anyway.
So many spelling errors. I was going so fast and thinking of so much – lol. Somethings just don’t change. I’d better improve my spell check skills before opening my plr store.
Love you Tiff!
Wow, surprised to hear even you can drift off the ‘path’. Hope for all of us then
Teaching your sister, might be a great chance to offer your readers some insights too
I’ll see what I can pick up to share from it
Hey Tiff,
Just a side question.
Can you provide the name of the social share plugins you’re using on your site. One is below the headline with counts and one is below each post (share and enjoy section).
Tks in advance.
Phil
WP Socializer and I also have Plus One Button and Pniterest “Pin It” Button
IQ – Inertia Qualis… Idea Quantification… a lot of other words come to my mind like bubbles in boiling water…
I read “Work the system,” by Sam Carpenter a month ago, and I started to implement the methodology he describes to see whether it worked for me. I’m a couple of weeks into that now and I saw nice results right away. It should work for most people. Specifically for those of us with a brain that constantly spits out new ideas and expect a result prior to implementing those ideas.
It tires me having so many ideas every day that I don’t even have the time to note them down. Focus is the hardest thing of all. With Carpenter’s method, I don’t have a problem with getting things done any more.
I’m having several projects concurrently so when one is too boring, I switch to another. They’re not even closely related, one is a sci-fi adventure book, another is building a motorcycle in my work shop, yet another is documenting wildlife around my house. I’m also reworking my house, being at the electrical wiring at the moment. And it goes on. I wish I had more time to do more fun things. I wish I was… hmm… many of me.
I’m still uninspired but I let it have its time. It will wear off. As soon as I can feel some energy coming back, everything eases up.
We had a lot of snow yesterday so I’m out to shovel that white stuff out of my way now. Thanks for the pepper, Tiff!
That’s why I do what I do – PLR, Info Product, Affiliate Mtkg. I like the switch.
Tiffany, if you ever release PLR rights to this post, all I have to do is put my name on it and post it. Everything is so spot on.
I do hope you’ll consider creating a product out of the work with your sister. I’d love to get a clearer idea of what I need to focus on.
However, now I have to get back to my project, a product launch, a Kindle book, a chapter for a print book, a talk for church, and designing a new product. Of course, all due this weekend.
Good luck with it!
You’re welcome! And yes, I’m thinking about what cues I can develop for myself to not lose focus.
This may not be for ever-one but I find it helps… I’ve taken the concept of a vision board and turned it into a one project motivator. The board has 2 things on it – basically ‘I will do this thing’ for ‘that reward’.
For example, recently you spoke about finishing saving the funds for your kids college education (email I think)…
The board might have a sign/image of 50 completed plr packages for you house/garden plr AND an image of say a bunch of kids finishing college with a stamp over it “paid in full”.
When you find yourself slipping into a funk or feel yourself being drawn to other projects, researching, checking stuff out; down all tools for a few minutes, clear your mind and just focus on the goal/reward board for a while. (I also focus on the board before I start that day’s work)
When the project is finished, including all the marketing and promotions (I don’t know how many packs you’d have to sell to make up education funds) and the reward is in your hot little hands – create another one.
Like I said, this may not work for ever-body, but I find it really, really helps. My current goals are much smaller than the example…but they ad up to BIG things while not overwhelming me or spyraling me into a fibro-flare.
Ah I like that!
This is a great conversation! Many things I can see my self doing, like I make a plan to promote one project and when it doesn’t seem to take off fast enough I drift into something else that seems much more interesting …
I’ll get my head down, wear some blinders and try to keep my focus until I see results!
Thanks,
Fran
That’s what I do! Craig gets onto me about it. He says I chase money and don’t grow one thing big enough.
Great post. I can really relate to this. We do not have to be all things to all people when it comes to marketing or anything else for that matter. I have actually put certain things that I wanted to do on hold so I can focus on building my main business and affiliate marketing.
I get so many ideas I can’t implement them all fast enough and still do everything else so I’m taking my time and not focusing on things I have no interest in or things that are just too much for me to take on right now.
I also need to learn to just direct people elsewhere. Like when they ask me about mobile marketing or whatever (no interest in it), I try going to find information.
I’m having the exact same issue. I go from one project to another. Thanks for helping me realize it is my issue!
My PLR shop does okay and I know it will just keep doing better as I add to it, but I easily get distracted and don’t update with new content for a while… it isn’t far to my customers and it just slows down my progress!
We’ll master our focus at some point Amanda! lol
I believe knowing/realizing when WE fall back into bad habits and CARING ENOUGH to REFOCUS IS… MAJOR GROWTH! It feels good too!
True Roz!
Tiff, I’m just like you. I get quickly bored and I just know that I wouldn’t be able to hack sticking to one thing for too long, that would seem like hard work to me. If I wanted to be bored and work at something I don’t like, I might as well get a ‘real’ job! UGH!
I know, I know…need to be more focused…not sure I’m up to it though. O.K…now maybe I haven’t been paying attention what with my short attention span at all, but this part of your post got me thinking…’Info product creation (including online and Amazon POD and Kindle)’So now for my dumb question…ummmm…how do you go about doing that? Have I missed something? Do you have a product that shows how to do this…if not…will you do one in the future? As if you don’t have enough on your plate already! 
I used a course called Instant Authority Program (if you search here on the blog, I have reviews of it) to do the Amazon POD. I haven’t done Kindle yet but I bought 1-2 WSOs (can’t recall which now) to get me through that but I hadn’t done it yet until I had a topic.
I am glad I read this today Tiffany.
I have recently realized that I have been jumping all over the place and I need to set a plan and stay focused.
That makes all of us Mary! LOL
Yep, I’m a scanner, too. Gotta do it all. I’ve finally trained myself to just write down my ideas so I can refer to them when I’m “done” with my current project. Sometimes I have to go through the keyword research before I can release it, but then I just stick it all in a notebook for later.
I recently decided to cut back and eliminate some of what I’ve tried to do. Even though it doesn’t hurt to have the sites sitting out there doing nothing, it’s sort of like mental clutter, and that keeps me unsettled.
I’m glad you’ve gotten out of your funk. I just took 24 hours off…got away from the computer and out of the house. Can’t say I’m completely de-funkified yet, but I feel a little bit refreshed. Good luck to all of us!
It helps for sure! I went to the dr yesterday and found out I’d had a long-term raging sinus infection. I HAD felt lethargic part of my funk) but had no idea I was as sick as I was.
Hi Tiff. Yes, for awhile I was chasing the newest-shiny-thing-what-was-going-to-make-me-a-fortune too.
But now, I have went back to my basics also. If it doesn’t relate to Kindle (to include both writing and conversions for other people), creating and selling PLR, or writing special reports, I ignore it.
Thanks for your post. I think you brought a lot of us back into focus.
We all need reminders
Wow! I am SO with you Tiff. You’ve identified my issues in your own when you said:
“But it’s getting my lazy or distracted ass to tap into things FULLY that’s a problem for me.
I flit.
I get bored.
I get frustrated not seeing results fast enough.”
Thanks for putting these thoughts down. It’s got me thinking about my own lack of focus, my jumping from topic to topic, technique to technique. I keep forgetting about the power of SINGLE-MINDED FOCUS on 1 thing as one of the keys to success.
That’s right Joe – think of how far we could be with a single focus.
Glad you’re back. Never doubted you. And, someone told me that I have not yet learned to laser focus…so, that’s what I’m working on right now.
Not making money, though I really need it, but I know he’s right. I won’t be really successful as a marketer, writer, or person until I put “first things first.”
Have a good day!
You too Ruth!
Glad you’re over the funk and back at your best Tiff. My take-away from your post and the chat here is to start my own Business Operations Files for my projects that I want to keep going, to have a look at the book Work the System and focus. Like most of us I’m a flitter. I’m still in a bit of a funk but I’ll work through it.
Take care of yourself Tiff, raging sinus infections are not nice. We all need to listen to our bodies a bit more I think. I’ve learned to not beat myself up if I sleep in till 10am (like this morning). I just tell myself my body needed that sleep.
Yep Kathy – sometimes you can’t tell if it’s a funk or you’re truly sick. LOL! I think a big part of mine was I was sick.
Hey Tiff, have you been looking over my shoulder for the past ‘nn’ years? You just wrote my life story here! I’m going to stick this post to my shaving mirror as yet another way to remind me to stick to one track, or possibly two, well maybe three, tops.
BTW, I’m reading this because I got bored with another task I was doing to make a change from an earlier job that took me away from another……
OMG, I think I might have ADD
Fortunately I have a wife who is a complete opposite and nudges me back on track from time to time, and a few years ago I found a business partner who is the caterpillar to my butterfly. He just steadily munches his way through the tedious operational type jobs that I can’t stand while I get on with the sporadic flashes of occasional brilliance
Funny thing, I read through this entire post, including all the responses to date, all in one go. Yet I’ve felt compelled to go check my email in the middle of this reply??
While I was there I got your latest email about the gigabytes of PLR gathering dust on my hard drive, backup drive, multiple DVDs etc. Thanks so much for the free course on how to fix that, I promise to give it my best shot.
Coincidentally, one of the jobs still open on my computer from earlier is my PLR website which I’ve been working on for months (on and off). Is there any hope for me? Or am I just too old to settle down and focus?
I think I need to lie down, my brain hurts
lol John you’re very much like me. Checking emails in the middle of a reply. That’s me!
Yes, Tiff, I had noticed that you were flitting but since I do that, too, didn’t think much of it.
I think my problem is trying to settle down to where I want to go. There is so much that I want to do but can’t settle on the one thing to start. I love reading what you have to say.