Don’t be afraid of taking risks when it comes to your career

The way that you view the world is your reality and always wanting for something that you don’t have can be a very dangerous and destructive pattern to get into.

When you are having problems or wish that you could instantly be transported to somewhere else where you would have more money, a different job, a more exciting lifestyle, or a better family, could have a deeper meaning.

This could mean that the source of your discontent and that you would be similarly unhappy in any situation given enough time.

The good news is that just by adjusting your expectations and the way that you interact with the world you can change your situation quite drastically.

Instead of wasting all of the energy trying to figure out a way to argue better or stewing over the interaction that you had with your partner this morning, be grateful and use that energy to do something that you enjoy.

For example, my friend was unhappy as he quit high school prematurely so he researched all the options and got a GED diploma instead. Now he plans to get a college degree online. There are so many great options today.

The amazing thing about happiness is that it is very subjective and once your basic needs are met it’s all mental. So what’s the big deal?

Fear of failure

If you have ever thought about starting a business or moving across the globe to do something that you were really passionate about and then didn’t because you thought about what other people would think you were grasped by the fear of failure. This may also happen when you’re buying a new home…fear is all around us so you must really try to deal with it!

The fear of failure can be a motivating factor to stay complacent, but what would it really be like if you did what you’ve always wanted and it didn’t work out. People tend to stay put because they associate failure with the end of the world instead of a learning opportunity.

The most awful thing that you can do is let this fear prevent you from trying something that you really want to do, like spending your free time outdoors or where you like to be.

The pressure to conform to what we think other people’s perceptions are of us and not test the failures is a product of our minds inventing a story out of fear. Instead of suffering the potential failure or gaining the potential success our fear keeps us paralyzed. Taking small steps in the direction of your goal and conquering small fears will build momentum to tackle even larger goals.

Risk is your friend

Are you afraid of taking a risk? As a function of our evolution, we tend to overestimate the dangers and risks associated with trying something new. As society teaches us to avoid risk at all costs we lose the ability to overcome the fear and venture into the unknown.

Stepping out on the ledge and going for something that you want will usually not be life-threatening and whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, as the old adage goes.

Learning to embrace risk won’t keep you from failing (this is what I really learned in a webinar) but it will keep you from regretting the inaction later on. Most people say that inaction is of a bigger consequence than the biggest failure that was caused by an action. Be afraid, but take action and time will heal any bruises that you get along the way.

Success is about more than money

All successful people agree that they were successful because they wanted to do something with their life. They wanted their life to mean something before they left this world. They then set about achieving these goals and as a result, they got rich. Well, great success is about more than money!

Several of the people interviewed by Richard St. John, himself very successful, said they would happily pay someone to do what they were now doing. Education is the key to a rewarding career and a successful life so give it all you’ve got. They enjoyed it that much.

So ask yourself this question, “What do I want my life to mean?”

Then write down your dream life as if it has happened, really see it in your mind’s eye, write down what you will have to give up to achieve that, write a plan to start you on the path to success, lastly write down one simple thing you will do each day to get there.

Now you have written it down it’s real. You have something to work with.

Next, do the same for the following areas of your life:

  • Health – because good health is important to success if you want to enjoy it
  • Personal development – remember for your business to grow, you have to grow
  • Relationships – What good is success if when it comes to the end no one cares who you were?
  • Finances – we all would like some extra income

Read them every day

Now you have a final discipline, you have to take those written statements out every day and read and visualize them. Keep them in your thoughts when you are making your daily choices. They will act as your guide on the path to success and help you avoid the wrong choices.

Why learning is important

Three aspects to learning

There are three aspects to learning in work from home careers:

  1. Book Smart (includes audiobooks and educational video)
  2. Street Smart
  3. Learning by association

Book Smart helps you increase your profits

By book smarts I mean you have to focus on formal learning. It is advised you read at least 10 pages a day of books that will help you develop in your business area and your life in general.

Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich interviewed many millionaires. They all agreed your way of earning extra money is limited by your personal growth. So you have to grow faster than your business in order for your business to keep growing.

Street Smart helps with your home internet business

In legitimate home Internet businesses, there is usually a lot to learn at first, so you have to work at it. Persistence is one of the 8 attributes of successful people I identified in a previous post.

The best analogy I have is a game of football. The points on the board, while the game is in play, is called the score. It indicates how well you are doing while you are acting.

You look at the score and if what you are doing is winning you keep doing it or improve further. If you are losing you look at what you have been doing and correct any mistakes. It’s a rhythm of continuously, ‘plan, do, review’.

It’s called the result when the game is over. In the case of a business, the ‘game length’ can be a  financial quarter, six months, or a year that’s when you look at results. On a day-to-day basis focus on the score and act to win.

Profitable home businesses are linked to people you associate with

Many studies have shown that our income is roughly the same as the five closest people we regularly associate with. Why? Because we are comfortable in such a group, ‘birds of a feather flock together’ is truer than many people realize.

Now bear in mind you want to be in the 5% success club. Who would it be best to spend more time with, your friends or people who are at the level you want to be?

You guessed it, you have to associate with successful people, talk to them and see what they did and overcame to be successful. Use them as role models. This is about who you spend time with as opposed to making judgments about your friends.

Tipping the balance towards meeting and exchanging ideas with successful people will make a significant difference to your success.