What Are YOU Looking For?

I was going through some of Paul Myers' stuff today and I don't exactly recall
what it was, but one thing I read got me thinking about people who are trying
to run a business from home and what specifically they're looking for.

I'm not talking about in any kind of information product. I'm talking about
something a lot deeper than just "How Do I Write Articles" or whatever it is
you're trying to learn. That isn't what this thread is about.

It's about having you sit down and do a little bit of soul searching.

On the more general level, this includes WHY you want to work from home. Is
it just because your boss is a jackass and the thought of working for him one
more day makes you want to start throwing furniture around the house? That's
how it was for me. Of course I also eventually lost my job so I ended up not
having a choice. But still, I'd never go back to work for anybody ever again.

Or maybe it's because you're bored and want a challenge. Maybe your job
doesn't fulfill you. The boss may be fine. But the job itself doesn't make you
feel like you're accomplishing anything. You might be retired and that's why
you're bored. So a home business is something to give you something to do.

Okay, that's a general way of looking at "what are you looking for?" and more
importantly, why.

More specifically, what are you looking for IN the business you want to
create and run?

A lot of people, when they first start, have no direction. All they know is that
they want to make money. That's great. But there are so many ways to make
money in this world that it's easy to get frustrated just trying to come up
with an idea.

I could list, off the top of my head, at least 100 different ways to make
money online. You can't do them all. So what do you want to do? Have you
thought about it or are you just wandering aimlessly from one thing to
another?

One way to answer that question is to look at your hard drive and list how
many "how to make money" products you have on it.

In 9 years, I have maybe a dozen. I almost always had a clear plan once I
managed to learn enough to understand what was "doable" and what was
just pie on the sky hopes and wishes.

For example, at one time I used to think you could get rich reading emails.

Hey, that's what somebody told me. What did I know? I was a low grade
idiot when I first got online. Eventually, I figured out that the most consistent
way to make money was to offer something to somebody that they'd be
willing to pay money for.

I pay $X to Aweber each year because they provide me with a service that
is invaluable to my business.

Seems pretty easy to me.

But a lot of people don't get it and end up going from one get rich quick
scheme to another.

Trust me, they don't work or only work for a short time. I could tell you
horror stories but then this thread would be 50 pages long from just one
post.

Then we could get really specific with the "what are you looking for" question
such as "What kind of membership model are you looking for?" if you decide
that you want to build a membership site?

For example. You could build a site that simply provides new content for the
members to use each month or you could build a site that is based on ongoing
interaction between you and the members, such as a mentoring or coaching
program.

Maybe you'll create an exclusive affiliate program membership site where ONLY
members get to promote certain products.

The ideas for membership sites alone are numerous.

What about product creation?

Forgetting about the actual niche you're going to target (music, health,
real estate, etc.) you've got the type of products you're going to create.

Will they be Ebooks?
Will they be CDs?
Will they be Downloadable Scripts?
Will they be Videos?

Will they be a combination of any or all of the above?

The point I'm trying to get across here is that a lot of people don't REALLY
sit down and plan things out. They just kind of wing it.

I'm not saying you can't run a successful business doing things on the fly
on a whim. Sometimes you just get an idea pop into your head and just have
to run with it. This has happened to me several times. So I don't always
practice what I preach.

But when all is said and done, I have a basic plan. I have reasons for doing
everything that I do. I don't wake up one day thinking to myself, "Hmmm,
what am I going to do today?" I know what I'm going to do today.

For example, today, this was my schedule.

1. Read Paul Myers' book on putting together a follow up series.
2. Write an article for my blog.
3. Relax

It just so happened that # 1 made me come here to share what Paul's book
made me think of because I felt it was important enough to do it. So yes, I
was sidetracked even WITH a plan.

Imagine how easy it will be for somebody to get sidetracked if they DON'T
have a plan.

You end up watching videos at YouTube all day.

So please, if you do nothing else today, sit down and ask yourself, "What am
I looking for?"

If you don't know what you want to do with your business and your life in
general, how do you expect to get there?

Before you know it, the years will pass and you'll say to yourself, "Man, what
did I do with my life?"

If nothing else, I can at least say that I did something with my life and
made something of myself. I put my daughter through college. I paid for
my home. I paid off my debt. I at least accomplished something.

No, I didn't become a big famous songwriter like I hoped for when I was 20,
but I'm not looking back at my life saying I did nothing with it.

I don't want anybody here to do that either.

Life is too short. It's gone before you know it.

Make the time count...for something.