In this post I’m going to talk about what losing weight can teach us about succeeding at online business.
When it comes to online business and losing weight, most people would agree that there is more than one way to approach either one.
For instance, my method for losing weight would be to exercise daily, eat less fat and generally cut down on the sugary drinks. I wouldn’t alter what I eat too much, and this has worked for me.
My partner on the other hand might opt to stick with a more regimented diet plan like Kate Morgan or Jenny Craig and exercising maybe once a week. This has also shown results and works for her.
There is more than one way for a person to lose weight and in the same way, there is more than one way to succeed at online business.
The problem in both cases though, is that people are always looking for the quick fix and usually don’t have the discipline to stick to the basic principles that lead to success.
Here are some principles that help me succeed at most things and that I believe will work for you as well.
Get A Strong Understanding Of The Basics
For weight loss, the basic steps are:
- Reduce your fat intake
- Reduce your sugar intake
- Exercise at least 3 times a week for 20 minutes
For online business, the basic steps are:
- Start a website
- Produce good, relevant content for your target audience
- Attract traffic
- Sell them a product they want
Once you are very clear on the basic things that you need to do in order to succeed, it makes it easier for you to stay focused.
While each listed step can have different methods to reach them, the important thing to remember is that the goal is to achieve that step.
For instance, where it says exercise 3 times a week for 20 minutes, you can opt to cycle, run, swim, play basketball etc.
For online business, you can attract traffic in multiple ways. Through Search Engine Optimization to get top ranking in search engines; social media sites like Twitter and Facebook; word of mouth through friends or your business network etc.
Each method might produce results better or worst than others, however they all produce results provided you stick to it and work at it consistently.
Choose a Plan and Stick To It
The reason why I used to fail a lot was because I lacked the ability to choose one path and stick with it.
I didn’t have the patience to wait for results and I was constantly looking for a quick fix.
Doing 30 push ups today and then looking in the mirror the next expecting to look more muscular is an impairing mindset not limited to people who want to lose weight.
Many people (myself included at one stage) tend to invest lots of money in internet marketing courses and then get frustrated when they haven’t made money within that week.
Almost every marketing course and weight loss course out there works to some degree.
All it takes is some patience and determination to stay the course until you see results.
Define Clearly What Success Looks Like
You can’t hit a target if you don’t know what you’re aiming for. In the same way, you need to clearly define what it is you want to achieve so you can determine if you are moving closer or further from your target.
For instance, your weight loss goal might be to have reduced by 2 dress sizes within 2 months.
Your online business goals on the other hand might be to consistently generate $3000 a month.
If you don’t know what your idea of success is you’ll never be able to feel like you’re making any progress.
Get a Mentor or Someone to Stop You From Giving Up
When you don’t start seeing results immediately, it gets very easy to lose patience and give up. This is particularly true when you’ve never achieved success in that particular area, whether it be losing weight or online business.
This is why its good to have a mentor or someone who will help push you to ensure you stay the course.
Mentors are able to see success on your behalf, and having gone the path you are trying to take, they are able to give you advice that will help you fast track your efforts.
Taking this advice, recently me and my partner got ourselves a personal trainer.
At first I wasn’t too keen, as I always felt like I knew how to train myself and didn’t need a trainer. The problem was that I wasn’t committed to training regularly.
Eventually though, I realized that this might be the best way to ensure that the both of us got into the gym each week (at least once) and did a proper workout.
After having the personal trainer for some time, I can say that it’s really starting to pay off and that it has really helped us to build momentum in getting to the gym more often and exercising more regularly.
The point is that when you have someone who has achieved what you want to achieve and they are there to push you and make sure you stay accountable, you chances of success go way way up.
Summary
In my opinion, people tend not to succeed at losing weight and online business for the following reasons.
Firstly, they never get a strong grasp of the basic steps they need to take to succeed. Understanding the basics well serves to form a foundation upon which you reference all future action. For example, understanding that the goal is to drive traffic to your site will help you get less hung up if you’re only using social media like facebook and twitter but totally ignoring SEO.
Secondly, they never choose one plan and stick to it. Most weight loss plans and internet marketing courses are built around the basic principles. As such, all of them are designed to work to a better or lesser degree, provided the instructions are followed consistently.
Thirdly, they never clearly define their idea of success. If I want to refuel my car, then success for me would be defined as getting to the petrol station and refueling my car. If I wanted to wash my clothes, then success for me would be to put my cloths in the wash and then hang them out to dry later. If I wanted to lose weight, then success for me might be to be able to fit into my size 27 pants in three months. Knowing where your target is is the first step to hitting it.
Finally, they don’t get a mentor or someone to push them and keep them accountable. If left to me, I might not train intensely every week for 45 minutes. However because I have a personal trainer who pushes me and keeps me accountable, I remain dedicated to my schedule. Overtime though, I’ve found that it becomes easier for me to get off my butt and head out on my own without my trainer. Having the trainer around also keeps me from falling back into lazy habits.
All in all, succeeding in online business or losing weight is not complicated, however it can be difficult when above four steps are not followed.
Don’t get hung up when you don’t see results immediately. Get advice from people who have achieved what you want to achieve, choose a path and have the patience to stay the course and I can guarantee that you will always succeed in anything you choose to do.
Understand the basics <–> Stick to one plan <–> Clearly define your idea of success <–> Get a mentor or someone to push you if all else fails
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Yasuo Long believes that all employees should have the right to design their lifestyle according to their needs in order to maintain their health, their relationships and their happiness. In pursuit of this, he quit the 9-to-5 and became a telecommuter to give himself the time and mental freedom to discover what it really means to live with direction and purpose.
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Just wanted to comment and say what a wonderful and so true blog about the internet business!! Its a great comparison to diets and fitness because as I coming from the fitness field, and now getting into the internet business, I know how everybody wants a quick fix or how they give up so easily when they dont see results within the first week! Since I\’m new to the internet business and I\’m doing all my research on everything that comes with it, what other sites or things do you recomend for me to do to drive traffic to my website?? I\’m not internet savy and I know a bit about some things, but not much, what do you recommend for me to do or what kind of site(s) would you recomend for me to research for more info?? Keep in mind that I dont have any money to invest anymore as I spent it all on some books and an internet marketing scheme gone wrong. Anyway, keep up the great blogging and if you can help me I would greatly appreciate it, thanks!!