Finding it difficult to keep going; What did you do in this situation?

[multiplefigureincome]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum. I guess I should tell you a bit about myself. My real name is Dennis. I'm 19 and I am a failed A-level student. I was supposed to be the guy who was going to go 'far'. The brilliant performer. Everyone thought that I was fairly smart and I was going to clean up the exams. Well they had another thing coming. One morning in the 11th of August in the year 2008, I woke up to check my UCAS page (University application website where you see if the university you applied for has accepted or rejected you based on your grades, but you don't get to see your actual grades) with my eyes closed.

I hoped and hoped for the best and as my eyelids slowly parted, I saw REJECTED in glorious bold print. Everything stopped. Could I still be dreaming? Maybe I was asleep right? So I shook my head and pinched and did this and that and yeah, this was real. Maybe they'd made a mistake. I hit F5 to refresh the page. It was still there. I got scared. In fact I delayed the collection of my results by a whole week. Everyone would ask me and I'd make up an excuse. When I finally got them they were disappointing. Two C's and a D. I wasn't surprised. I had earned that. I didn't revise. I just wasn't motivated enough.


You see, a few months before, I had a complete change of attitude. My first year of A-levels had been okay. I got mostly B's and I was determined to turn them into A's with a few re-takes and I did. But I got sidetracked somehow. I researched some of the wealthiest people in the world and it seemed that a lot of them either left school or dropped out. I then researched the life of most professional careers. While a lot earned great incomes, it was a life of work work and more work. I then got discouraged because I didn't want that for myself. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I didn't mind working extra hard if it was for myself. Hell' I'd work all day everyday if it was for myself. Then a few things went wrong with my personal life round about when I should have begun revising intensively for my exams and my focus was sidetracked even further. To make a long story short, it wasn't a surprise to me at all that my results came out the way they did.


So why didn't I resit them? They could be corrected right? Well about that ... I have a problem with following through. I also had a big problem with the revelation I had just had. Work for 40 plus years to earn a pension? I didn't like it. So I set about to find my special something. I was eager to serve but I wanted to go my own way and start a business. I wasn't particularly brilliant at anything (maybe education but I'd just stuffed that) but I was a jack of all trades, just a master of none. That could be useful I figured. Well thats where I find myself at now. Still looking. And then something seemed to change ...


A few days ago I stumbled upon this site. I actually searched 'self improvement forum' because I'd reached a tipping point. I'd had enough of peoples judgments and I wanted to change for the better, forever. Boy was I excited. I felt like I had finally got my big break. Like this was it! The information was not so different to a gold mine. I then set about absorbing the information and started to create action plans. Before I knew it I got hold of Roshan C's guide and thought I'd test run that and see if I could get results. I was so enthusiastic and had so many goals and my first was to replicate my monthly income with the marketing. Ultimately I wanted to take my skills off line. Always ambitious!

I chose the fitness niche because it's what I know best however, I took a different angle since it's rather competitive. It was all going to plan until I woke up this morning and set about refining my knowledge on submitting links and the like. I just found it so demoralising when I read through some of the posts and I encountered terms like 'ping' and some of the abbreviations used like 'PLR' and numerous other terms that mean nothing to me. It's so easy to lose your sense of direction trying to figure what everything means. So far I've managed to write 8 articles and my target was 20. Even that is difficult to do since it turns that most of my keywords have no commercial intent what so ever. I've also tried to put myself in the mind of a potential buyer and I realised that there was no way I would use those keywords if i was intending to buy anything at all .


The thing is it's not my first time trying this out. I once registered a few domains and tried my hand at affiliate marketing some months back but it didn't work out. I also bought a DVD full of digital products for resale but that didn't work out too. Now I'm having such a difficult time coping with the jargon used around the site. I wish there was an FAQ page with a huge list of definitions because reading some of the posts, while they have such valuable information is almost confusing (maybe there is and I'm just being daft, if there is I'd be glad to see it ).


I am by all means not desperate for money. I've got a part-time job that covers all my expenses but I don't get to enjoy life since this is all it's enough for . Some guy at the gym told me that my job (I sell mobile phones) was much like working at McDonalds, basically tying to say it was sh*t. He always asks me about my 'entrepreneurial ventures' with a smug look on his face (he has his own plumbing company) and I always tell him that I'm working on finding something. I feel like I have found my 'something' with IM. I can sit at the computer all day without any problems. I can find almost anything on the internet with google and I figured I could use that skill to find the best keywords. I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur ... much to the disgust of my peers and my parents who always wanted me to take the conventional route and go to university and get a job and work all of my life. They actually wanted me to be a doctor but I can't survive a minute in a hospital. I flatly refused because I felt there was a better way. I believed and still do that one doesn't have to catch the train or drive through the morning traffic. That one doesn't have to spend a good deal of time working for someone else and having their income dictated. While I help pay the bills and pay my own way, I cant help but think that my friends and my parents think that I am wasting my life away. I can see the look they give me when I tell them I am not at university, as if that is supposed to be the holy grail of success and those who choose to snub it are doomed forever. My girlfriend thinks I just sit there doing nothing all day and while some days this rings true, the thought of future success never leaves my mind. I want this so badly. I want success, even on a mediocre level and then I can build upon it.

I know I haven't been in marketing long in comparison to some but it's more the journey that lead me here that bears heavy on me. I actually came to England from Africa in 2003 and life over here hasn't been as smooth as we had expected. In fact it's not been nice at all and it's mostly been financial problems. I also know that in comparison to some people who have tried and failed for so long, my little problem is nothing compared to what some people have gone through but I can't help but feel this way. I always try and remember what I am doing this for. I'm doing it to prove myself to be just as competent at earning my living as anybody else out there, be it a Bachelors degree or a Doctorate. I just want the people who matter to me most to start to believe in me again and I want to help my girlfriend transition through her university smoothly without any financial concerns. I also want to create a lifestyle that I have always wanted for me and my family and build something that will live on for many generations to come.


I just feel burned out right now. I'm running out of ideas for my articles, I cant seem to concentrate and my mind constantly wanders. I get these negative thoughts telling me to give it up because I just won't make it . I also have to try and figure out what some of the highly recommended articles mean. I was on the verge of applying to be a stock-broker because of all the pressure I got from everyone. They say I need a 'proper job'. I talked myself out of the stock broker thing but it's still an option even though the current climate would make it nigh on impossible to secure employment.
Anyway I just felt like ranting. I'm so frustrated at myself for not being able to understand some of the best articles on the site. I just wanted to know how everyone stays motivated and focused. It's a little hard for me at the moment.

Dennis

[SpamHat]

A levels mean not much at all in the grand scheme of life.

If anything formal education trains you to be an employee - a good worker.

Don't listen to the family about "proper jobs". That may have been perfectly fine 50 years ago, but things have changed.

If you've got enough cash to survive, research the crap out of what you want to know then obliterate a few A4 yellow pads with schemes, ideas and setups based on what you've learned.

Then lay the next 12 months, month by month with a big juicy goal at the end.

Then go do it

[Ian Middleton]

Hi Dennis,

I hope you feel better for getting that off your chest!

I did not do too well at school, okay but not brilliant. The careers officer who came to visit our school suggested I might want to consider being a "dustbin man".

I have worked hard all of my life and only started to turn the corner when I believed it is better to work smarter rather than harder. I can only work so many hours a day as a "dustman" for little over the minimum wage ie exchange hours for £'s or use my time and other people's efforts to multiply my earning potential?

I am not a dustman and never was. I did however qualify as a plumber and electrician despite what was spoken "at me"

Now, where am I going with this? Well before I started my own article writing service I spent more money than I care to mention at this stage on IM "get rich quick schemes" I learnt a lot from my experience and I would like to offer some advice to you to consider if I may?

Do NOT be in a hurry to spend money you do not have and do not borrow to do so. If you are going to buy, then do not buy "everything going" as you will soon reach saturation point, go around in circles and get nowhere fast and achieve nothing!

Spend time learning from this forum and ask for help every step of the way - you will be surprised at how generous most people are here. Get focused on what you want, write it down and stick it up next to your mirror!

For me personally, getting a mentor who has disciplined me and focused me was worth every penny and certainly money well spent. I did not know about WF until recently.

I wish you well Dennis

Regards
Ian

[lharding]

Hi,

Gaining qualification isn't the end of your ability to get a good job (whether working for yourself or someone else), it's more about your attitude to take action and make a success of yourself.

Don't spend any money on IM stuff for 6 months. Just hang out here on this forum and get a feel for what's going on. You'll notice that you be offered more than once the "biggest and best" way to make money online, just read and digest, don't spend money yet. Give yourself time to see how things work, what business models fit most comfortably with yourself. Don't ever think an opportunity has passed you by, I think that never happens (in fact the opportunities tend to improve over time) even though you'll get pressure to "BUY NOW" it's a "LIMITED OFFER", "NEVER TO BE REPEATED", they're all true, but for that offer right there, not future ones.
You want to shape yourself into the Marketer, not the person being marketed.

Be honest with yourself. You need to understand your weaknesses and your strengths. Like you said, you are probably responsible for the results of your A-Levels. Understand this and accept that you decided to get the grades you achieved and what demotivated you etc. You'll find what makes you tick!

Cheers, Lee.

[talfighel]

Hi Dennis,

I had to read half of your post here because it was getting too much for my eyes.

All I can say is that the most successful people in the world never finished high school and never got into college. When I wanted to get into college for photography, I was rejected several times so I went and studies "General Business" instead and I quit after 2 years and did not graduate. Look, the best education is the education of life and not from school.

The best advice I can give you is to find a good mentor who is doing very well online, and follow them. You will probably not make it so fast online, but if you just persist, you will do fine.

It doesn't matter what others are saying, if you feel that you should be self employed for the rest of your life, then follow that path. Don't let anyone EVER tell you otherwise.

Tal

[lstoops]

You need a plan. A very clear and focused plan. Write it out.

Marketing online is as simple as this: A market, a product, a system.

You can't make money unless you have these things in place.

After you have these things in place...focus. Oh, and don't give up!

[wohoo19m]

the key to getting somewhere in marketing is being able to find ways to climb over all the walls that will be put in your path. As for finding the motivation, well you just really need to believe and want it bad enough. It's hard to leave out the outside world and all the pressures put upon you. Whatever you do, always keep working on your vision of what you want your life to be. Even if you do end up going to school, and getting a career working for the man. Keep on working on the things that will make your life what you want it to be. Even if it's just part time, little steps will still make you move forward.

[Tyrus Antas]

That giant wall of text is making me difficult for me to read past the first sentence!

Tyrus

[TLTheLiberator]

That was a big wall of text Dennis.

Next time, at least separate the paragraphs OK?

( remember that with your online marketing )

Attempt to get back into a school and learn a steady way to earn money.

At the same time, you can slowly but surely learn the business.

Who knows, perhaps is 9 months to a year your choice will be easy.

If you want to make it so, I advise you to get serious and understand what you're doing and take action.

Here's a thread that should point you in the right direction and cripple Mr. Info-overload and Madame Confusion for you.

Newbies Are Darn Lucky These Days!!


Hope This Helps!!

TL

[Andy LaPointe]

Hi Dennis,

It has been mentioned in this thread a few time, but success in school doesn't mean success in life. I know may of the "brains" I graduated with are not doing so good, while many of the "burn-outs" and "just regular" people from high school and college are doing great.

It is all in your mindset. Here are a few book I would recommend and read them from cover to cover. Once your done, reread them again.

Think and Grow Rich -Napoleon Hill
How to Raise your own salary - Napolean Hill's interview with Andrew Carnegie.

I have read each of these books atleast two dozen times over the past 10 years.
You'll have a completely different mindset when you done.

Good Luck,

[Michael Franklin]

Originally Posted by multiplefigureincome

I chose the fitness niche because it's what I know best however, I took a different angle since it's rather competitive. It was all going to plan until I woke up this morning and set about refining my knowledge on submitting links and the like. I just found it so demoralising when I read through some of the posts and I encountered terms like 'ping' and some of the abbreviations used like 'PLR' and numerous other terms that mean nothing to me. It's so easy to lose your sense of direction trying to figure what everything means.

Hi Dennis,

I sense the heavy frustration! You know, it can be an uphill climb when you try to dive into Internet Marketing and yet not have a good grasp on the terminology. I would do a search of those terms that are really throwing you for a loop....Do a search on this forum or on Wikipedia. Keep going through the results until you come to an explanation that makes sense to you.

Just by understanding the terminology you will be on much sturdier ground!

Originally Posted by multiplefigureincome

So far I've managed to write 8 articles and my target was 20. Even that is difficult to do since it turns that most of my keywords have no commercial intent what so ever. I've also tried to put myself in the mind of a potential buyer and I realised that there was no way I would use those keywords if i was intending to buy anything at all .

Check out some of the threads on keyword research, especially long-tail keyword research. If you don't do proper keyword research, you will be wandering aimlessly.

Also, if you want to see good results with your article marketing, you need to get way more than 20 articles out there. Once you have enough articles out there, you will get a sense of which keyword phrases and articles are working for you.

As you do your research to come up with content for your articles, you will also come across new keyword phrases that you can develop new articles around. That's the beauty of article marketing....There really is no limit to how you can attack your niche!

Internet Marketing can be frustrating but hang in there. The ones that persist at it are the ones that succeed!

Good Luck!

[multiplefigureincome]

Originally Posted by Ian Middleton

Hi Dennis,

I hope you feel better for getting that off your chest!

I did not do too well at school, okay but not brilliant. The careers officer who came to visit our school suggested I might want to consider being a "dustbin man".

I have worked hard all of my life and only started to turn the corner when I believed it is better to work smarter rather than harder. I can only work so many hours a day as a "dustman" for little over the minimum wage ie exchange hours for £'s or use my time and other people's efforts to multiply my earning potential?

I am not a dustman and never was. I did however qualify as a plumber and electrician despite what was spoken "at me"

Now, where am I going with this? Well before I started my own article writing service I spent more money than I care to mention at this stage on IM "get rich quick schemes" I learnt a lot from my experience and I would like to offer some advice to you to consider if I may?

Do NOT be in a hurry to spend money you do not have and do not borrow to do so. If you are going to buy, then do not buy "everything going" as you will soon reach saturation point, go around in circles and get nowhere fast and achieve nothing!

Spend time learning from this forum and ask for help every step of the way - you will be surprised at how generous most people are here. Get focused on what you want, write it down and stick it up next to your mirror!

For me personally, getting a mentor who has disciplined me and focused me was worth every penny and certainly money well spent. I did not know about WF until recently.

I wish you well Dennis

Regards
Ian

Thank you for your invaluable advice Ian. I hope that my corner is not too far ahead. I have promised myself to stick with this and change my approach if I encounter failure. I hope your ventures reap continuous success.

Originally Posted by lharding

Hi,

Gaining qualification isn't the end of your ability to get a good job (whether working for yourself or someone else), it's more about your attitude to take action and make a success of yourself.

Don't spend any money on IM stuff for 6 months. Just hang out here on this forum and get a feel for what's going on. You'll notice that you be offered more than once the "biggest and best" way to make money online, just read and digest, don't spend money yet. Give yourself time to see how things work, what business models fit most comfortably with yourself. Don't ever think an opportunity has passed you by, I think that never happens (in fact the opportunities tend to improve over time) even though you'll get pressure to "BUY NOW" it's a "LIMITED OFFER", "NEVER TO BE REPEATED", they're all true, but for that offer right there, not future ones.
You want to shape yourself into the Marketer, not the person being marketed.

Be honest with yourself. You need to understand your weaknesses and your strengths. Like you said, you are probably responsible for the results of your A-Levels. Understand this and accept that you decided to get the grades you achieved and what demotivated you etc. You'll find what makes you tick!

Cheers, Lee.

Thanks for the advice Lee. I have looked at that and I found that while I was doing well in the subjects I chose, they did not take full advantage of my strengths. But I hope you realize how important your response and everyone elses's is and that I will keep referring to this thread in times of difficulty. Thank you.

Originally Posted by talfighel

Hi Dennis,

I had to read half of your post here because it was getting too much for my eyes.

All I can say is that the most successful people in the world never finished high school and never got into college. When I wanted to get into college for photography, I was rejected several times so I went and studies "General Business" instead and I quit after 2 years and did not graduate. Look, the best education is the education of life and not from school.

The best advice I can give you is to find a good mentor who is doing very well online, and follow them. You will probably not make it so fast online, but if you just persist, you will do fine.

It doesn't matter what others are saying, if you feel that you should be self employed for the rest of your life, then follow that path. Don't let anyone EVER tell you otherwise.

Tal

Many thanks Tal. I am finding the pressure a bit much at the moment. Altought it's advised not to take notice of what people think you should do with your life, the natural desire to gain approval can cloud that notion. But I know that you are right and that I should follow my own heart and nevermind what other people may think. Thanks again Tal, to your success!

Originally Posted by lstoops

You need a plan. A very clear and focused plan. Write it out.

Marketing online is as simple as this: A market, a product, a system.

You can't make money unless you have these things in place.

After you have these things in place...focus. Oh, and don't give up!

Thank you very much lstoops. I am attempting to find a market by creating a mailing list and letting them tell me what they want. Thank you very much for your practical advice. It means a lot =].

Originally Posted by wohoo19m

the key to getting somewhere in marketing is being able to find ways to climb over all the walls that will be put in your path. As for finding the motivation, well you just really need to believe and want it bad enough. It's hard to leave out the outside world and all the pressures put upon you. Whatever you do, always keep working on your vision of what you want your life to be. Even if you do end up going to school, and getting a career working for the man. Keep on working on the things that will make your life what you want it to be. Even if it's just part time, little steps will still make you move forward.

Thank you very much woohoo19m. I guess I need to have an end point and make sure that everything I do will get me one step closer to reaching that point. Believe me, I am working on that one my friend!

I've realised that success is worth waiting for. In the scheme of things, success doesn't come as quickly as we'd like but it tend to arrive a lot sooner than we deserve it to. that is a quote by Felix Dennis by the way, a UK multi-millionaire =].

Originally Posted by Tyrus Antas

That giant wall of text is making me difficult for me to read past the first sentence!

Tyrus

I'm sorry Tyrus, I've paragraphed it for you and anyone else finding it tedious to get through.

Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator

That was a big wall of text Dennis.

Next time, at least separate the paragraphs OK?

( remember that with your online marketing )

Attempt to get back into a school and learn a steady way to earn money.

At the same time, you can slowly but surely learn the business.

Who knows, perhaps is 9 months to a year your choice will be easy.

If you want to make it so, I advise you to get serious and understand what you're doing and take action.

Here's a thread that should point you in the right direction and cripple Mr. Info-overload and Madame Confusion for you.

Hope This Helps!!

TL

Thank you TL. That has certainly helped. I have taken your advice on board and I'm thinking of some courses I could enroll for that I would enjoy while ensuring a nice steady stream of income! Heres to your success!

Originally Posted by Andy LaPointe

Hi Dennis,

It has been mentioned in this thread a few time, but success in school doesn't mean success in life. I know may of the "brains" I graduated with are not doing so good, while many of the "burn-outs" and "just regular" people from high school and college are doing great.

It is all in your mindset. Here are a few book I would recommend and read them from cover to cover. Once your done, reread them again.

Think and Grow Rich -Napoleon Hill
How to Raise your own salary - Napolean Hill's interview with Andrew Carnegie.

I have read each of these books atleast two dozen times over the past 10 years.
You'll have a completely different mindset when you done.

Good Luck,

I guess coming from Africa where education really is king, it's difficult to believe the opposite because over here opportunity is strife. Anyone with enough conviction can make it here. I have a hard copy of Think and Grow Rich but I will actually pick it up and read it today. Thank you Andy

Originally Posted by Michael Franklin

Hi Dennis,

I sense the heavy frustration! You know, it can be an uphill climb when you try to dive into Internet Marketing and yet not have a good grasp on the terminology. I would do a search of those terms that are really throwing you for a loop....Do a search on this forum or on Wikipedia. Keep going through the results until you come to an explanation that makes sense to you.

Just by understanding the terminology you will be on much sturdier ground!




Check out some of the threads on keyword research, especially long-tail keyword research. If you don't do proper keyword research, you will be wandering aimlessly.

Also, if you want to see good results with your article marketing, you need to get way more than 20 articles out there. Once you have enough articles out there, you will get a sense of which keyword phrases and articles are working for you.

As you do your research to come up with content for your articles, you will also come across new keyword phrases that you can develop new articles around. That's the beauty of article marketing....There really is no limit to how you can attack your niche!

Internet Marketing can be frustrating but hang in there. The ones that persist at it are the ones that succeed!

Good Luck!

Cheers Mike! I've started a mini glossary at the back of my project book and I'm writing terms I am not so familiar with! I'm slowly getting more and more organised! Thank you so much. I wanted to churn out 20 articles as a starter and try and get a modest mailing list out of it and then let them show me what they want.
I'm taking notes and keeping all this onboard. You're being very helpful. I can't thank you enough.

Originally Posted by billyboy

And "A levels" are like taking from a baby these days. I got one back in the early 90's when they were REAL exams. Grade C law. Correspondene course....

You are young..focus adn you still have the time to sort it out.

Originally Posted by billyboy

oh yeah....beome a University leturer. £50,000+ p.a. low stress, time off. MUCH EASIER than doing your own thing. There are easy and hard ways to make a living. your choice.

I get your message Bill. I'll stick to it alright. I hope that in the not so distant future I will be posting some valuable information and help someone in a similar predicament. To your success Bill

Hey Dennis!

REJECTED!

How exciting! Now you are ready to get started!

Always remember: "Failure is an event...not a person!"

Make a list of your Dreams.

Break down those Dreams into goals.

Break down the goals into tasks.

Set those tasks as Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Yearly to do's.

Repeat as necessary.

Live the Dream!
Tim

[bemore]

Dennis,

Wow, the response to your dilemma has been incredible and I'll add mine here also. You are going through what we all encounter when getting into this and that is information overload.

The fact that you're young, lack experience and have an entrepreneurial spirit speaks volumes. Dont worry about what ANYONE thinks about what your dreams are. KNOW that you can do it.

Most people do not understand the risk taker that wants to blaze their own trails as society doesn't lend to this mentality. The common path is get an education, get a job, hopefully work your way up the ranks, do that for 30-40 years and retire with a pension.

The sad part is that typical "school' education has nothing to do with the school of hard knocks. Don't worry about whatever your grades were. They have nothing to do with your intelligence. Remember that they were created by some other brainwashed person to judge the capacity of the "norm". Thinking outside the box is the only sure way to progress and stay ahead of the pack.

Don't get discouraged. As was already said, most people learned their ways during a different age and time. Those rules no longer apply to these times. It's like trying to describe the benefits of high speed travel to someone who only rides a horse. They have no reference point from which to draw the comparison. So, don't worry about what others think.

Regarding your education in this field, take it in stride. Don't get discouraged. You're ahead of a very many others already with your understanding that the internet is the future. So, feel appreciative that you've at least realized that. People are scared of change and this includes other people that threaten their ways of static existence.

A lot of people are very lazy and don't have what it takes to be their own person. They will do everything to try to discourage you and bring you down to their way of thinking. It's up to you to rise above that. Many times that will mean that those people will pass out of your life. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Change is inevitable and sometimes that means friends or family.

I'm not advocating abandoning everyone, I'm just saying that when you charge ahead, some may get left behind. For entrepreneurs and especially in the IM field, family and friends rarely understand what it is that you're actually doing. Education is hard work and most will try everything they possibly can to not have to work on themselves.

The great part for you is that there's less competition at the top. So, continue on your course and you'll be the one laughing all the way to the bank.

From what I see, you have to get a plan of action together and FOCUS. Find something you're interested in and really narrow your concentration to only that thing. You'll find it very hard to make money or get far without this critical ingredient.

I'll also have to agree with several here in that you should seek out a mentor and soon. Get some more education in the basics first, find out where your strengths lie, then seek out an expert mentor in that particular area. This will cost money, as all education does. But it will cut your learning curve and help you to focus by giving you responsibility.

Also, freebies are rarely valued by most people, but when there's an investment into something, a psychological factor kicks in that makes you want to receive value for your investment. Believe me, it'll be much less that a formal university education with much greater potential.

Luckily for you, you're still relatively young. I wish I had gotten into this when I was 19, but it really doesn't matter when. What matters is that you TAKE ACTION on what you learn. Don't get paralyzed and not take action. This is very important and can be the difference between hanging around for years and not making a dime, or making it big in very short time.

Also, you've discovered this forum, which is one of the better kept secret resources on the entire internet. The accumulative knowledge available here for free is worth much more than any university you could possibly attend. Many people here are already successful millionaires and are glad to offer assistance and knowledge for free. Just don't take it for granted or have the "expectation" mentality that some seem to have. That is majorly frowned upon here and people have no time for those types. Be willing to learn with an open mind and a positive attitude and you should get all the help you need here.

So, take that and try to use it. It will help you tremendously in not just your business, but also your life. Here's something I recently discovered that may help you get motivated. freehypnosistrial (dot com). I sincerely hope it helps and that you can get through this phase and stay motivated.

You really are embarking on a life changing journey and at the right time. Just take it in stride and continue learning. Don't get discouraged no matter what anyone says. You can do it and we all look forward to hearing about your continued success. Take care and have a productive week. Patrick

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by multiplefigureincome

I just feel burned out right now. I'm running out of ideas for my articles, I cant seem to concentrate and my mind constantly wanders.

Dude, you're NINETEEN. That's normal.

Your job until you hit your mid-twenties is to have as many experiences as you can. Good and bad. Smart and stupid. Do everything. EVERYTHING.

Somewhere between the ages of 24 and 28, your brain will radically and dramatically change. You will undergo a massive growth of white and grey matter. All those experiences you've had will crystallise, and the more of them you've had, the smarter and stronger and better off you'll be.

Just do something else. Something different. Take some time off to be a stockbroker; not for the money, but to learn the business. That experience is cash in your pocket later, when you can say "as a stockbroker, I learned X, Y, and Z". Walk away from it when you've learned what you can, and go do something else.

Your mind is wandering because you're too stagnant. You need more experiences. Your brain craves them. Go feed it.

[Sue Harrison]

Hi Dennis

There is another post here Newbies - Stick together! where a lot of newbies (myself included) are getting a lot of help, support, advice etc. - it might be worth you having a look, in fact I am sure it will be. Welcome on board

I hope the link works - never posted one before

[igorhelpsyousucceed]

Hey Dennis,

I believe that the problem is fear and lack
self-confidence and there is a simple solution to that.

1. you can get a mentor
2. just take action without letting your mind wander
3. learn meditation in order to increase focus ability.

Igor

[multiplefigureincome]

I would like to thank everyone personally for taking their time out to respond to their threads. I am now seeking a mentor. If anyones willing I can manage £20 a month and a generous portion of my initial earnings.

Even if I do not get anyone to respond to my offer, I'm still very grateful for your time. Thank you all very much.

Dennis.

[EquestrianGal]

I can understand your frustration. When I graduated college, I too was an A student and expected to land my dream career with the first resume I sent out. I think that school does well to prepare us for the fact that with hard work comes rewards, but in another way doesn't always show us that the realities of life in that we don't always see the rewards right away like we do once we've had our papers graded and our exams over...

It took me 8 months to find my "career" which is going well but now I'm on here wondering if there is something better, something more suited for me...

With that said though, the rewards will come, and they will come with PERSISTANCE and HARD WORK. Use the knowledge and your skills that you acquired from school and remember that you won't always see instant gratification. It may take some time but you will get there. You found this forum so you're already on your way. Just don't give up. That's where people fail is that they lose sight of their dreams and the reason why they began something in the first place. Don't give up! I'm a firm believer that whenever one door closes, it paves the way for another to open.


Good luck!

[JeffLam]

Hi Dennis,

I am in a rather similar situation as you except that I can say I am more fortunate. I had wanted to type a rant like you but has picked up the courage to carry on again.

Anyways, my story will be for another time. As of now, 2 things are keeping me going:

1) I once read a quote that said along the lines of "A loser is someone who gives up after 3 defeats, as the winner picks himself up after that."

What happened? I failed more than 3 times. In fact right now I'm still failing. I have yet succeeded in any of my IM ventures. I'm probably on my 10th+ try. I was on the verge of giving it all up when I chance upon this quote:

Thomas Edison once said: "I have not failed, I have merely found 1000 ways how not to build a lightbulb."
That quote motivated me again. 1000 times. ONE THOUSAND TIMES. I have found out 10 ways in which I will not make money.

2) The second thing that inspired me greatly was a newsletter from Adam Khoo (a Singaporean that became a millionaire at a very young age of 26)

This is the story he wrote in the letter (It's rather lengthy, sorry to all WFs out there. But trust me, it's a good read):

Hi Jeff,

It was about 22 years ago when I watched my first ROCKY movie
(Rocky III) and it really inspired me to get up from defeat (after
failing my exams) and to train hard to become a winner in life.

Today, 22 years later, I find myself being inspired once again by
Sylvester Stallone's latest Rocky Movie (Rocky Balboa- part 6). In
this latest movie, Rocky is aged 60+ and retired from boxing. One
day, Rocky decides to come out of retirement and to get back into
the ring. He feels the need to fight because of emotional issues
that he needs to resolve within himself. Naturally, he is
criticized and made fun of because he is fighting opponents half
his age.

His son (a corporate executive in his 30s) is totally against the
idea. His career is going nowhere and he blames his father for
casting a big shadow over him. His friends make fun of him because
of who his father is.

This is where the 60-year old Rocky gives his son a heart-to-heart
reprimand about how he needs to stop blaming and take charge of his
life. A saddened Rocky says he remembers when his son could fit in
the palm of his hand.

He says that he saw great potential in him and when he first
started off in life, he did great. However,at some point, he
changed. He lost his way and started blaming other things and
people for his own misfortune. Telling him:

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all
sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and I
don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and
keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is
gonna hit as hard as life.

But it ain't about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can
get hit, and keep moving forward. . It's How much you can take, and
keep moving forward. That's how winning is done.

Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're
worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not point
fingers and blame other people. Cowards do that and that ain't you.
You're better than that!"

This movie had a huge impact on me just like the first few Rocky
movies did because what was said was so true in my own life. " Its
not how hard you hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving
forward."

I have found that in my life, I have met so many people who were
much smarter, talented and luckier than me. What made me more
successful at the end of the day was my ability to get hit again
and again and to keep moving forward. I never gave up. However, I
know of many friends who got hit hard by life and could never find
the courage to get up again. Instead, they quit dreaming and
accepted a mediocre life.

There were many times in my life when I did get hit hard and felt
that I had problems I could never solve. There were times when I
felt that life was unfair and too painful to live. What kept me
going forward was that I knew that no matter how bad, every problem
will not last forever. Every recession will end. Dawn always breaks
after the darkest hour. It was this belief that allowed me to keep
getting up.

* When I got expelled from school at age 9, I kept moving forward

* When my parents split up when I was aged 13, I kept moving forward

* When my first girlfriend dumped me just before my major exams
(and I was subsequently dumped by 2 other girls), I kept moving
forward

* When everyone looked down on me because I got poor grades in
school, I kept moving forward

* When my interior design business went bankrupt (Losing me
$250,000), I kept moving forward

* When I lost over $300,000 in the stock market as an early amateur
investor, I kept moving forward

* When my first book, 'I Am Gifted, So Are You!' was rejected by
over 9 publishers, I kept moving forward

* When only 1 person signed up for my first Patterns of Excellence
program 7.5 years ago, and everyone thought that my company would
never make it, I kept moving forward

* When I lost all the money I made from my event management
business because I was cheated by someone I trusted, I kept moving
forward

Whenever we see people achieve great things, it is easy to think
that they had less problems and less obstacles than we have. That
their brilliance, luck or talent gave them super human abilities to
sail through life easily. That everything always goes according to
plan.

I can tell you from experience that things NEVER EVER always go
according to plan. 80% of the goals you set and plans you make will
never go the way you want. Things will screw up and obstacles will
appear that will knock you down. Its all part of the game of life.

Have you heard of George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars? On the
surface, it seems this guy could do not wrong. He had the genius to
create one of the most successful franchises in the world, Star
Wars that made hundreds of millions of dollars.

Did you know of all the things that went wrong? When George Lucas
had the vision of creating the special effects for the battle
scenes, the technology did not exist at the time. That didn't stop
Lucas. He set up a company, Industrial Light & Magic to invent and
create the special effects needed to make Star Wars.

Did it work? Not at first. During production, everything that could
have possibly gone wrong went wrong! At the end of sixteen weeks of
filming, everyone had every reason to believe it would fail.

The equipment kept breaking down, the actors could not get along
and everything that was filmed turned out lousy and had to be
discarded. The movie had grossly exceeded the initial budget, it
had overrun the filming schedule, the special effects unit could
not create the desired special effects and everyone had the opinion
that the movie was too childish.

As a result, 20th Century Fox studios (the producers) wanted to
cancel the movie and fire Lucas. After Lucas begged for a chance to
save the movie, they gave him three days to finish two weeks of
work that was lost. It seemed like an impossible task.

What made things worse was that Lucas suffered severe chest pains
in the middle of all this and was rushed to hospital for severe
stress and exhaustion. Everyone thought that the movie would fail
(even some of the actors didn't dare to go for the premier).

But Lucas just wouldn't quit. Lucas hired a triple filming crew,
divided the film stage into three sets and directed three scenes
concurrently! Within 3 days, he filmed weeks worth of scenes and
finished the movie only moments before the movie premier. The rest
was history!

I am sure you have heard of Honda Motor Corporation, one of the
most successful automakers from Japan. Again what made Honda a
success was that its founder, Soichiro Honda was able to take the
hardest hits and still get up and move forward.

In 1938, while Soichiro was still in school, when he started a
workshop to develop the piston ring that he hoped he could sell to
Toyota. He worked 7 days a week, even sleeping in his workshop at
times. When money ran out with no success, he pawned his wife's
jewelry for working capital.

Finally, came the day he completed his piston ring and was able to
sell it to Toyota. However, he was told that the rings did not meet
their standards! Soichiro went back to school for 2 years to
improve his invention only to suffer ridicule when the engineers
saw his design.

He refused to quit. After two more years of struggle and
improvement, he successful won the contract with Toyota. He needed
to build a factory to supply Toyota. Unfortunately, his timing was
bad. At this time, the Japanese government was gearing up for war
and needed all the concrete for the war effort, so he could not get
the concrete necessary to build his factory.

Instead of giving up, he invented a new concrete-making process
that enabled him to build the factory. With the factory now built,
he was ready for production, but again, his luck was bad. His
factory was bombed twice by American war planes and steel became
unavailable, too.

Instead of giving up, he started collecting surplus gasoline cans
discarded by US fighters - "Gifts from President Truman," he called
them, which became the new raw materials for his rebuilt
manufacturing process. Again, his timing was bad. An earthquake hit
and his factory was destroyed the third time.

After the war, an extreme gasoline shortage forced people to walk
or use bicycles. Soichiro saw this opportunity and built a tiny
engine and attached it to his bicycle. His neighbors wanted one,
and although he tried, materials could not be found and he was
unable to supply the demand. He also didn't have the money to build
another factory to make these 'motorbikes'.

He still didn't quit. he wrote letters to 18,000 bicycles shop
owners and asked them to pay him in advanced so he could build his
factory to sell them his newly invented motorbikes. Unfortunately,
the first models were too bulky to work well, so he continued to
develop and adapt, until finally, 'The Super Cub' became a success
and took Japan by storm. With success in Japan, Honda began
exporting his bicycle engines to Europe and America.

This was how the Honda Motor Corporation was formed. Was that the
end of his problems? Nope! As he ran Honda, it went into lots of
financial problems. Honda also went near to bankruptcy five times,
only to be turned around just in time. Everytime he took a hit,
Soichiro would just get up, learn from his mistakes and keep moving
forward.

Today, Honda Corporation employs over 100,000 people in the USA and
Japan, and is one of the world's largest automobile companies.
Honda's excellent engineering and clever marketing even resulted in
Honda motorcycles out-selling Triumph and Harley-Davidson in their
respective home markets.

So, the greater the success you want in life, the bigger the hits
you got to be willing to take. There is a price for everything. A
Suzuki costs $30,000 and a Ferrari costs $1m.

Success too has a price. The price is massive rejection,
frustration, and hard work, People never succeed either because they
thought that success comes easy or because they are not willing to
pay the price!

To your success,
Adam

From his story, I saw how my failures were incomparable to what obstacles he had gone through. And that inspired me A LOT.

Hope this helps, Dennis.

A fellow 20 year old who has yet to succeed,
Jeff

[Alminc]

Dear Dennis,

Struggling to make some money with internet marketing when you
have your whole future to take care of in a best possible way is
nothing that I would recommend you.

Go for education, go to university, get your diploma and DO become
a 'worker'. There's nothing wrong in it, on the contrary, you will prove
your strength as a human being by doing it. It's tough, but it won't
kill you, it will make you stronger then others who never made it.

When you have your university degree in your pocket and a well
paid job, then come back here and play with internet marketing
to see if you like it or not. If it turns that it's nothing for you,
who cares, you will already have your life in your own hands.

Don't be disappointed and confused. You are obviously very
tallented young man and the best thing you can do for yourself
is to see your education as your highest priority right now.

[dndoseller]

Grades are completely meaningless and you need to step back from your life, take a break and get some perspective.

I was a D student in high-school and got kicked out eventually. Now I am a Webmaster and make six figures.

Sounds corny, but right now, the only thing thing you should be afraid of is this fear that has a grip on you. Learn to chill - that is all that matters, even in IM.

[Rodopi]

Hi Dennis,

As has already been pointed out in this thread; you do need to map your ideas and thoughts out from which will evolve a plan of actions which will give you something concrete to follow and guide you to success.

You will of course find elements of this plan that will fail, these are just hurdles along the way. Document what does or does'nt work; apply a fix and then move to the next process in the plan.

By remaining focused and following your plan this way; a success will be found.

So never be afraid of failure, it is the way we learn.

Remember as a small child when you were learning to stand and walk....you kept falling down; but through persistence you found success.

There is a FREE mind mapping tool to use in mapping your thoughts and ideas and this can be found at www dot xmind dot net (replace dot with .)
This is an opensource tool which I have no affiliation too.

Wishing you the best of luck Dennis

[JackPowers]

Originally Posted by CDarklock

Dude, you're NINETEEN. That's normal.

Your job until you hit your mid-twenties is to have as many experiences as you can. Good and bad. Smart and stupid. Do everything. EVERYTHING.

Somewhere between the ages of 24 and 28, your brain will radically and dramatically change. You will undergo a massive growth of white and grey matter. All those experiences you've had will crystallise, and the more of them you've had, the smarter and stronger and better off you'll be.

Just do something else. Something different. Take some time off to be a stockbroker; not for the money, but to learn the business. That experience is cash in your pocket later, when you can say "as a stockbroker, I learned X, Y, and Z". Walk away from it when you've learned what you can, and go do something else.

Your mind is wandering because you're too stagnant. You need more experiences. Your brain craves them. Go feed it.

This is good advice.

I'm 27 and for the first time in my life things seem to be comming together. It's like the path was obstructed but now it's becoming clear to me where I want to go and how I am going to get there.

I would still recommend going to college for the social experience.

[rajeshwatts]

Hello Dear,

You need to work on your mind first. Mind plays a big role in each and everything in life. You need to find out which thing/people can make you motivated or inspired. Once you know then things move very fast. For example my son and my wife is my inspiration. When ever I am going to give up I will see them and have some nice time with them and I am ON again. My personal advice will be to get some details on law of attraction and create your mind movie. You can find lot of mind movies in youtube. And don't give up education, each day is a new day and we learn new things. Lastly do not spend any money on any thing related to IM. There are tons of material available on the internet for FREE. If you need any help on the material PM me.

Best of Luck!
Rajesh

[Mark McClure]

Dennis,

Some comments:

1- You can obviously write. Add in some paragraphs and you'd make a fine web content writer. Still selling time, I know - but if you have the bug to succeed, you might even graduate to running an article writing business. Or hit the IM ground running as Warrior Jason Fladlien did - no stopping that guy.

2- So you're selling mobile phones. That's a sales education in itself... are you taking notes?

3- "A Job is useful before 40." I posted here this week (I think?) about this quote from vocation coach, Craig Nathanson. In the video below, he's addressing an over 40s audience but has found that 20-somethings are also attracted to his message (the 1/4 life crisis...). 30-somethings are too busy keeping up with life/careers to pay attention... until mid-life triggers something within or without.

FORA.tv - Craig Nathanson: Don't Just Retire & Die

4- Education is a great thing when it encourages a lifelong love for learning and applying knowledge. Think twice about passing up a chance to learn.

5- As to "staying focused." I continue to recommend these guys:
Following Through - About The Book | Behavioral Dynamics
The book's enough to understand what they're all about - try getting it thru your library. I also see it on Ebay for $3.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

[Zack Lim]

Hi Dennis,

Do keep on going and never give up. It is inevitable that you will face many different obstacles when you are chasing after your goal.

Learn as much as you can and the most important thing that you have to do is to apply the knowledge.

All the best

Zack

[JohnHuizinga]

The Honda Story is Awesome. I also like the way Michael Jordan says it.

YouTube - Michael Jordan "Failure" Nike...