The Online Marketing Rookie

I’m so buzzing with excitement right now. Because the topic we’re going to talk about today is something I’ve always been passionate about.

You see, I’m a huge believer that anyone can get what they want – if they really want it. Because if you want something badly enough, the possibilities are endless!

So is there something you really want right now?

• Perhaps it’s more money?
• Do you want to be in your own business?
• Or maybe you want to find love?
• Do you want to lose weight and get fit?

Whatever it is, you can get it! You just need to make a few small personal adjustments to get there – and I show how below.

But before we get into it, I’d just like to share with you a few examples of how I’ve gotten what I wanted in life – just so you know I’m not blowing hot air out of my bottom!

Aged 23, a fresh graduate in a corporate marketing role, I wanted to become a copywriter, even though English was my least favourite subject at school.

A few months later, I was copywriting for the company I was working for.

Aged 25, I got shafted by the corporation I was working for. So I decided to never work for anyone again.

By 26, I was working for myself as a contract marketing consultant/copywriter – against the advice of family and friends.

Aged 29, sick of paying huge rents, I decided to buy a house – but it had to have sea views.

I couldn’t find the right house, so I had one built – a 4-bedroom home with panoromic views over Wellington Harbour.

Aged 37, I got the travel bug.

A year later, I’d sold everything (including my house and everything in it), gave away my clients, left New Zealand and went travelling for 6 months. Since then, I’ve had another 8-month stint around the world, and a few smaller trips in between.

Friends tell me I’m brave. But bravery’s got nothing to do with it.

It’s about following your heart, committing to it and making it happen. And usually, this means stepping out of your comfort zone, putting your fears behind you, and looking ahead to the future.

Yep, it can be hard yakka. But if you want something badly enough, you can achieve it!

Here’s how…

How to Get Whatever You Want…

Step 1 – Commit to it!

With commitment comes focus. So it’s important to put a stake in the ground.

Write down exactly what it is that you want – your goal – and be as specific as you can.

Think SMART:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timely

For example, if you want to start your own business, rather than stating your goal as “Work for myself”, your goal may be to “Start an online store for natural pet products by 30 November 2013″.

You have to set a date for when you’ll reach your goal, or you could drift on forever thinking you’ll get there ‘some day’. And we all know what ‘some day’ means!

Jim Rohn has a good explanation of SMART goals here.

Now hang that piece of paper where you’ll see it every day. On your bathroom mirror. On the fridge. On the wall in front of your desk.

Draw pictures on it. Make it your own. And look at it every day. Make a contract with yourself to commit to reaching this goal.

Step 2 – Get Positive!

Yep, this is a big step that’s going to change your life!

What I’ve learnt, is that to achieve the big things in life, you have to let go of all the negative self talk – that internal chatter that tells you you can’t do this or that because you’re not good enough, or not capable enough.

These thoughts hold you back and are nothing more than habitual thinking, programmed into your head from whatever happened in your past!

Being brought up in an Asian family, I was always taught to be safe than sorry. To value weaknesses over strengths. To focus on the things that could go wrong rather than the things that could go right.

For instance, when I was dating an emotionally-abusive man some time ago, my mum’s favourite motto was: “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know”!

What the….??? Wow, I’m so glad I didn’t listen to her!

Anyway, what really helped me to break the cog was a book called Mind Power, by John Kehoe.

This book changed my life. It taught me how to be positive, and gave me the tools I needed to achieve all the things I wanted in life.

It also opened my eyes to infinite possibilities and helped me to see that, if I set my mind to it, I can achieve anything! (Read my review of Mind Power here, or read other reviews here.)

If I can change my mindset after growing up in a pool of negativity, you can too!

The key is to believe in yourself… because you have the power to do anything you want. (Tweet this)

Tips to help you get started…

Stop making excuses.

Excuses usually sound like this: “I can’t do [something] because blah blah…” .

Well, get “I can’t” out of your vocabulary and replace it with “I can” or “I will”. You’ll be surprised by how much more positive you’ll feel.

Stop all negative thoughts.

Negative thoughts are toxic and can really hold you back. They come about through learned behaviour – habits you’ve adopted from your past. They’re not real. They’re not who you are, or how others see you.

So be aware of negative thoughts that creep into your head and turn them around.

Instead of thinking “I’m not good enough”, think “I am good enough!”. Instead of thinking “I can’t do it!”, think “I will succeed” – and you WILL SUCCEED.

Hang with positive people.

Yep, negative people drag you down. And negativity cultivates more negativity. Like positivity cultivates positivity.

So choose your friends carefully and spend most (if not all) of your time with positive people – people who make you happy. People who make you laugh.

Visualise the future. 

In Mind Power, John Kehoe talks a lot about visualisation.

This is the concept of clearly imagining yourself having achieved your goal – so much so that you actually believe it’s happening right now. He believes that if you visualise every day, the sub-conscious mind will act on the internal images you create. Cool huh?

These tips have all worked for me – and they should work for you too!

Step 3 – Take Action!

So you’ve committed to achieving your goal and made some changes to your mindset – Congratulations!

Now it’s time to make it happen!

Let go of your fears. Let go of any doubts. See yourself getting that thing you’ve always wanted and stay focused. It will come!

Just think of the number of times you’ve achieved something – whether it’s something small like training your dog not to pee in the house, or something big like shedding 10kgs of weight. So how did you achieve it?

You TOOK ACTION, right?

And you have the power to do it again and again for everything else you want in life.

If diving in boots and all is your style, then awesome! Sometimes that’s the best way to go…

Or if you’re a cross-the-t-dot-the-i kinda person, then put some plans in place to take action. Just make sure you carry out your plan. And watch out for procrastination!

If you’ve watched my video, Confessions of an Online Marketing Rookie, you’ll know that I’m a terrible planner. But when I want something really badly, I have a one-track mind that takes me to the light at the end of the tunnel.

How you get there is up to you.

But just make sure you – in the words of Nike – JUST DO IT!

So what are you waiting for?

I’d love to hear about your own experiences. Have you always gotten what you wanted? And did you have to change your mindset to get there? Perhaps you’ve got some tips of your own that you’d like to share with us?

Please leave us a comment below…

Thanks for reading this. Here’s to your success!

Cin Cin!

- Lil