Sunday motivation: don’t quit!

I think this poem sums it up, so I have nothing else to add today:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow –
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
Whe he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

My favourite part is this bit “Success is failure turned inside out“.

Happy Sunday!

Sunday Motivation: The Space Race and your Online Marketing success Race

The other day a friend came to visit, and he told me a story that I’m beginning to doubt it’s 100% accurate (I’ve tried googling to no avail), but hey, let’s assume it’s true since I really enjoyed it and I think it’s a great story anyway 😉

Apparently, in the space race, the United States and the Soviet Union worked using a different strategy.

On one hand, the engineers from the Soviet Union, wanted to get every single number and calculation right. They spent lots and lots of time going through formulas, papers and all sorts of numbers, before getting into action.

On the other hand, the USA worked through a “trial and error” approach. They tested something, put it into action, and if it didn’t work at all, they would try something different.

And we all know who were the first to get to the moon, right? (unless you believe some conspiracy theory, of course).

Even if this story is not 100% accurate (I’ve also recently discovered that Mark Twain probably never said this, my life is really shaking), I think it describes perfectly the “Ready, Fire, Aim” philosophy, that I think is crucial in all aspects of life, including Online Marketing.

So by now you have most likely got the metaphor: it’s always better to keep moving and testing things than to wait to have all the information. Don’t get stuck!

My favourite quote of all time

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

This pretty much sums up what I tend to think about life.

I have to admit I don’t live by it every single day. I waste time almost every day, however it has helped me accomplish multiple things.

So, ask yourself: what are you afraid to do today? Will you regret NOT doing it twenty years from now?

And go for it!

 

PS. I just found out this quote was probably never said by Mark Twain, but hey, that does not make it any less valuable.

The Most Important Skill for an Internet Marketer

If you google things like “online marketing skills”, “digital marketing skills”, etc. you will find things like

  • HTML
  • Web Design
  • PPC
  • Social Media
  • Video Marketing
  • SEO
  • Community Marketing
  • Analytics
  • Content Marketing
  • Email Marketing
  • Copywriting
  • etc.

However, in my opinion, there is a skill that overshadows any of those: The Ability to Learn and Adapt

Why? Because you can be an expert in SEO, but still struggle to make a living. Or a great Web Designer who works long hours just to pay the rent.

However, if you are able to learn some of the basic skills, but are not afraid of testing and trying new things, and keep learning, you will do much better than those who stagnate.

This goes hand in hand with this piece of advice: don’t be afraid to fail, test, and fail again. Resilience is a great skill to have, for all aspects of life.

So, are you a lifelong learner?

Are you grateful about what you have today?

I usually leave the mindset and motivation posts for sunday, but today I was listening to a podcast where Lewis Howes interviews Tony Robbins and Tony asked Lewis a question:

Do you focus mostly on what you have, or on what you DON’T have?

And I think this is a very powerful question.

If you focus on what you have, unless you really have absolutely nothing, or only bad things in your life, you will be grateful and happy.

If you focus on what you don’t have, you will be unhappy.

Now of course I think daily about what I don’t have (yet), and I strive to achieve it. I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to improve your life, but it’s easy to forget all the amazing things you have.

So, if you are reading this, take 2 minutes to think about what you have, be truly grateful for it, and you will see things from another perspective. Guaranteed!

And once you have do it, put your mind (and body) to work to achieve that what you don’t have (yet).

Motivational Sunday: How to force yourself to take action (this time for real)

The other day I was going for a walk and listened to this podcast (the title catched my attention).

I had never heard about Mel Robbins, but after listening to the podcast I purchased her book “The 5 Second Rule” (not to be confused with the other “5 second rule”, which states that if you drop some food on the floor, and you pick it up after less than 5 seconds, you can eat it again safely).

The book is a bit repetitive (you can get the main idea by listening to the podcast, for free).

Apparently, when you want to do something but hesitate, that sends a message to your brain saying “hey, this might be dangerous/uncomfortable”, so your braing cooperates and gives you tons of excuses for not doing that thing.

So you have around 5 seconds to take action before your brain voice kicks in.

What the author suggests is the following: when you are about to do something that you know you SHOULD do (ie, get up from bed, have a difficult conversation, get to work, go to the gym, speak up in that meeting, talking to that guy/girl…) simply count down from 5 to 1 and do it. No excuses, allowed.

It sounds silly, but the thing is, it works. In fact, it has helped me get to write this post (before that I was doing some mindless browsing around Internet).

I counted mentally: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO! and started writing this post.

It worked.

If you would like to know more, you can listen to her TED talk:

So where can you apply the 5 second rule in your life?