Rule #1: Invest in Yourself
If there is one rule that stands head and shoulders above all others, it is the one that says, “Invest in Yourself!”
The chances are very good that you will have heard this saying repeated over and over again and yet you probably still don’t have the first clue what this means. Let me explain.
An internet business is a virtual object. There are no bricks, no offices (in the traditional sense) and no transport costs, etc. In other words it exists only in the intangible ether that is the internet, and in the heart and mind of its owner.
In short: YOU are your internet business. You are all that your internet business really consists of.
If you had a bricks and mortar business you could make physical changes to the look of the outside of your building, the decor inside etc, and people would notice and be drawn to take a look on the inside to see what other changes had been made and see what products lines you may now be offering compared to the past.
But with an internet business there is no physical building that can be improved. The only improvements that you can make are to yourself. That is what ‘Invest in Yourself’ means. You have to improve yourself in order to improve your internet business.
The question you might ask is, “How do I invest in myself and what do I invest in myself”? Well, I’m not talking about getting a $200 haircut or a designer suit. I’m talking about learning and expanding your knowledge base so that your business can benefit from it.
Try spending just one hour a day reading articles or subscribe to an ezine that emails you information regularly about both your industry and also online marketing methods, and you will have invested a significant amount of time in yourself.
Enrol in a couple of courses, listen to teleseminars and webinars. These are the kinds of things that allow you to invest in yourself most effectively. This is the most important thing in online marketing.
Following on from investing in yourself is the principle of “Abundance Thinking”.
Abundance Thinking? What the heck is that? This refers to one of two possible modes of thought. In order to clarify this I will explain the second mode first. ‘Limited Supply’ thinking is where you believe there is a finite amount of business out there. This is a bad model because it induces panic and the mindset that motivates you to grab what you can at the expense of others.
Limited Supply thinking may earn you a living, perhaps even a decent one, but it won’t allow you to make the most money you possibly can. It’s the complete opposite of Abundance Thinking.
Abundance thinking is the belief that there is enough business to go around and that we can all make a good living by giving away referrals, ideas and assistance to help others…including to our competitors.
Abundance thinking places the good of the team above the good of the individual in the belief that as the team prospers, so each individual prospers accordingly. This allows a team to be built with individuals bringing various specialist skills to the table whereby the customer has the best possible deal, the team wins the business and each individual earns more than they would have done had they tried to win over to customer on their own.
Limited-supply thinking means that you hold on as tightly as you can to what you have. You do not share anything with anybody. What is yours is yours. Often time decisions are made by people who apply limited-supply thinking based upon what the competition is doing. Limited-supply thinking is basically a defensive position.
Abundance thinking is an offensive position. Abundance thinking is what builds relationships. Sharing leads and information…even promoting another marketer…makes us happier, better adjusted, and less stressed.
Once you experience Abundance Thinking you will realize that there is plenty of business out there for everybody.
The beautiful thing about abundance thinking is that it is contagious. The better you get at abundance thinking the more accepting of you your peers will become.
Abundance Thinkers experience more success than Limited Supply thinkers, especially in the realm of joint ventures.
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