It's because I WORK HARD, not because I am SMART.

[Daniel Brock]

Whats up everybody?

I just want to share some thoughts I had this morning about hard work.

My friends constantly say that I am a genius because I make money online.

No matter how many times I tell them that it is really easy and that it only takes hard work, they still think I'm like some computer mastermind. It's funny how many times I have been asked to fix computers and networks and stuff like that when I know absolutely nothing about that stuff.

Making money online boils down to one thing: hard work.

I fully believe that you can be a dumb ass and still make bank online. You don't need to be some computer scientist or a computer programmer. All you need is hard work, and lots of it. Heck, if you have basic typing skills, you got just about everything you need to start making money online.

I know a lot of you are going to say, "it's about working smart, not working hard". But I believe there is no way to get to the 'working smart' stage without going through the 'working hard' stage first. After all, how can one possibly know what 'working smart' is without first 'working dumb'?

Through your hard work, you will start to see short cuts, ways to delegate your work load, ways to make more profit with less effort.

Just like any other skill, your brain naturally becomes better at whatever it is you are doing.

So one would say, with hard work, your skills become refined, they adapt, you start to think of ways to do things more efficiently, etc.

For you people who are just waiting...

I know that a lot of the people on this board like to read and consume without ever practicing the things they have learned.

What I say is, just pick a business model and start practicing it every day. Chances are, you are going to suck at whatever it is you are doing at first. But with every try, you get significantly better. So stick with whatever it is you are doing, work hard, and eventually you will be successful.

I liken IM to martial arts. Everybody sucks when they first come to class. I am an instructor at my school and I have yet to see a newbie come in and just blow everybody away. Eventually, through continuous practice and effort, a complete newbie can turn into a seasoned master. This all happens naturally through their hard work - just like it will do in the make money online world.

What do you all think? Do you think it's possible to make money online through hard work alone? I believe it is certainly possible and very natural to happen.

[samuelbell]

Nice Post Daniel, You hit the nail on the head.

[newBum76]

Very wise words......I totally agree, working hard leads to working smart!

[CurtisN]

I get what you're saying, but I kind of disagree. If the key to success was hard work, then everybody who worked hard would be rich and famous right?

It is quite possible to work hard at the wrong thing

[PaulWilson]

I believe it is possible to make money through hard work, but I also believe you must have a plan in place and know your destination before you set out on your journey.

People must know where to work hard, as it is possible to work hard in the wrong places if you don't have some kind of direction.

That's my two cents worth

Paul

[Daniel Brock]

Originally Posted by CurtisN

I get what you're saying, but I kind of disagree. If the key to success was hard work, then everybody who worked hard would be rich and famous right?

It is quite possible to work hard at the wrong thing

I guess if you are working hard for someone else, then you probably won't go anywhere.

Also, if you work hard at the wrong thing, surely you will realize that your hard work is not paying off and that you should try something else. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out...

PaulWilson,

A plan definitely helps. But I feel like when I started, I didn't have much of a plan - but as I started to work harder, my 'plan' started to unfold on it's own without any real conscious thought on my part. My brain noticed what was working - that is the stuff I would put my effort into. My brain also noticed what wasn't working - which I would stop putting my effort into.

This type of stuff kind of happens naturally with everybody.

The same goes when you learn to fight. You learn very quickly what doesn't work because you get your butt kicked. You can say the same with your hard work - after all, who wants to spend all their time on something that isn't paying out for them?

[Vaan]

Originally Posted by CurtisN

I get what you're saying, but I kind of disagree. If the key to success was hard work, then everybody who worked hard would be rich and famous right?

It is quite possible to work hard at the wrong thing

One thing my friend, focus.....!
Your hard work will useless if you are not focus and jump for one system to another system..

Keep your hard work on focusing one system only until you figure out the how it's work and the benefits you are getting...

Vaan

[RGallowitz]

FOCUS is the key. Setting goals, taking action and focusing until those goals are met is the recipe. Working smart is also definitely part of my game plan.


Reinhardt

[mattlaclear]

Great post Daniel! You certainly hit the nail right on the head! Too many people spend their Internet Marketing "efforts" looking for an easy button on their computer. There is no easy way to make money online anymore. Now if you see someone making any amount of money online it's because they work their business like it's a job. There are so many free resources available online today teaching folks legitimate ways to begin earning money online. I say go pick one up and start working whatever system they teach and spend at least 4 hours a day doing so. Success comes to those who work for it.

[Blade Runner 88]

...'All you need is hard work, and lots of it'.

I can vouch for the hard work part but would add that a decent doable, workable wealth plan/method/scheme is essential because boy are there some stinkers out there. I've put countless hours into this and the misdirects have been endless.

Hands down the best advice I've found out of the over 60 wealth plans I've looked at, the most useful and inspiring advice always comes from case studies, and most of those are right here on WF.

Thank you to one and all who have posted case studies, Dan's story is an especially good one, thank you.

[Carl Davison]

It's rainy and gloomy outside here in old San Antone. I was trying
to motivate myself to work on a new product today and I caught
myself in a negative downward spiral and I ran across this post.

I sat down to think about this, so after pulling myself out of it; I
decided to share it with you here. I hope it helps!

Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they
are. - Malcolm Forbes

I myself spend too much time with this one. Why so focused on the
past? Why so focused on the "I'm nots?" Quite simply, when you are
looking backwards, you can't see where you are going. When you are
contemplating and focused on how things 'aren't' you can't
contemplate and focus on how things could be -beyond "wishing"- and
you definitely aren't coming up with a plan to make things better.
It's a deadly trance that must be broken.


Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. - Tim Notke

Ah, so maybe I recognize some talent within myself? Like many, back
in high school I tried to skate by on sheer talent and got left in
the dust by people with less talent who were more devoted, diligent
and willing to take risks. Talent, when it first becomes apparent,
appears to be a rare quality to be envious of. However, the longer
one looks for talent, the more obvious it is that it is a fairly
common commodity...a commodity that is usually undeveloped because
it is a trait that cannot function on it's own very well, nor for
very long. It requires it's partner- hard work -to truly become
valuable and repeatedly usable at one's will.


Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in
overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Edison

Laziness is the byproduct of fear. When you're afraid your efforts
won't succeed, there becomes no point to even trying. OR...you try a
little and then give up. But what if you looked at things another
way? What if...action simply revealed the next steps? What if
failure uncovered a secret that caused success? What if...even if
they failed...your action set -carried out as vehemently and
unwavering as possible- put in place a chain of events (often
referred to as good luck) that made success and wealth inevitable?

If you could only see the other side of your actions...what if:
standing in the light of your excitingly successful and abundant
world you could look back...back in time...back through the long
tunnel into the suffocating darkness from whence you came...and you
knew...you finally recognized that all of your groping in that
darkness wasn't in vain?

How happy would you be on the other side, days, weeks, months and
yes, maybe even years from now? How overjoyed and relieved would you
be at having had the tenacity...and I daresay in conflict with the
OP's title...SMARTS...to take the steps...to get in the ring with an
unknown opponent and slug it out to an unknown end?

"Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of
victory." -General George S. Patton

That is the feeling you'll have when you finally get off your duff
and make something happen.

I'm off to create my next product now...!

To your success,

Carl Davison

[Scott Ames]

One thing I've learned. It takes hard work, lots of it, but it doesn't have to be your hard work.

[breakdance]

Originally Posted by Scott Ames

One thing I've learned. It takes hard work, lots of it, but it doesn't have to be your hard work.

LOL, *leverage* and *outsourcing* at its' best!

[Scott Ames]

Originally Posted by WhoIsJohnGalt?

"Whats up everybody?"

Went to a local cider press festival today. Saw some morris dancers. They were excellent and I was reminded of the fact that people are much more amenable when they are acting all christian and altruistic.

Huh??? What forum did you plan to post this on?

[actionplanbiz]

I have been working hard for a while now. made some money, but not the worth the time i put into it yet. but i hope to see it come soon

[Daniel Brock]

Originally Posted by Carl Davison

It's rainy and gloomy outside here in old San Antone. I was trying
to motivate myself to work on a new product today and I caught
myself in a negative downward spiral and I ran across this post.

I sat down to think about this, so after pulling myself out of it; I
decided to share it with you here. I hope it helps!

Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they
are. - Malcolm Forbes

I myself spend too much time with this one. Why so focused on the
past? Why so focused on the "I'm nots?" Quite simply, when you are
looking backwards, you can't see where you are going. When you are
contemplating and focused on how things 'aren't' you can't
contemplate and focus on how things could be -beyond "wishing"- and
you definitely aren't coming up with a plan to make things better.
It's a deadly trance that must be broken.


Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. - Tim Notke

Ah, so maybe I recognize some talent within myself? Like many, back
in high school I tried to skate by on sheer talent and got left in
the dust by people with less talent who were more devoted, diligent
and willing to take risks. Talent, when it first becomes apparent,
appears to be a rare quality to be envious of. However, the longer
one looks for talent, the more obvious it is that it is a fairly
common commodity...a commodity that is usually undeveloped because
it is a trait that cannot function on it's own very well, nor for
very long. It requires it's partner- hard work -to truly become
valuable and repeatedly usable at one's will.


Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in
overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Edison

Laziness is the byproduct of fear. When you're afraid your efforts
won't succeed, there becomes no point to even trying. OR...you try a
little and then give up. But what if you looked at things another
way? What if...action simply revealed the next steps? What if
failure uncovered a secret that caused success? What if...even if
they failed...your action set -carried out as vehemently and
unwavering as possible- put in place a chain of events (often
referred to as good luck) that made success and wealth inevitable?

If you could only see the other side of your actions...what if:
standing in the light of your excitingly successful and abundant
world you could look back...back in time...back through the long
tunnel into the suffocating darkness from whence you came...and you
knew...you finally recognized that all of your groping in that
darkness wasn't in vain?

How happy would you be on the other side, days, weeks, months and
yes, maybe even years from now? How overjoyed and relieved would you
be at having had the tenacity...and I daresay in conflict with the
OP's title...SMARTS...to take the steps...to get in the ring with an
unknown opponent and slug it out to an unknown end?

"Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of
victory." -General George S. Patton

That is the feeling you'll have when you finally get off your duff
and make something happen.

I'm off to create my next product now...!

To your success,

Carl Davison

Excellent post and what an awesome way to dissect the idea of hard work. You're a really good writer, that is for sure.

I definitely agree with you that fear can screw with your hard work.

If you KNEW you were about to make $1,000,000, and that it was within grasp, you can be damn sure you are going to work your butt off to get it.

Like you said, when you start to doubt something, you start to become lazy about it - you might stop all together or you might half-ass what you were doing before.

[tomw]

Ah...the impetuousness of youth.



Meet sisyphus.
Greet productivity and economic profit.

That aside, I think you'll go far, kid.



Tom

[Daniel Brock]

Originally Posted by WhoIsJohnGalt?

I was answering the question.

Hah! I finally understand. You are hilarious!

[DrewG]

Excellent points Daniel, and it's certainly the truth. We all have to go through some form of hard work before we can even start leveraging other things.

[jrmnlitt]

Great post, and you are right. So many people believe you can just press a button and you become rich over night. They don't seem to understand that besides doing the research you also have to put what you have learned into action or you will never see the results you want. With anything you do in life there will always be some kind of learning curve that you will have to get past in order to move forward and to many people give up right before they would had made it work.

[Traffic-Bug]

What do you do to keep yourself motivated during long and hard working hours? Music? Pr0n? Anything else?

[jhongren]

Hi Daniel,

Yes, I agree...

The #1 reason why hardworking people
never succeed because they give up...
a few more steps to achieving success...

They simply give up...

So what is the cure?

Don't give up!

Keep on learning! and striving ahead!

John

[blackDanny]

great post!

[itcoll]

hard work - during the initial stages when we are overloaded with information.so we need to clear the clutter and find the real MMO method
smart work - once you find the MMO method,rinse repeat,invest and triple your earnings every year.now this requires a lot of smart work.

[Charann Miller]

I fully agree, it was through working hard, making mistakes and failing that I learned to adapt and do things smarter each time around but I could only do this by experiencing it for myself so it pays to learn by doing, those are some of my best life lessons.

[davidmerrick]

Hmm how bout working hard AND smart? Being smart means looking for the leverage points, the 20% that makes the 80% difference, and working hard means actually busting your ass and doing the work.

[brucekaushik]

friend, i too stuck to making money online ... i left programming jobs .. and i believe that we can do it with a lot of hard work too ..

actually i realized recently that i am a good student and study a lot .. also i have ability to produce "top class" content but i only failed because i am lazy to write the content ... and i did not outsource it either as i have a feeling that it might not be as good as mine.

but now i am going to do it often and do the hard work ...

wish us all success.

[jacksonlin]

I disagree. It's not about working HARD it's about persistence.

Calvin Coolidge:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

[achivement84]

Hello Daniel,

I liked your post too mucu, although it`s simple idea but i think working in smart way will reach you to the same point as working hard, in other word i think being smart can replace the hard work to reach the same point.

B.Regards

[Daniel Brock]

Originally Posted by jacksonlin

I disagree. It's not about working HARD it's about persistence.

Calvin Coolidge:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Don't these things kind of come hand in hand? I mean surely you can't consider something hard work until you have spent a long time working at it, over and over again, right?

I guess I could refine my original post to say hard work over time is the key to success.

[Anonymous Affiliate]

I agree with the OP only to a 50%:

I am a firm believer in hard, continuous and motivated work, but I also believe in the 80/20 Pareto Rule: 20% of your workload will bring 80% of your revenue. You firstly gotta work smartly, identifying where the real money is, and then work hard on that.

[bapeman92]

thanks everybody.

I'm going to work hard and smart at this internet money stuff

[sbucciarel]

I see a lot of people work hard and never make it in IM. I also see a lot of people work hard, but never take the time to master some basic skills, like creating sites, writing articles, etc. I think there's a balance between hard work and willingness to learn that you need to have.

[Daniel Brock]

Originally Posted by sbucciarel

I see a lot of people work hard and never make it in IM. I also see a lot of people work hard, but never take the time to master some basic skills, like creating sites, writing articles, etc. I think there's a balance between hard work and willingness to learn that you need to have.

I have seen this happen to, in rare cases. But it is hard to tell if they really 'worked hard' or if they are just saying they worked hard because they spent a couple hours of their time building something...that's not working hard IMO.

What really confuses me, is why would someone be willing to work so hard if it's not paying out for them? The first thing that goes through my mind when I am working on something(over time) is whether or not it is worth my effort.

Perhaps they are just hoping that it will 'come' if they keep working just a little bit longer?

But there is always at least some sign that there is some life in it...

[Antony103]

it's all about the GRIND and HUSTLE. Get Money people!

i agree with daniel, a willing mind to learn and follow instructions, and solid work ethic will get you to the top

[sbucciarel]

Originally Posted by Daniel Brock

I have seen this happen to, in rare cases. But it is hard to tell if they really 'worked hard' or if they are just saying they worked hard because they spent a couple hours of their time building something...that's not working hard IMO.

What really confuses me, is why would someone be willing to work so hard if it's not paying out for them? The first thing that goes through my mind when I am working on something(over time) is whether or not it is worth my effort.

Perhaps they are just hoping that it will 'come' if they keep working just a little bit longer?

But there is always at least some sign that there is some life in it...

It's because they hear all the huge promises of really big money. Actually, I tried everything in the beginning, listening to everyone and failing at most everything until one guy gave me a lead that changed the way I thought and what I did, etc. It's been all uphill since then and none of it has come from reading IM ebooks ... mostly capitalizing on my particular skill set rather than looking for the easy money promised by so many.

It's got to be confusing to a lot who don't find their own way and think that if "everyone" else is making it big, they will too if they just hang in there.

A lot of people don't realize that there isn't any "big secret" method out there or any guaranteed blueprint to success and that a little thinking outside the box goes a long way.

[TimCastleman]

Umm I'm pretty lazy to be honest and I consider myself pretty successful. It isn't a lot of hard work, it isn't a grind or a hustle .. it isn't any of those things. I just provide products and services that people want. Not really that hard to do that. Find out what people want, give it to them, and get paid.

Great comments by a lot of people here btw.

[bryemidas]

yeah... like it... I say "you can't make money and excuses at the same time"...

[Aitor Astobieta]

I think the key concept here is leverage.

Working hard is important, but you have to work hard at something that will give you results, and from which you take your hands off later on (the word "autopilot" anyone?....)

If you work hard all the time you end up like a hamster running around all the time without stopping at all.

The problem is that in the beginning specially, you have to work like a madman unless you are really lucky.

Once you get good at what you do, maybe you can outsource and automate your business.

But there is always that first barrier of entry that prevents newbies from making any money online since they are looking for easy, quick riches.

We all know that the "gate to the Kingdom of IM is narrow", and only a few get to enter it.

I always try to imagine in my mind for the sake of inspiration that gurus like Frank Kern and John Reese also began by sitting at their computers for hours on end, not seeing the outside world in months.

At least that's what I would like to think, or maybe I am turning into a vampire?

[tomw]

Originally Posted by Aitor Astobieta

The problem is that in the beginning specially, you have to work like a madman unless you are really lucky.

But there is always that first barrier of entry that prevents newbies from making any money online since they are looking for easy, quick riches.

Or unless you spend time doing some research, formulating a plan comprised of proven strategies and tactics laid down by countless other people that have done it all before and sticking to it.

The major "barrier to entry" that "newbies" encounter is *not* doing the above.

Tom

[Daniel Brock]

Originally Posted by Aitor Astobieta

I think the key concept here is leverage.

Working hard is important, but you have to work hard at something that will give you results, and from which you take your hands off later on (the word "autopilot" anyone?....)

If you work hard all the time you end up like a hamster running around all the time without stopping at all.

That's a really good point. I'm betting that's where all the hang ups come when people are working hard but aren't seeing the kind of results they want. You definitely want to build on your prior hard work - that's a very good point.

Originally Posted by tomw

Or unless you spend time doing some research, formulating a plan comprised of proven strategies and tactics laid down by countless other people that have done it all before and sticking to it.

The major "barrier to entry" that "newbies" encounter is *not* doing the above.

Tom

That is true - but how many newbies out there will be able to recognize a proven plan? Sure they might work on it for a month or two, but how many will actually follow through?

[tomw]

Originally Posted by Daniel Brock

That is true - but how many newbies out there will be able to recognize a proven plan? Sure they might work on it for a month or two, but how many will actually follow through?

This very forum is teeming with such plans as equally as it is with "newbies" that copied them, "followed through" and profited.

You Daniel, are a fine example such success - to the tune of $4039.36 per month in under 4 months.



Tom

[Martin Luxton]

What marketing books don't teach you

The Emperor's New Clothes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Martin

[fghaegele]

Or working smart. Budgeting time properly is the hardest thing to do as a web developer.

[tomw]

Originally Posted by Martin Luxton

What marketing books don't teach you

The Emperor's New Clothes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Martin

Is that a question or a statement? I'd like to know before I decide to reply.

On the one hand, it could be an insightful and ironic comment on the discussion at hand. On the other, I'd prefer not to wade through the pages of Amazon in order to help you with your search.



Tom

[Martin Luxton]

Originally Posted by tomw

Is that a question or a statement? I'd like to know before I decide to reply.

On the one hand, it could be an insightful and ironic comment on the discussion at hand. On the other, I'd prefer not to wade through the pages of Amazon in order to help you with your search.



Tom

Tom,

It's a statement. Understanding that story was my IM epiphany.

Martin

P.S. What are you doing up so late?

[tomw]

Originally Posted by Martin Luxton

Tom,

It's a statement. Understanding that story was my IM epiphany.

Martin

P.S. What are you doing up so late?

I know - just trying to raise a smile.

It's late. Can't sleep. I'm bored...

Where's our old buds Roger and Schramko?

Tom

P.S. mine was: stand openhanded in the path of the money flow.

[SEO Training Alliance]

Hmm, I'll be the first to admit that I'm very guilty of trying to find shortcuts and the BEST way to make money online etc. Its really only very recently that I've begun to implement massive action, and I say implement because its predominantly outsourced.

HOWEVER,

I don't see the critical issue being about working hard, or even really focus...

I'd say the reason people have trouble is because their campaigns are INCOMPLETE.

No one knows when/whether they've reached their goals, so they stop prematurely.

Nowadays, when I look at an empty account, I say to myself, well unless i'm getting 100 hops a day through that link, I cant really expect to be making sales.

And if im not getting those hops I think, well unless my articles are ranked on the first pages then im not getting the traffic to drive those hops.

And if my articles are on page 1 and im still not getting the traffic, then I dont have enough articles to drive enough traffic, or the keywords aren't searched for enough.

My 2 cents.

[mikemcmillan]

Good for you Daniel! Add some organization, motivation, and research to the hard work and you are unstoppable!

[AceHazel]

I agree with you man. It pays to work hard. I am not that computer genius but I do work hard to make money.