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Old 11-05-2006, 03:40 AM   #7 (permalink)
sjpeer
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 11
sjpeer is on a distinguished road
Default Solid foundation and momentum

I agree that now is the PERFECT time for building a solid financial foundation. You can never make up lost time when it comes to investing.

I would add that you should do things you really enjoy. If you're not enjoying a high percentage of the process, it's probably not the right path. To get started I would:

1. Start brainstorming ideas for making money. Don't edit or evaluate the ideas, just start writing them down. Do this for a week or two and try to write down 3 ideas a day.
2. Once you have a solid list of ideas, look through them and see which ones jump out at you. Which ones are the most exciting and interesting to you? Which ones would you LOVE doing?
3. Choose the idea you would most enjoy and write out a roughly plan of next steps to start taking action on your idea. This may simply be researching your idea or making contacts.
4. Start taking consistent action towards making your idea a reality. Dedicate a set period of time EVERY WEEK toward doing nothing but working on your goal.
5. If things aren't working out or you have clarity mid-stream that a different idea is better or more enjoyable, don't be afraid to switch.

I used these steps to start my blog GettingFinancesDone.com and have had tremendous success. I'm only able to dedicate 4-8 hours a week on it but have made significant progress nonetheless and have enjoyed every minute.

The key for me was just taking action. I dedicated one night a week to work on it (I have a full-time job) and actually started out on a completely different project. After a couple of weeks I had absolute clarity that I should switch gears (even though I was enjoying the project I was working on) and start my personal finance blog. Because I was already setting aside time, it was easy to re-focus my energy on the new project.

Your progress towards business or personal goals is like steering a car. If you've ever tried steering a card without power steering when it is stationary, it's very difficult to turn the wheel. As soon as you start the car moving, even if it's slowly, suddenly the wheel is very easy to turn. Similarly, if you just start moving and dedicating weekly time to your business development, it will be much easier to steer your projects where you want them and refine them as you go. Deep analogy, I know.

Not only that, but you'll find that once you start moving, unexpected things will show up in your life to help you reach your goals; money, contacts, opportunities.

The great thing for you is, you have plenty of time to figure things out and if you have success early on, it will set you up to have an incredibly fulfilling, prosperous life.
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