I published this 8 years ago to my Facebook friends and I thought I’d share it with you now, too. But I’ve expanded on it.
1. Start truly believing that you’re the most kickass niche leader that could possibly exist.
It helps you start acting that way, when you develop that belief – and with all the mediocre fence sitters out there, the world needs a lot more wow worthy people. It makes you step up your game.
When you feel like a newbie, or someone who isn’t “as good” as the other experts, it makes you hesitate to toot your own horn and act with confidence that people want and expect from those they learn from.
I don’t care how you do it. Sometimes it’s the old “fake it ’til you make it” routine and sometimes it’s affirmations. I’m personally using this EMDR tool to plant seeds of belief in my head that I’m a great fiction author. You can do it any way you want but start existing AS a successful entrepreneur.
2. Quit yer bitchin.
God we complain a lot. About everything. I do it, too. Sometimes I have to tell myself to SHUT UP because it’s a waste of time. Make a decision about what you will tolerate, handle that shit, and move on.
We complain about pricing, quality, gossipy stuff, the news, our weight, our looks, whatever. Just stop. I am currently sick of myself right now for this exact reason. I need to stay in my lane and worry about what I’m doing and nothing else.
3. If you’ve never failed, you haven’t tried hard enough.
You’ve taken the easy route and you need to level up and challenge yourself. Failure is part of excelling. It can be a bit humiliating. It’s intimidating. But it’s the sign of a truly excellent niche leader – someone willing to take measured risks, learn from it and move forward.
4. Follow people who do their best to serve you with a good heart and good intentions.
They may not always be right or do things perfectly and polished, but your gut will tell you if they’re a scumbag or not. Stay away from the product pushers who are selling you stuff you know deep down is nonsense.
5. Quit giving yourself an infinite amount of time to make decisions.
Spending insane amounts of time making decisions doesn’t make you more careful – or wiser. It makes you indecisive. Pick something, take action, and if it was wrong, do it over.
I’ve been dealing with this with my fiction right now. Can’t pick a genre. Can’t pick a trope. Just stuck. So this week or next, depending on the doctor’s visit and home repair issue I’m dealing with I’m starting it one way or another.
6. Have fun with your work.
For goodness sake, we chose this career so we could be our own bosses! Who ever wanted to wake up miserable and worry all day? Let your hair down and get to know your people with an open heart. If they don’t like you, weed them out and find your flock.
I have had so much fun chit chatting with my subscribers via email or social media when they contact me. People all over the world. So many different life experiences. It’s neat to get to know people outside of my small bubble.
Pick a fun niche! Pick a business model you enjoy. Do things out of the ordinary. Work in a place you find peaceful and relaxing or fun. Make people smile and laugh. We need more of this in the world, don’t we?
7. It’s normal to ask questions about stupid stuff.
What’s not normal is sitting on your questions like an egg about to hatch because you’re too scared everyone’s going to laugh. Every one of us had stupid questions. We asked. We put the answers to good use. We didn’t die from it.
I have no shame now. I will ask in a group, in a forum, on social media. I’ll email my list and tell them I’m clueless about something. What I realized is that go getters ask and implement. UNsuccessful people just sit there stuck.
8. Be proud of every little thing you achieved today.
I don’t care if you friended one expert, had someone share one of your FB posts, created your first listing on JVZoo or Warrior Plus, wrote your first page of an info product – or what. You’ve just done 99% more than most would be entrepreneurs out there.
Today I’m proud of myself for writing during a very stressful day. I’m doing this blog post, an email and a PLR product – all while going to my doctor about a health issue, and dealing with a horrible plumbing situation that is going to cost me a pretty penny.
I’m working in spite of the stress – something many can’t or won’t do. I’m taking care of my shit.
And for that, I am proud.
Tiff
