My latest activity that I’ve added to my (endless) list of to-dos is to post in a niche related forum, at least 5 times per session.  That sure doesn’t sound hard, but the trick is not to become engrossed in the forum itself. I get in, make 5 posts and get out.  Now you may think that I end up making garbage posts, but I try my best to be sure they are quality posts that add something to the thread being discussed.

Don’t get me wrong, the niche is one that I’m interested in, and I think that if I could tap into a forum market (possibly several forums), that I could dramatically increase the traffic and repeat visitors to my site.   But I’m also not so deeply involved in the forum that I become engaged in reading every single thread. I’m perfectly happy to enjoy my “performance” of the niche activity without much input from others.

This detachment from the forum, combined with a true interest in the niche, allows me to spend only about 15 minutes at a time getting this important marketing activity done.  By posting in a niche related forum, I build relationships and trust with the other forum members, contribute something positive to the community and eventually, will have a potential base of new visitors to my Build a Niche Store site in that particular market.

It’s a win/win situation for both me, and my future new visitors!

What are some ways that you make efficient use of your marketing activities?

As you daydream about your latest idea, let your mind flow around the possibilities. What if you see this idea through to completion? What if you write your novel? What if you graduate with an advanced degree? What if you complete a triathlon?

What will those accomplishments mean for you?

Maybe it’s not about the end goal, but the process instead. Maybe in writing your auto-biography, it’s not about the finished product, but rather about exploring your own history, becoming an archeologist of your own life.

What if your dream is to be a doctor for Indonesian Tribes? What if you KNOW without a DOUBT that that is your calling in life?

What if your doctor has told you that you need to lose weight, lower your cholesterol and get into better shape? Maybe Finishing a triathlon isn’t your main objective, but you know that the training you do in the meantime will help you achieve ALL of those goals.

If your idea has no intrinsic value, you will know it as you let your mind explore the possibilities.

But not all ideas and dreams need to be quite so lofty. The point is that you need to be convinced that your dream is important before spending the first bit of time pursuing the dream.

You will never get past square one if you are not convinced of the importance of reaching your dream.

Action Step:

Take out the sheet of paper from last time on which you wrote your brainstormed your dreams. As you read it again, you will recognize that many of these dreams really are somewhat far-fetched. But a few of these dreams will hit home. They are dreams that you KNOW you need to accomplish.

Rate each dream on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being “Not very important” to accomplish within the next few years to 5 being “Very important” to accomplish in the next few years.

I use the timeframe of a few years since many dreams will require multiple steps to accomplish…getting a degree, training for a marathon or ironman, starting a business and becoming profitable, etc.

Save this sheet in a drawer for the next time.

This is the second in a multipart article on Turning Your Great Ideas into Reality. If you like it, please forward it to a friend and subscribe to my RSS feed.  The next article in the Series will appear this Thursday, October 4th.

Her Father Likes to Brag

I have a friend whose father likes to brag about her to his co-workers. Many times they will ask him how is three daughters are doing? He replies, “I’ve only got one.” Quizzically, they ask about the daughter who worked as a wilderness instructor. “Yes, that’s my daughter” Then they’ll ask about the daughter who is a computer programmer, “Yes, that’s her.” Then they’ll ask about the daughter who does volunteer work with the local homeless organization. “Yes, that’s her as well.” And what about the daughter who became a doctor. “Yes, that’s my daughter.” But Steve, they reply, you’ve only got one daughter, right? “Of course,” her father says.

Her Dad’s friends are amazed. But when she tells me about these reactions, she’s just embarassed. Isn’t it natural to follow through on actions and ideas that are important to you? Doesn’t everyone want a job in a field in which they take great interest?

What do you have in common with my friend?
If you are at all like my friend, you’ve got a hundred and one great ideas, or more, in your head all at the same time. Maybe you’ve actually written down notes on a few of them, discussed others with friends, and possibly…just possibly you’ve taken some type of action on two or three of them.

Some of us are idea people, and some of us are follow through people. I am great at the former, but suck at the latter. My friend is good at both.

How can we make our great ideas come to life?

Before an idea becomes a reality you need to ask yourself many questions…

• How important is this to me?
• Am I passionate about the idea?
• Where does this idea fit in the bigger picture?
• Do I have the skills to follow through with the idea?
• Do I need to get more education before starting to act on the idea?
• Once I’ve decided the idea NEEDS to happen, how do I make time for it?

Action Step:
Brainstorm a list of all the dreams you can think of right now. Don’t be judgmental, simply list each one on it’s own line, starting with a blank sheet of paper. As you write, one dream may remind you of another that you had forgotten. Write them all down. Use two sheets if you need to. Put this sheet (or sheets) of paper in a safe place, like your top desk drawer and let it sit for a day or two. You will use it again in a few days.This is the first in a series of articles on how to turn your dreams into reality. If you like it, please forward it to a friend and subscribe to my RSS feed!

The next part in this series will be published on Monday, October 1st, so be sure to stop back!

I’d like to propose a starting point for your ventures in internet marketing.

I would like you to create, in writing, a low-stress, harmonious outline of your internet marketing week. I want you to create a basic structure of the time you realistically have RIGHT NOW that you could repeat 40 weeks of the year, or 9 out of 12 months. For some of you this may be 1 hour on a weekend evening. For others it may be 20 minutes each day during your lunch hour. If you are employed part-time, you may have even more time available. The idea is to get down in writing a plan that causes you no additional stress in your already harried lifestyle. Afterall, the ultimate goal is to create MORE time for the things that are important to us.

This outline will create your basic week. In the beginning your time will be filled with aquireing new information and knowledge about the internet, marketing, online tools, etc. But keep your schedule in mind. If your harmonious outline says 20 minutes at lunch hour, stick to this limit. Otherwise you will only end up creating more stress on not only yourself, but all the other interconnected components of your life.

Now quit reading this, turn off your computer, and go get some fresh air!