Let’s perform a little thought experiment. Take out a piece of scratch paper and something to write with. I want you to actually do this; do not read the rest of the article until you’ve done so. Are you ready? All-righty then. I want you to write down the biggest impediment to the success of your home-based internet business. Now imagine in your mind two or three other causes of failure and write those down too. OK, what do you have?
Does your list have any of the following on it?
* Not enough capital.
* Too few customers.
* Fiscal irresponsibility.
* Too little time.
* Poor decisions/decision making skills.
* Little or no product appeal.
* The “boss” is a blithering idiot.
If you have points on your list that I failed to mention, please add them in a comment. Now let us examine our lists. Are any of the above actual impediments to success or causes of failure? I will be so bold as to answer that with an unequivocal “NO!” Take a good look around, the world is full of complete imbeciles selling horrible and inane products and making millions doing it.
My assumption, nay my assertion is that you are the biggest impediment to your success. More to the point, I believe your mindset is the determining factor. FDR famously opined “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself,” and fear is what keeps us from realizing our full potential in any endeavor, business included. Fear clouds proper thinking, it impairs judgment, but most importantly, fear does not want you to succeed.
Fear must be considered your enemy and defeated at all costs. Look fear dead in the eye and command it to leave. You are not afraid. You believe in yourself. The only failure is the failure to persevere. You are not in this to get rich quick; you are in this for the long haul and fear cannot prevent your long term success. Fear has no stamina for the long haul.
An old teacher I had once told me that “Attitude determines altitude.” I believe that now more than ever. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that positive thinking and self-confidence are going to be the sole determinants of your success. Hard work, dedication, education and marketing all play big parts. What I am saying is that without the proper attitude none of the other aspects of success will amount to a hill of beans. There will be ups and downs. You will make bad decisions and they will cost you money. No lesson in business worth learning comes free. With a positive outlook you will endure and learn; fear will stunt your growth and then eventually kill your dream.