Mental Preparation for Success
Congratulations! You have decided to start your own online
business! That's great. There are many online money making
opportunities that you are going to be able to take advantage
of. I know how you feel right now and what you have done up to
this point. You are eager to get started, you can't wait. You
have already done some research and it seems that you are pretty
sure that you know which way you want to go. You have a detailed
checklist that will allow you to get to a fast and organized
start. You have set realistic goals that will help you focus on
what you need to get done and how long will it take you. You
have calculated your budget and know exactly how to spend your
money to achieve the best results. That's awesome! It seems that
you have done a great deal of important preparation that will
allow you to launch your business successfully.
So here you are, looking straight ahead at a long road that
awaits you. Your e-engine is ready, just needs you to punch the
gas. You are ready to put it in first gear and start your first
day of work right away. You check your gauges, everything seems
to be in place, you are ready, it's an exiting time! You know
it's going to be a heck of a ride! Here you stand, as the
countdown begins...
Ready?
Set!
STOP!
"What happened? I saw the green light "-you must be asking
yourself right now-"I checked my gauges and everything seemed to
be in place. I did very good planning and preparing to get off
to a good start". Yes, you did great preparing yourself to start
off right, and that is a very good thing, you should be proud.
All the planning you did not only means that you have your head
in the right place, but also that you are building a good
foundation for what you hope will become a successful business.
Planning for success demands something more, though. Let's find
out.
Let us go back to the very beginning, the time when you first
decided that you wanted to start your own business on the
Internet. Look back and try to remember when the thought first
came to your mind. Can you remember what triggered it? Was it
the need for a source of extra income? The desire for a career
changing opportunity? Did you want the freedom and control of
having your own business? Remember? Good! Keep that thought in
your mind, go get a pen and paper and write it down. Keep this
paper handy. Look at it everyday as a reminder of the reason why
your efforts are not worthless. This action will be the first
step that you will take to mentally prepare yourself for success.
"Mentally prepare myself? Is that what this is all about?" You
are probably a little lost and confused at this moment. Don't
be. Mentally preparing yourself is not only one of the very
important first steps of laying down the foundation to your
business, it could mean the difference between the success or
failure of it. Yes, it's that important. Think about it. A lot
of businesses that begin the right way and execute the right
strategies still end up failing or disappearing, specially on
the Internet, with so much competition surrounding them. A lot
of factors could have come into play for these sad results, and
one of them could have definitely been the mental strength and
preparation of those that were in command. How so? Most of them
probably weren't ready for the roadblocks that came their way,
simply because the thought more about clear skies and smooth
sailing than about stormy weather. They had probably planned to
have everything in place for the good times, but when the
unexpected bad times came, the ship sinked. Mental preparation
plays an important factor in this case. With this in mind, let's
continue analyzing the steps that follow to have the right
mental strategies that could help drive your business straight
to the top.
To recap, you have already completed step number one: Having
clear in your mind the reason why you started your business, and
writing down on paper to remember on a continuous basis. This
factor will be your drive, your motivation, your rocket fuel.
Remember to keep it handy, both on and off your mind, because
there will be times you will need to remember the reason why you
really started your business and how far you have gotten since
you decided to do so. It will help you overcome many
difficulties along the way that could have the ability to make
you want to give up.
Now, step two: Visualization. Yes, you must visualize yourself
running your business all the way to your desired level of
success, battling the bad storms that might arise, and never,
ever giving up, not even when the very future of your business
seems uncertain. You must visualize yourself succeeding,
overcoming the bad, taking advantage of the good. Close your
eyes and really see yourself getting filled with joy and a great
feeling of accomplishment after you have achieved one of your
greatest goals. Savour in your mind the great feeling and sense
of fulfillment this gives you. Now, with eyes wide open, get
right to work, one step at a time. Believe it or not, many
professional athletes have been known to use this method right
before they have accomplished their greatest performances, and
it has be scientifically proven that visualizing your tasks will
help you perform them better.
Here we go with step number three, you have probably heard this
one before: Mind over body. Trust me, this is an important one,
specially for us Internet Business owners. Why? Usually we work
on our business from the comfort of home, and the comforts of
home can really play a good part in getting us distracted and
off track. I remember when I used to get home from my regular
job after a ten hour shift, the last thing I wanted to do was
sit in front of the computer and work on my business for another
three to five hours a night. I had to push myself, I had to push
my body and make sure I spent the limited time I had achieving
productive results out of the tasks I was performing. Some times
it was really difficult, specially when my body just wanted a
nice hot shower, and plenty of hours of replenishment. Most of
the times I won the battles. My success over my own "weaknesses"
played a huge role in the overall success of my business. Don't
let your body take command over you, know exactly what your
daily goals are and don't go to bed without having reached them.
For my fourth and final step in mental preparation, I would like
to quote Roger Crawford:
"Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is
optional"
Wise words that you could very well apply to your business moto
for success. Face it, you will have set backs, problems, issues
and circumstances where giving up could seem like the only
option. You will have challenges. As Roger Crawford said and
applied to every aspect of our lives, being challenged on a
daily basis by difficult situations is out of our hands. It will
happen! How we react to these issues and what measures we take
to solve them really determines the outcome of the situation. It
is up to YOU to succeed, no matter what, it is up to YOU to make
it happen, to break the barriers and keep running all the way to
the end, to your final destination, your ultimate goal.
You now know how to start mentally preparing yourself for
success, starting with a good foundation and staying strong all
throughout your quest. Congratulations! Your checklist looks
more complete now. Looking at that long road ahead, once again,
you know. It is time to punch the gas, to begin your career, to
start climbing all the way to the top. I know. You can't wait.
Neither can I. Good luck to you, and your quest for an online
business that will flourish tremendously.
Ready, Set...