It has been a long time

I have been away for a long time and it is about time I get back to doing productive things in my life. 

90 Days Came and Went

My 90 day challenge to earn $10,000 with internet marketing was a complete bust.  90 days came and went and I did NOTHING.  I did not create anything.  I was frozen in place and did not move.

It makes NO SENSE.  It is not logical, and it is not how I want to be remembered in life, but it is a fact.  NOTHING!!

How can that be?  The only thing I can come up with in the way of an explanation is depression.  I do not consider myself a depressed person. I do not have emotional problems  or mental problems and yet it could be depression is my problem.

Those who know me would think of me as a fairly level headed person with no major problems.  I drink only in moderation, one or two beers.  I bought beer yesterday and then did not drink any when I got home.  I have never done drugs.  I do not gamble or have other vices that might hold me back.  I do not even buy lottery tickets.

So, what is going on that in 90 days I cannot create products, webpages or any other activity?  Beats me?  I wish I had an answer. 

Possible Reasons: 1.  My rental home went up for sale when I started this challenge and that was upsetting. The owner had an open house so strangers could walk through my home, more stress.  I do not have the money to move if the house sells (first and last months rent and any deposits).  2. My father spent the last 13 years of his life calling me stupid.  Am I fulfilling his expectations of me?  If I succeed I disappoint him. If I fail I am exactly what he expected.  3. WHO CARES!  Reasons and excuses are plentiful for anyone.

What is the answer to overcoming situations in life that hold you back?  I am not sure. If I had the answer, I would solve my own problem. 

Since the 90 day challenge is over, I will stop posting to this blog regularly. 

Rethinking Where I Need To Go

This week I have really been thinking about all I have not done.  I am rethinking where I need to go with my online efforts. 

First I need to increase my Ebay activity so that my main source of income increases.  This needs to be a change from the way I have been doing things in the past.  Maybe I need to sell off wholesale lots of items instead of individual pieces. 

Selling digital products on Ebay is how a lot of people are making extra cash.  I understand some are doing very well at it.  This is another avenue I could follow.  This would combine my current Ebay abilities with internet marketing products.

Yesterday I had another windfall day on Ebay.  To just get by I need to make $100 a day on Ebay.  That in addition to my retirement check pay the bills with a little to spare. Yesterday I made almost a weeks wage in one day. 

My problem is this is all coming from old inventory that I cannot duplicate and keep doing over and over.  Often my items are $10, but we still have some that go for $100, $500 and just once in a while more.  The trouble is I do not know which items those are until someone starts bidding. 

Our Ebay business is interesting to say the least.  It earns our living, but it needs to be revamped.  We need to improve it so we get ahead far enough to take time for other internet marketing endeavors.

Tax Time For Me

I wish I could pay $100,000 in taxes.  Yes, it is tax time for me. The more taxes I pay, the happier I am.  CRAZY?  NO!  The more you make the more you pay.  MAKE, is the key there. To pay $100,000 in taxes yo have to make a lot of money.

My plan was to get my taxes done early, but as always, here is is 8 days until they are due and I just started yesterday.  Luckily I use TurboxTax for my taxes and it makes it much simpler.  I do not have complicated taxes.  I have income, expenses and that's about it. I do not claim interest payments since I do not have any.  I do not own a home.  My taxes are simple and fast to file.

OK, today is April 9th and I officially declare my $10,000 in 90 days a TOTAL bust.  I did not even get started.  My mental blocks kept me from doing anything.  I was hoping a challenge like this would make me overcome my situation. It did not.

HOWEVER, this challenge has been very enlightening.  I have seen my demons at work and knowing them makes it a little easier for me to plan how I am going to conquer them. 

My lack of activity is ridiculous, but it is a fact.  I have all kinds of reasons (excuses) for not doing anything, but none of them hold water in the light of day. 

So, what is my plan now?  I am going to set some small goals for this month.  I am going to work at accomplishing those.  When I get the little ones going, I can add more little ones and work at them. At some point the big goal will just naturally fall in place.

I am an eternal optimist.  I believe I can do this. I believe I can do anything I set my mind to.  I know success is available any time I choose to embrace it. 

Bottom line is that I did virtually nothing with internet marketing, but my Ebay sales got some very nice extra income that I normally do not get.  Also, I have begun making more headway in getting my Ebay sales more consistent. 

I cannot say this challenge was a failure. I was forced to focus on what I am doing and it improved my business.  I made at least $6000 over what I would have normally made in the same period of time.  I am not sure where the money is.  OH, my two landlords have most of it.   I am really over my head with rent.

Looking For Success

Have you ever wondered why you seem to be looking for success in all the wrong places.  That seems to be what I am doing.  Why I look here and there for answers, all the answers I need are right in front of me.

I am having major problems trying to get my internet marketing business started. Oh, it is actaully started and I earn about $150 a month from adsense and affilate marketing, but my reall goal is to GET STARTED seriously.

The $10,000 challenge is what I had hoped would spur me on to greater productivity. It did not.  This is a serious problem.  If I can find answers to my situation, I am sure I can help others who experience similar lack of activity.

I read in forums that people are having trouble.  I think many are doing similar things as me.  They do a lot of planning, buying and thinking, but never seem to get it all together and create a worthwhile business.

There is an opportunity here for someone. Someone needs to figure out how to get people going. Many people have problems like procrastination, fear of failure, fear of success and other things that hold entrepeneurs back from from success.  I know I fall in that catagory somewhere.  I know and want to get myself going, but something stops me dead in my tracks.

Failing to move forward makes no sense. I feel I am a pretty together person. I am fairly smart. I am capable.  I have every asset I need to do the job.  So, what has held me back?  When I find the answer to that question I should soar. 

Maybe I do not even need the answer, maybe it is just a matter of getting the proper reason or motivation and it will all fall in place.

My Answers Are Slow Coming

I hope your efforts at whatever you are doing is working well. My answers are slow in coming. My saving factor is that I just never give up.  I keep on keeping on.  I know that if I keep my goals in front of me long enough something good has got to happen.

Over and over again, I keep on trying to come up with answers that work for my situation.  I know the stock answer is TAKE ACTION, but even that is not always as simple as it sounds.

Each of us has things we need to overcome.  Some of are in social situations, personal situations, business enterprises. We have roadblocks that we need to work through or work around. 

My $10,000 challenge in 90 days is one of those challenges.  I have learned a lot about my self and it is not over yet.  The 90 days is over on April 17.  I think this challenge has been a success in one way. It has opened my eyes to things I knew but did not think about.

Doing this blog HONESTLY and saying that I just cannot seem to get going AT ALL forces me to look more deeply into my circumstances. This introspection has me getting my Ebay business back on the track it should be on.  It has my sales up.  It has given me some unexpected cash because I was working at and focusing on making money.

Now, I just need to keep the focus on where I want to go and find the vehicle that I can use to take me there.

Getting Things Together -- A Day Late

Well, I am finally getting things together.  Of course, I am "a day late and a dollar short".  My Ebay sales have picked up and we are doing more toward selling our physical inventory.  I am laying out my plans for internet marketing. 

This challenge to earn $10,000 in 90 days was in my head since October of 2006.  In January of 2007 I was asked to challenge myself to anything publicly.  I thought the $10,000 would be good.  It wasn't.

At the time I started this I was told my rental home was up for sale -- STRESS.  I was told we WOULD HAVE an open house -- STRESS.  Open house means any stranger who wants to look inside your home comes in and and checks things out.  Stress to the edge of depression.

We make our living on Ebay, but it is month to month. STRESS.  That is why I want to get internet marketing going and truly believe it will get out of the month to month bill paying.

Ebay has picked up during this 90 day challenge that ends April 17.  We are making sales way in excess of what we normally would, but we can't seem to get ahead. As soon as we make a windfall profit we slack off. 

So, you can see some of the excuses I have for not making good on this challenge to this point.  HOWEVER, they are just that EXCUSES every problem we had could have just as easily been an opportunity.

Opportunity often comes disguised as work.  Getting ahead to move would be work. Adversity is a wake up call, but we hit the snooze alarm.  It is time to get on track and accomplish our objectives. 

$10,000 in 90 days is only $111 a day.  It means creating a website that produces $5 to 30 dollars a day and duplicating it.  Creating products that sell for $7 and sell 5 a day in addition to the websites, then duplicate that.

For those of you facing similar challenges as Sharon and I, I wish you the best of luck.  The answer is to keep up your hope, dream your dreams and make plans.  At the right moment you will take action, if you keep focusing on what you want.  I know we will get there!