The lonely world of internet marketing

That's me!... still

But I'm going to change that this Summer.

James

Me too, I also chat with a lot of people and sit outside with my laptop! One thing I learned many years ago though was that you absolutely need to get out and take time for yourself too, this sends reminders to your subconsious mind that you're doing the right things by rewarding yourself with some time out. ;-)

Don't worry about it. Soon enough it will start raining for 3 months solid like it does every damn summer in this horrid place and then you'll have 6 months of arctic winter to look forward to. It's the joy living and working in the uk brings.

Having the proper mindset is one of the most important tools in IM. If you are off your game then it is likely you won't produce. IM is a business above all else. If your head isn't in the game then you need to take the time to get it there. Just like the other posts if that means going outside of the house to network or sitting in a webinar to freshen your perspective or spend time on skype to do the same. It is part of the business and can get you motivated again.

Beware of the urge to shut yourself in for the sake of "getting it done". Most of the time you end up getting nothing done.

Hope this helps,

Christina

2 things:

* The journey is as important as the destination, and it's nice to
take time to stop and smell the roses. Sure, you can't do that all
day and hope to be successful next week - but then, if you ignore
it for a year and do become "successful", are you sure it'll feel
that way? [Hint: My answer is 'No' - Get out and enjoy that beautiful
day, we all know how rare those are in London! ]

* You don't have to keep IM 'lonely'. My friend Martin Avis does
a periodic luncheon meeting in London, you can attend one of them
and meet some excellent chaps who are involved in IM. Also, there's
nothing wrong with planning your own version of it. Randy Smith does
this in Yorkshire, I believe - and many others may. Just a meeting
over evening tea or a drink every evening at the pub would give you
enough socialization and a chance to brainstorm ideas that make the
rest of your work entertaining, exciting and fun

Just my 2 cents.

All success
Dr.Mani

Gosh, despite asking a question I didn't really expect any replies on that one. Just wanted to share how I feel.

I read every response. Thank you all. Julie there touched upon a pertinent point. Your friends and family really don't understand. I went from a stable, highly respected and well-paid job to the unpredictable world of IM.

Everyone thinks I'm a bum, sitting in my room all day and doing nothing. Thankfully unlike everyone around me I don't base the decisions I make in life around what others will think of me.

But when not a single person understands what you're doing, it can bear down on you. To an extent.

There is almost a 24/7 virtual party going on if you know where to look and when.

Having been spending so much online time myself lately networking with some people, I am getting really hyped to go to a live event or two this year.

Totally fell that sometimes,

That's why I have started a private group on Facebook called IM Millionaires

There is currently about half a dozen of us there keeping each other update with our projects, sharing ideas, etc etc,


Do join is there! It is always great to work together with like minded comrades

Yeah i know what you mean but you have to force yourself out otherwise youll go mad lol Having said that this is the first time ive switched on the pc today, gotta make the most of this weather especially in the UK

Nope - it's a beautiful day here, too - and in a few minutes I'll be enjoying it.
I can work late tonight after the day is over - I can work tomorrow.

If you wait till you have everything you want before you enjoy the benefits of working at home - you'll miss all the fun.

I've done the things that HAD to be done today - and I have work to do...but it can wait while I enjoy the gorgeous day. What's the point of being able to set your own schedule if what you do is scheduled yourself 9-5 like a job?

kay

Nice one Phil. Yeh, it can feel like **** sometimes but I have no regrets. My hard work and sacrifice is totally necessary for my future (and current) success.

Things were MUCH worse before when I was literally spending every minute of my time every day behind the PC. I started to gain weight and my health was deteriorating. I do weight-training and high intensity interval training regularly now so I DO get out. Just not as much as I'd like to. Yet.

When I see my friends and family coming home after work and spending the rest of the day watching TV, I don't envy them one bit. Just HAVING ambition and knowing that I'm acting on it is reward enough for me.

Ah, and on the side - no-one's giving me a pounding here. There's some solid advice floating around here and I thank you all.

I guess I'm a little confused about enjoying the Now (as suggested by Ekhart Tolle), and working for the future. The goal I suppose is to achieve a suitable balance.

Yes Bruce. Face to face interactions are very important. No other form of communication comes close to being in the physical presence of another person.

Ah, thank you Bobby.

I've read 4-hour work-week. Tim Ferris recommended a book there called the E-myth by an M Gerber or something. I just started reading it today and it really offers a much more compelling argument for outsourcing and getting the technical aspects of your work done for you.

I'm seriously considering outsourcing some of my work today, so your little post there couldn't be more timely.

It was never about being rich for me btw, but always first and formost all about empowering myself and increasing my free time so I can just live, enjoy life and help & empower those around me.

I admire your dedication, focus and clarity.

However, in my humble opinion the reason I love internet marketing is the freedom of schedule so I CAN spend time with family and friends, on their schedule not mine. I can work till 3am, it's not always practical for family and friends to be available then.

There is always more money to be made, another goal to hit. Enjoying the journey as well as the destination is very fulfilling.

Again, just my opinion, and i wish you Godspeed.

Cheers,

Ridgway

Snow_Predator,
You are driven, and I respect that! I'm cheering you on to meet your goals!

I can totally relate. Some days I have to force myself to take a lunch break.

But I've made online friends and I am having fun now chatting here and there on Twitter or Skype.

I just found out my best friend is leaving her job and starting her own online business so I'm looking forward to having someone in the real world who can relate to me.

Best of luck.
Peggy

Coffee then out side with my beautiful golden retriever.

It is amazing how well you work when you have had a good break and have taken in some nice fresh air.

One of the reason I go for IM is the time freedom. Where we are free to manage when to work and when to play. I know some of you are thinking about work hard now, play later. But for me, I'd rather choose to balance both of them.

It'll slow me down to achieve the financial and time freedom, but I'm cool with that. I used to be 30 hours non stop working guy when I first started. But now, I'm balancing my time. When I go offline, I hang out with my friends, but when I go online, I also chat with my friends.

Nothing better than listening to what other people are thinking about. You'll need that in order to launch something people really need and want to pay for.

Yes, I need to start reinvesting my money back into my business. Thus far I've only been keeping all the money and reinvesting more of my time and effort.

The least I can do is make full use of my expertise. To dedicate my time only to the things that I am good at, which includes learning, understanding a subject and then feeding that understanding to others. So I should only spend my time writing good, quality articles for syndication, and outsourcing everything else.

Ultimately though, I think one should outsource all technical aspects of a business, even one's area of expertise.

It's hard though, making that first step of spending the money you earn back into your business. Unlike you Julie I'm living on only my IM income. But I know that I need to make that change if I am to take my IM career to the next level.

It's nice to see that you have started to outsource yourself. Your post has been more helpful to me than you know.

Thanks. Being rich would be nice, but not at the expense of my freedom. That's the direction I was heading in with my previous job.

--------------------------------------------------

A lot of replies here about taking the time to smell the roses. Sound advice and you all have my thanks.

I'm not a complete hermit. I do now take the time to exercise and see my friends from time to time. But not as much as I would like. I have so many dreams and passions I want to pursue, but those will have to wait. Some sacrifices DO have to be made.

These are tough financial times for all of us. We are having to work harder now to earn a living than ever before. If you are in my shoes then know this...

It is the extent of your hard work that will set you apart from everyone else. The work you put in WILL eventually pay off, you just have to keep at it. But like everyone else here is saying, don't burn yourself out. Do exercise and socialize to look after your physical and mental health.

It sucks that I can't do everything I want to do, but I do take the time to do the things I need to do to keep me going as long as I need to achieve success.

I know exactly what you mean snow predator, I have recently started out in IM and am no where near making a income from it that will support my lifestyle. I find that it is difficult to talk to friends and family about it as I get the feeling that they see it as a hair brain idea, which is really frustrating because when you are excited about something all you want to do is talk about it. When I started to learn about IM I was a total novice and the 2 weeks I booked off work for holiday was spent glued to my computer for about 14 hrs a day just learning, my wife really did not understand and when she would say "all he has done all day is sit in front of that laptop" I would cringe because it made me sound like some sort of out of control gaming. About 1 month on I still spent a lot of time on the computer but have tried to balance it with going to the gym and spending time with my wife, still a bit imbalanced though if I'm honest but I do have a plan as I keep telling my wife.