Are You an Information Junkie?

32 replies
I was reading the daily Early To Rise email this morning (a great email to start out the day.) The featured article, Debunking the Original Idea Myth, was by Mary Ellen Tribby.

In the article, she mentioned that most SUCCESSFUL entrepreneurs are information junkies.

One of the characteristics mentioned in the article is the idea of looking for combinations to create new ideas. Buying WSOs are something I *occasionally* buy, more for the information they contain rather than for another scheme to make money. And ditto for the War Room.

Since this fits with most successful people I know, I'm curious how many people here consider themselves to be information junkies?

And how many people buy WSOs more for information as opposed to another shiny object?

Marvin

#information #junkie
  • Profile picture of the author WizIMS
    I'm not anymore

    But most people are in the early internet marketing stages - I'd say the first 1-1.5 year
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  • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
    I'm not sure that someone can ever be a "recovering" information junkie or just stop. Learning is a very addictive way to spend some time.

    And what makes it more addictive is when this learning leads to ways of improving our own business, i.e. profits.

    Marvin
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  • Profile picture of the author DavidTT
    the way I see it is that, theres always something new you can learn and its added value after all.

    The problem is that theres way too much in the IM world and the learning curve can last forever if you dont stop and start taking action. I'll buy WSO or just pickup something from the war room once in a while because it can give you a little idea sometimes but besides that, I'd rather spend more time working.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    I'll always be an information junkie. But now I'm better at knowing the type of information I need to know as opposed to running in a hundred different directions.

    Rose
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    I'm more of an observation junkie. I get a kick from watching human psychology in action. I look for predictable patterns in human behavior. I make mental notes. I've been doing this since I was a small boy so I no longer think about it, it's like a program running in the background.

    The info I gather helps in life and in my writing. Knowing what to expect from people most of the time in most similar situations can be very valuable stuff. It can tell you when to get close to someone or something and when to watch from a distance and when to stay away completely.

    I'm still not 100% on listening to my inner voice's warning. But that's okay. Life's for learning and some of us need the same lesson several times before having it sink in.

    As for WSOs, I rarely buy them. That's because there isn't that much new stuff under the sun. There are only so many ways to turn a buck and most business models you'll find being sold as WSOs are variations of models already in use. I have bought a few and have learned from all of them. Even if that's just to not buy again from a particular individual. So it goes...
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    • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
      Wow, the responses are most interesting. It is heartening to see that I am not alone .

      Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

      I'm more of an observation junkie. I get a kick from watching human psychology in action.
      I love that term "observation junkie" ... this is the first time I've ever heard it put that way!

      Something new to add to my arsenal of tools.

      Marvin
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  • Profile picture of the author paul_1
    I admit I am an information junkie. I think I can actually feel a release of endorphins when I learn about any new thing. These are the same endorphins marathon runners feel, they give you energy and a sense of well-being. That's the stimulation I feel when I read something compelling, whether it's science, history or a great article in the newspaper or online!


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    • Profile picture of the author Ceri
      Originally Posted by paul_1 View Post

      I admit I am an information junkie. I think I can actually feel a release of endorphins when I learn about any new thing. These are the same endorphins marathon runners feel, they give you energy and a sense of well-being. That's the stimulation I feel when I read something compelling, whether it's science, history or a great article in the newspaper or online!


      I'm like that too. I've been told that I'm an excitement junkie and I find learning new things very exciting. I absolutely get a rush from it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Awesomo
    I'm a proud info junkie. I do buy WSOs for the information and according toMary Ellen Tribby, I will be successful in due time
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  • Profile picture of the author RySpencer
    I am an infojunkie as well. I have always been since I was a kid.

    I would buy all kinds of books and read them, just filling my head up with knowledge. I could never sit in class and focus, therefore I never learned from someone droning on and one. I had to learn from books.

    To this day I still buy all kinds of books from the book store. I have a HUGE library. I also buy WSO's for knowledge. That is why I decided I might as well start reviewing them because I was buying so many terrible ones that were recycling info over and over.

    I never buy a product based on a sales pitch claiming to generate XXXXXX income. I fell for that the first few months. Not all "schemes" are for everyone.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
    I would qualify myself as an information junkie...but not really when it comes to the IM niche. I have my own separate topics that I am absolutely addicted to.
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  • Profile picture of the author Guru_Marketing
    Originally Posted by Marvin Johnston View Post

    I was reading the daily Early To Rise email this morning (a great email to start out the day.) The featured article, Debunking the Original Idea Myth, was by Mary Ellen Tribby.

    In the article, she mentioned that most SUCCESSFUL entrepreneurs are information junkies.

    One of the characteristics mentioned in the article is the idea of looking for combinations to create new ideas. Buying WSOs are something I *occasionally* buy, more for the information they contain rather than for another scheme to make money. And ditto for the War Room.

    Since this fits with most successful people I know, I'm curious how many people here consider themselves to be information junkies?

    And how many people buy WSOs more for information as opposed to another shiny object?

    Marvin

    I've been through a lot of training courses from marketing, time management, to stocks and dating :-) It's crazy! I filter my resources and I do not just study from free articles on the Internet. I study from successful people (following the crumbs).

    Then, I think the next stage is to stop learning like crazy and start taking action like crazy. :-) Now, I am taking more action than learning theory. I still do learn new things, but experience and trying things out give me better insights on what works and what does not.

    I recommend info junkies to take a lot of notes, that's how you learn the FASTEST. I have more than 20 notebooks (80 pages each) of notes. I archive them, put numbers on them and create a table of contents for ALL collected information (just the golden nuggets). That's how I find information when I need it :-)

    Chris D.
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    • Profile picture of the author Brian Boyd
      Banned
      I'm guilty....

      Here's the thing with me....

      Before I do just about anything I need to get info on the topic- and lot's of it....

      My wife says I am a worrier- I just like to be prepared.

      In my opinion, INFORMATION is what prepares me to make smart decisions.

      How does that saying go? - "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."
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  • Profile picture of the author anwar001
    Yes, I am an information junkie. Earlier, I used to buy wso's and other products with the hope of learning some magical money making method (I am still guilty of if sometimes, but not often). However, most of the times I buy for getting more ideas and newer ideas on money making. So, that makes me part of the information junkies club.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Info junkie here -- big time, hard core. If I could make a living doing nothing but research I'd be unbelievably wealthy. Unfortunately - I have to actually stop and DO something with the crap I learn to make any money - and that is an annoying waste of research time, LOL.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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    • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      I have to actually stop and DO something with the crap I learn to make any money - and that is an annoying waste of research time, LOL.
      Ah, yes. Napoleon Hill said, "Knowledge isn't power. Organized knowledge is power."
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    • Profile picture of the author Ceri
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      Info junkie here -- big time, hard core. If I could make a living doing nothing but research I'd be unbelievably wealthy. Unfortunately - I have to actually stop and DO something with the crap I learn to make any money - and that is an annoying waste of research time, LOL.

      Doing something with the knowledge... interesting concept. I should probably give that a go
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  • Profile picture of the author HairyPoppins
    Yeah for sure. I ask too many questions too. I always try to be as thorough as possible about everything. It can almost be to a fault at times.
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  • Profile picture of the author MMWoodward
    I'm a very curious person by nature, so I soak up any information that is before me. However, when I first started out trying to learn ways to make income online, having so much information readily available did more harm than good. I would become so caught up with everything that it took me longer to actually put anything into action. Once I was able to get past the information overload, I was finally able to actually start making money.

    Although all the information is nice to have, it won't benefit you if you don't actually put anything into action.
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  • Profile picture of the author nicnac03
    Here's my take:

    STOP being an information junkie and START being an implementing junkie

    Knowledge without action is USELESS. I attribute my success to my willingness to learn something USEFUL and putting it into action WITHIN THE HOUR. Sometimes immediately.

    A study was done where they wanted to figure out what separated the top 10 sales people of a company from the rest of the sales force. And the only difference that they discovered, was the speed at which the top sales people took a new idea that they learned and put it into action.

    We human beings don't really know how something will turn out until we actually OBSERVE it happening.

    I believe there was a section in Think and Grow Rich that illustrated this point perfectly:

    A reporter was interviewing a self made millionaire and asked him the question: "What is your secret to wealth?" In which the man replies "Making the right decisions." The reporter then asks "How do you know how to make the right decisions?" And the man replies "By making the wrong decisions."

    When you DO things enough times your mind will start to naturally weed out the things that don't work and what you're left with are precious gold nuggets that make you successful.

    Stop reading and start doing
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    • Profile picture of the author dblakeslee
      Originally Posted by nicnac03 View Post

      Here's my take:

      STOP being an information junkie and START being an implementing junkie

      Knowledge without action is USELESS. I attribute my success to my willingness to learn something USEFUL and putting it into action WITHIN THE HOUR. Sometimes immediately.

      A study was done where they wanted to figure out what separated the top 10 sales people of a company from the rest of the sales force. And the only difference that they discovered, was the speed at which the top sales people took a new idea that they learned and put it into action.

      We human beings don't really know how something will turn out until we actually OBSERVE it happening.

      I believe there was a section in Think and Grow Rich that illustrated this point perfectly:

      A reporter was interviewing a self made millionaire and asked him the question: "What is your secret to wealth?" In which the man replies "Making the right decisions." The reporter then asks "How do you know how to make the right decisions?" And the man replies "By making the wrong decisions."

      When you DO things enough times your mind will start to naturally weed out the things that don't work and what you're left with are precious gold nuggets that make you successful.

      Stop reading and start doing
      Great advice. I am an "idea junkie" which is bad on this forum. Every great idea I want to implement, but you said it well... start doing, but just one idea at a time. That is my weakness.
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  • Profile picture of the author BIG Mike
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    • Profile picture of the author philhunter
      I know in IM especially being an information junkie can definately work against you.

      When I first started I wanted to know everything about everything, all the finer details of anything I was going to try but I ended up reading so much by the time I came to implement something it was out of date.

      You are much better off finding a general idea and then implemeting it immediately, if you get stuck at any point that is the time to start researching more.
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    • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
      Originally Posted by BIG Mike View Post

      I'm not an information junkie in the sense that I buy up every WSO or shiny new info product...but I do spend a lot of time researching my questions, learning and expanding on what I already know.

      The difference, at least to me, is I have a plan I follow for meeting my info needs and I approach it systematically and logically.
      Your response sure resonates with me! Like HaySal, I enjoy doing research ... but I haven't found a good way to convert doing research alone to making money.

      I haven't seen any responses yet addressing the issue of content creation, but I would guess that being an information junkie there would almost be a prerequisite.

      But it is amazing what can be accomplished by actually using the acquired information .

      Marvin
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Marvin - I USE everything I research - in one way or another. Sometimes I monetize it right away. Other times I am researching something for my own purposes, then monetize it later. Last year I met my sister's dog for the first time - he was dying of bone cancer - about 40 hours of research (on top of knowledge I already had about alternative healing) and I was ready with a formula for him to fight his cancer (which worked very well - he's alive and healthy now a year after he should have died). So the research was USED - now it is being monetized because I am writing the story complete with everything and every technique I used.

    When I got my first dog I was a student of Linguistic sciences at the University of Michigan. I started experimenting with language acquisition on my first puppy which I adopted about the same time. The result was an extremely intelligent companion - and a few after him as well. It was after using the info myself that I monetized it - making a dog training manual (Smart Beyond Obedience) that I put out as PLR.

    I've always thought that people should understand things generally and kind of don't understand people who research and learn only for the purpose of doing business. Inform yourself about your life - and monetize what you learn. That way you are always working in areas that you are actually interested in and motivation isn't the problem that you hear people making it into on the forums.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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    • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      Marvin - I USE everything I research - in one way or another. Sometimes I monetize it right away. Other times I am researching something for my own purposes, then monetize it later.

      When I got my first dog I was a student of Linguistic sciences at the University of Michigan. I started experimenting with language acquisition on my first puppy which I adopted about the same time. The result was an extremely intelligent companion - and a few after him as well. It was after using the info myself that I monetized it - making a dog training manual (Smart Beyond Obedience) that I put out as PLR.

      I've always thought that people should understand things generally and kind of don't understand people who research and learn only for the purpose of doing business. Inform yourself about your life - and monetize what you learn. That way you are always working in areas that you are actually interested in and motivation isn't the problem that you hear people making it into on the forums.
      Ah yes, the U of M! My dad graduated from there, and a good friend of ours was chief engineer on the radio telescopes (before he went to and retired from Cal Tech.) Michigan holds many fond memories for me!

      I don't mean to say I don't use what I'm researching, but rather that I haven't found a good way to monetize that knowledge. I do a lot of things that I find interesting, and am looking for ways to monetize more of it. I'm more of a manufacturing oriented type of person, so this info marketing is relatively new to me.

      Marvin
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      • Profile picture of the author SeoSarah
        It's always a good idea to stay informed and up to date, but some people tend to read too much instead of taking action. It won't bring you anywhere if you spend the whole day reading this and that.
        My advice is: Inform yourself properly about a topic, but then stop reading and take action! You can always read some more later, if it's needed.
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      • Profile picture of the author HeySal
        Originally Posted by Marvin Johnston View Post

        Ah yes, the U of M! My dad graduated from there, and a good friend of ours was chief engineer on the radio telescopes (before he went to and retired from Cal Tech.) Michigan holds many fond memories for me!

        I don't mean to say I don't use what I'm researching, but rather that I haven't found a good way to monetize that knowledge. I do a lot of things that I find interesting, and am looking for ways to monetize more of it. I'm more of a manufacturing oriented type of person, so this info marketing is relatively new to me.

        Marvin
        There are plenty of people who would like to sell physical products that they have ideas for but no way to build. Perhaps you could write some sort of procedural manual for how to get a company to manufacture your product ideas - what kind of agreements you have (such as patents) etc, and how to get all that done so you can get your stuff out the door -- or ways to rig up an at home manufacturing system for home-made stuff like soaps, wines/beer, candles, rugs, etc. Kind of a go-green self-reliance type series. Just an idea. Not sure if it's a good one. LOL.
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        Sal
        When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
        Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author George Wright
    Raising Hand, I am an Information Junkie.

    I especially like reading MMO type Info, thus my huge collection of WSOs and other MMO info products.

    When I was a kid I bought every copy of Small Business Opportunity Mag and all the other Mags that had article after article on how to start this business and that money making endeavor.

    I've never thought of it as Information Overload.

    George Wright
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  • Profile picture of the author lawyer2warrior
    Hey Marvin - I'm pretty sure I qualify!

    The key is to remain able to prioritize... else I can drift into learning more than doing!

    Take care,
    Scott
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  • OK, I admit it! My name is JMB and I'm an Info. Junkie. I buy tons of WSO's and download free gold nuggets from the War Room!

    I am such an info junkie, that people constantly come to me for advice and/or direction.

    I often hear people in the office whispering, "go ask JMB", she'll know!

    Now, here's a lesson to be learned from all Info Junkies out there .... you NEED to learn how to profit from your addiction.

    I have!

    Have you?

    If not, then that should be next project for 2012!

    Onwards and Upwards!

    Proud Info Junkie!

    JMB
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  • Profile picture of the author ProScribe
    Total information junkie. I have loved books since I was a child and I still read constantly. And when I'm not reading I'm writing.

    Even with my love of information I'm not sure its neccessarily a prequisite for success. There are plenty of successful people who seem to barely read at all. And also plenty of unsuccessful people who love information even more than me.
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