Choosing a role model while starting your internet marketing business can be a big help. While some people would say to pick a successful person to inspire you (which can be a good idea), I have some fictional people in mind who have something to teach about getting the right mindset to be an entrepreneur.
You should be more like Green Lantern and Daredevil.
If you aren’t familiar with these two comic book characters, Green Lantern is basically a “space cop” with a magic ring, while Daredevil is a blind lawyer with “super-senses”. However, that’s not what I want to look at about these two characters.
They are both known as men without fear.
I know…what does this have to do with online marketing? How are comic books going to help me develop a strong entrepreneurial mindset? That’s simple…to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to act past your fear.
Every successful businessperson has fear. It’s only natural. After all, taking chances and risks is what building a successful business is all about. “Playing it safe” is a tool not often used in a true entrepreneur’s toolbox.
“But, I’m nervous or scared all the time! I can’t do this!” Of course you think this kind of thing at times. Most (if not all) successful businesspeople could say the same thing; developing the proper mindset for your online marketing isn’t about if you have fear, but how you let that fear affect you.
For some, their reaction to being afraid is to get excited and charge forward. For most, the usual reaction is to freeze, hesitate or just flat-out run. This is known as the “fight-or-flight” response, and it’s as old as the human race.
If your usual reaction is “flight,” you need to take a good look at what is frightening you.
In most cases, an easy way to deal with your fear is to say “If I do this, what’s the absolute worst that can happen?” Believe it or not, most of the time you’ll realize that total failure isn’t that bad. It’s not what you’re aiming for, but guess what? If you’re not willing to fail, you’re not willing to succeed.
Read that sentence again. “If you’re not willing to fail, you’re not willing to succeed.” When someone is a huge success, it’s easy to forget how many times they failed completely before they achieved their goals.
Donald Trump has filed for bankruptcy twice, and yet his current net worth is estimated at $2.9 billion dollars. Twice in his life (once in 1990, and again in 1994), “The Donald” has gone from being a billionaire to entering bankruptcy protection…and then back to being a billionaire again.
That last part is the most important part…in Trump’s mind, losing billions of dollars of valuation wasn’t the end of the road, it was just a setback. And now, the shocking part…Donald Trump gets scared sometimes. But instead of thinking “Wow, I went from all to nothing; I’ll never do that again,” he reacted to both setbacks with an attitude of “Wow, I went from all to nothing; I did it once, I can do it again.”
Giving in to normal fears is perfectly natural, but that doesn’t mean you should do it. When something scares you or makes you nervous, ask yourself “Why does that bother me…what’s the worst that can happen, and how could I overcome it?”
Learn to say “I can overcome it,” and you’re already developing a true entrepreneurial mindset.
To our epic successes (and our minor setbacks on the way),
PS If you promise to share this with your friends, I promise to keep pumpin’ out valuable content… Soooo, tweet-tweet! ; )
PSS Leave me a comment with any topics you’d like to see me blog about. I’d love to hear your feedback!
January 31st, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Hey Garrett
What a great post. I love to be in contact with people who maintain the right perspective even in difficult times. Truly successful people NEVER quit, no matter how many set backs they encounter. Every set back is an opportunity for growth. Good message here.
Krista Abbott
[Reply]
February 1st, 2010 at 7:08 am
I notice that both Trump and Kiyosaki have been in and out of bankruptcy. They walk that edge and its why they get the successes they do. They use the protections built into the system to launch them. I saw a quote once that said success is not never falling… its how high you bounce when you hit bottom. Most of us stay away from the edge out of fear, and never learn we can recover. Great heroes teach us that we can overcome anything!
Kimberly Castleberry´s last blog ..The FTC Changes & You: Protecting Your Business (Part 1)
[Reply]
February 1st, 2010 at 7:26 am
Hey Garrett,
You’ve definitely got some GREAT insights… I am thrilled to come back to your blog time and again to read what you have to say. The Motivation I receive here is phenomenal. I can’t wait to see you at the TOP!
Jordan Schultz
Jordan Schultz´s last blog ..Generate Facebook Leads-How To Set Up Your Facebook Profile For Business
[Reply]
February 1st, 2010 at 8:51 am
Thanks for posting this in the IMC Entrepreneurs Group! You’ve got some great insights about the nature of success and risk, and how to motivate yourself to keep going.
Thanks, Garrett!
The IMC Team´s last blog ..first fold
[Reply]
February 1st, 2010 at 7:40 pm
Hey Garret,
It’s great to see the fearless development of your entrepreneurial journey. Thanks for sharing the insights with all of us.
Vitaliy Dubinin
Vitaliy´s last blog ..MLM Blog – You Still Don’t Have One?
[Reply]
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:01 am
Hey Garrett,
Another great post! What you are talking about is called the psycho cybernetic mechanism. Maxwell Maltz wrote on book on exactly this topic.
We all have a conditioned set point in our finances, career, relationships, ect. This is why 95% of the people who win lotteries are bankrupt in within 5 years and can’t get it back. This is also why people continue to attract abusive partners in their relationships.
It’s when Donald can go from Bankrupt to Billionaire and back again. Just like you Garrett, you also have a “comfort” zone of amount of money you make.
Ryan Yokome´s last blog ..How To Make People Feel Like A Million Bucks
[Reply]
February 2nd, 2010 at 11:21 am
Hey Garrett,
Great content my friend! Learning to deal with and not necessary eliminate fear is a real characteristic of entrepreneurial mindset.
We all fear loss and/or failure to a certain degree but entrepreneurs are willing to challenge themselves and overcome those types of limiting beliefs.
“The Donald” was a perfect example. Those that do not have the mark of a genuine entrepreneur will often throw in the towel when dealt with loss, but real wealth creators know they’ll make it back.
Personal development is crucial to this process as well. Thanks for the share!
~Fredric
Fredric ´s last blog ..Personal Branding & Blogging Blueprint Part 2
[Reply]
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Great post. Me and my friend were talking about this topic just yesterday but instead he used a footballer player(soccer player) as the example. He said that Gary Lineker scored 244 goals in his career and is a a national English treasure but what some people fail to see is that he had double those chances to score. No one ever remembers the misses.You only truly fail when you give up and you learn best when you fall over.
[Reply]
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Awesome post, Garrett! I’ll be passing it on to my teenage son. I think he’ll like it as much as I did! Great reminder to “face the fear and do it anyway”…comic-book style!
Stevie Knight´s last blog ..Social Media Timesaver Tip: Creating Lists on facebook
[Reply]
February 7th, 2010 at 6:03 am
Hi, how are you? I truly like your blog! I was wondering if you might help me (I am certain your other readers might also be curious). I want to get involved in writing a blog as well and I at the moment use a blog with wordpress, but it is quite difficult for me to build and I would like to attempt to find some good training guides or courses (preferably ones that are free) that can assist me in using word press correctly. As a word press webmaster yourself, do u maybe maybe know where i could find tutorials to do this myself?? Thanks!
[Reply]
February 7th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
Glad you like my blog, Lynwood. As far as tutorials go, I’d really recommend all of the trainings available in the 7 Figure Networker System (http://www.7FigureSignup.com). You can test drive it for a month for a dollar, I believe. It’s waaay more than worth it… The trainings there cover not just blogging but really every key aspect of internet marketing, or at least the aspects that will actually make you money haha.
In addition to those, I’d check out Katie Freiling’s Blogging Secrets. Also, take a look at Yaro Starak’s Blog, he helps bloggers of all levels improve/monetize their blogs.
Let me know if you need anything else,
Garrett
[Reply]
March 11th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Hey Garrett,
Good post. Fear is such a strong influence in all of our lives. It kept me from making videos for the longest time online.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when people or organizations use the negative emotion of fear as a tool of influence.
J
The Cartoon Coach
FREE Marketing Training
Carstarphen´s last blog ..How To Choose Your Perfect Niche Market
[Reply]