2016 was a really bad year for a lot of people (Myself Included). As a matter of fact, 2016 was one of the worst years for me since I started back in 2013.
For the most part, this was due to some poor business decisions that I made, but that’s all in the past.
As we enter a new year this gives us the opportunity to wipe the slate clean, correct any mistakes that we’ve made, and start over.
If you want to attain any kind of success in the online world, there are a few nasty habits that you need to drop like they’re hot.
LOL!!!
If you know what I mean!
In the following article, I’ll be sharing 7 habits that I struggled with when I first started out in the online world and showing you how I was able to overcome them.
If you have set any kind of goals that you would like to reach in 2017, then you might want to stick around and see if you can relate to any of my nasty habits.
Let’s get started!
Stop Complaining!!
Not only can complaining make for a very unproductive day, it can also cause you to rewire your brain to think negatively in the future.
Your brain doesn’t like to work any harder than it has to and whenever you repeat an action like complaining constantly, the neurons in your brain reach out to each other and distributes this to the rest of your brain.
Now, what do you think happens next?
If you said that this would cause you to start thinking negatively and instead of looking at things in a positive way, all you’ll see is the negative side of things then you would be right.
Eventually, this will start to affect how productive you are while working and could ultimately become the deciding factor as to whether you make it in the online world or not.
Besides, where has complaining ever got you in the past or at any time for that matter?
I know that it may feel good at the time, and it may do you good at the time to get it off your chest at the current moment, but like any guilty pleasure, in the long run, this is not good for you mentally or physically.
In order to drop this habit like it was hot, I had to pretty much rewire my brain to start thinking more positively and cleansing my brain of any negative thoughts.
I quickly discovered that you can earn a whole lot more money when you start to look at things in a more positive way and this is how I was able to earn my first $1,000 online.
Stop Fretting Over Mistakes You’ve Made In The Past
We have all made our fair share of mistakes in the past and like I said earlier, I made quite a few costly mistakes in 2016.
What’s done is done and there is no way to change what you’ve already done right?
So why let it worry you so much?
Want to know what you can do to fix the mistakes you’ve made in the past?
Work harder than you did the previous year and learn from your mistakes so that you make smarter business decisions moving forward.
This was one of my really bad habits and it has taken me a while to break free of this but I’m proud to say that I have finally kicked this habit to the curb for good.
Failing To Take This Whole Online Thing Seriously
This was another habit that I struggled with when I first started here as well and let me tell you from my own personal experience, it took me a while to break.
Why?
This was due to the many times that I was scammed by various so called money making opportunities in the online world.
Even after I found the right program, It still took me close to a year before I started to take action on what I was learning and take this whole online thing a lot more seriously.
Once I started to treat this whole online thing like a business, I started reaping the rewards that came with it.
If you want to have any kind of success online, it’s important for you to take things a whole lot more serious and try not to follow in my footsteps and wait almost an entire year before taking any action.
Don’t Be Afraid To Invest In Your Business
When you’re first getting started online you’ll naturally want to cut as many corners as you possibly can and be as cost effective as possible.
This is perfectly fine and this is how we have all started out in the online world.
However, once your business starts to produce some positive cash flow you’ll naturally want to put some money back into it so you can make more money.
Makes sense don’t it?
This was another bad habit that took a while for me to kick but once I did, I found that I was able to diversify my traffic sources and grow my business in ways that didn’t seem possible before.
Becoming Complacent
This particular nasty habit really hits close to home for me and one that I struggled with for several years before I was able to stop settling and start putting forth an effort to reach bigger and better things.
Being complacent is one of the worst things you could possibly do when getting started online.
Not only will this affect your productivity going forward, but this will also put a limit on how your business will grow.
This could also have a direct impact on whether you reach the goals that you’ve set for 2017.
It seems like we all go through this and over the years, I’ve talked with quite a few successful marketers who have gone through this exact thing.
If this happens to be a habit that you’re struggling with at the moment trust me you’re not alone. I have been in your shoes and know exactly how you must feel.
Procrastinating
Are you the type of person that likes to put important jobs off until later?
Do you find yourself regretting your next business meeting or dreading that meeting with a potential client?
Procrastination is the #1 killer of many people’s dreams and usually the culprit as to why they fail to reach their goals.
If you’re looking to have any kind of success in the online world it’s imperative that you take care of those pesky tasks as soon as soon as possible and avoid putting them off for later.
The longer you put this off the worst it could be and in the long run, this could have a serious negative impact on your business.
This will only lead to further procrastination which will delay you from earning the type of income you would like to be earning in 2017 and beyond.
Like the other nasty habits that I’ve shared with you guys thus far, this was also a bad habit of mine that took me a while to break.
Does this happen to be something that you struggle with as well?
Don’t Be Afraid To Hire Help When You Need It
When first getting started online it’s important for you to do all the work of getting yourself up and running so that you can obtain a firm understanding of how everything works.
Once you establish yourself and are making consistent revenue each month you should definitely consider outsourcing any tasks that are repetitive or that are particularly time consuming.
I think that you would be quite surprised at how much of a burden will be lifted off your shoulders by simply doing this alone.
By doing this, you’ll be able to focus on the more important aspects of running your business.
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a graphic designer or a content writer.
There are many places you can go to hire help and leave the more challenging jobs to someone with experience who knows what they’re doing.
The 2 places that have helped me out the most when it coming to outsourcing projects or finding a content writer would have to be Fiverr, And Online Jobs. PH.
Being as stubborn as I am, I naturally wanted to play the part of Superman and try and take on everything on my own.
I found out the hard way that this contributed to me becoming overwhelmed as well as feeling burned out.
In case you may be wondering why I saved this one for last?
It’s simple!!
Until your business is established and earning you a consistent income then this won’t really apply to you just yet.
This is something to keep in the back of your mind for now until you get established and are generating some kind of revenue.
My Closing Thoughts
Whether you work a 9 to 5 job, or you’re just getting started online, I’m sure that many of you can relate to at least a couple of these nasty habits and you have likely struggled to break these at one time or another.
There are many other bad habits that I’ve had to drop over the past 4 years as an online marketer and these are just a few that came to my mind as I was writing this article.
I like to refer to these as the 7 deadly sins of online marketing!!
If you can cut these out of your daily routine and start looking at things in a more positive light then you’re bound to start seeing results which will eventually lead to you being a success in 2017.
In order to truly be successful online, it’s going to require lots of hard work, dedication, and a drive to become successful.
You’re also going to need the right training that will actually show you how to get all of this setup and provide you with a step by step task based training platform.
The place that has helped me build my own online business and has shown me how to earn my first $1,000 online and start earning a full time income in under a year is Wealthy Affiliate.
Whether you work a 9-5 job and you are looking for a way to supplement your income or if you’re fed up with corporate America and you’re ready to start building your online empire, you’ll quickly discover that Wealthy Affiliate can help you achieve both of these things.
Can you relate to any of the 7 deadly sins that I’ve listed above?
I would love to hear all about it in the comments section below as well as answer any further questions you may have.
Until Next Time!!
~Your Friend, Scott~
Hey, Scott!
Great article. I’m definitely guilty of several of these points. Procrastination, in particular, is a bad habit I’ve had my whole life.
I am making great progress, though. When it comes to the Wealthy Affiliate training, it’s so easy and straightforward that procrastination really doesn’t come up much. I just work through the lessons and I’m good to go.
I can’t wait to see future posts! Keep up the great work.
-Nigel
Hi Nigel!
I’m glad that you enjoyed the article and that you can relate to several of these points that I listed above. Like you, procrastination was something that I struggled with most of my adult life and at times I still have trouble with this.
I’m glad to hear that you’re making some great progress though and that you find the training at WA easy and straightforward.
Thank you so much for stopping by Nigel and sharing your thoughts on this article and which one of these nasty habits that you struggled with the most.
I really appreciate it and thanks for your kind words.
Cheers
~Scott~