The Danger Of Maybe
Have you ever found yourself caught in an endless rat-wheel of indecision? The kind that just paralyzes you and nothing happens?
It is a rat-wheel. You just sit there and spin, but you go absolutely nowhere.
There are three options to any decision or action in life:
- Yes
- No
- Maybe
There are only two answers you should ever accept in yourself: YES or NO.
“Maybe” is dangerous. It hangs you up. It leads to inaction. It leads to confusion. It leads to overwhelm. Habitual indecision is not a good thing no matter how you slice it.
If you look at any successful leader, they have one thing in common: They made decisions. They did it quickly, and they didn’t look back.
Some mental incompetents look at people who do that and call it simple-minded, unpolished, unsophisticated. They couldn’t be more wrong. Power lies in simplicity. Complexity is the result of doing something wrong. The worse leaders are the ones who get stuck in figure-figure mode, second-guess, make decisions slowly.
How can you apply this in daily life?
- When you open an email, make a decision on what to do with it. If more data is needed, move the email to a different folder then schedule time to deal with it decisively. If you can handle the email right away, do so and then delete it. Don’t let a bunch of indecision pile up in your email inbox.
- Got an idea for a new blog? A post? A strategy or tactic? Well, make a point to take action on it or decide to forget about it. Yes or no. A bunch of maybe’s just clog your mental pipes and nothing will happen.
You should be brutal about this, my friends.
Life could be viewed like an assembly line of decisions. Yes or no keeps the belt moving. Getting stuck in a maybe stops the progression.
If you find yourself stuck in a “maybe” rat-wheel, then determine exactly what information you need in order to resolve the maybe. Then, go get that information and bring the matter to a close. If you simply can’t decide, then just say “no” and move on with your life. Any decision is better than none.
You want more time? You want more mental clarity? Apply this advice to your life.
Yeah, this is a bit philosophical for a blog about blogging, but I think it is very applicable to us all. Do you agree with me?
2 Bloggers Doing It Right
As we head into the Christmas holiday, I thought I would end off the week by featuring two more bloggers who are doing it right.
Corvida Raven
Corvida is young tech blogger who discusses social media and all things tech. She really is the consummate blogger and networker.
I believe she first crossed my radar back when I was a more frequent participator at FriendFeed. She was consistently networking with some of the other leading tech bloggers. She also used to be a writer for ReadWriteWeb, another blog I read.
Today, she writes on her own blog, SheGeeks. She also co-founded EverythingTwitter and she is also on the SocialGeeks RoundTable Podcast.
As for what she’s doing right, her content is obviously stellar. But, I would best sum her up as an awesome networker. One time, for instance, I made a comment on Twitter about Facebook Connect. It spiked her curiosity, so she DMed me and asked if she could talk to me on the phone about it. Because I knew of her, I said OK and in less than 5 minutes she and I were talking on the phone. Absolutely no back off. There are so many people who would be shy about reaching out like that.
Corvida is connected with the players in tech blogging because she realizes the power of personal networking.
You can check out SheGeeks.net and follow @corvida on Twitter.
Jordan Cooper
Jordan just recently came onto my radar. In fact, I think he is literally brand new to blogging. So, I’m sure I’m about to surprise the hell out of him by featuring him here. His blog absolutely cracks me up, though. It is called Not A Pro Blog. It is an irreverent look at blogging, social media & marketing.
Jordan is a stand-up comedian, with 15 years of experience in the field of entertainment. He isn’t new to the tactics of marketing, however. His first blog post was on December 2nd. His numbers aren’t high. But I can tell the guy gets it.
Jordan is bringing his comedy background to the world of blogging. This is something new this market hasn’t really seen, and I really think he could kick ass in all the right ways. I consider myself a new fan, Jordan. 
As a sampler, here is his video opt-in teaser for joining his email list. Hilarious!
Check out Not A Pro Blog, and you can follow @notaproblog on Twitter.
69 Services & Resources For ProBloggers
Today, I thought I would do something a little different – a big frickin’ list. Of links, that is.
What I’ve tossed together here is just a list of resources and services that you might want to check out for various demands of an online business. They are not in any particular order, nor are they all-inclusive. They just happen to be stuff I’ve come across or personally used myself (where noted).
If you find anything useful, rock on. So, here we go… [MORE]
What My 2-Year-Old Can Teach Us About Life
Meet Elyana. She just turned 2 years old. And even at her age, she has things figured out that many adults just fail to get.
My daughter wants what she wants. And, dammit, she’s gonna get it.
Case in point… while I was typing up some posts for this week, my daughter popped onto the couch. She came over to me, put her head right in front of my views of the computer, gave me a gorgeous little smile, then proceeded to grab my chin and turn my head toward her. She wanted my attention! And she got it!
Another instance… she is playing with her crayons. She loves to draw endless circles all over her notebooks. However, she wants mommy involved. She wants interaction. "Mommy!", she says. Over and over again. Then when mommy looks at her, she just keeps drawing more circles. Target acquired.
It is easy to say "Awww, she’s just being a cute little kid.". And, of course, you’d be right. However, I admire her persistence. I think her persistence serves as a great lesson for the rest of us. But, it isn’t just persistence…
Blogging in 2010 [Free Report]
Is 2010 going to rock or is it going to suck?
For bloggers, I mean.
There are certainly changes afoot. The landscape is moving quickly. The market is growing. Some would say it is saturating. On top of that, the FTC threw a rock into our pond with their new rules concerning disclosure.
Well, 2 friends of mine (Nathan Hangen and Mike CJ) have just released a FREE report which talks about the future of blogging in 2010 and beyond.
It is a 15-page report – a quick read. And there is no opt-in required. Just go and grab it.
Nathan and Mike are leading up to something really cool. Something I am a small part of, in fact. You’ll learn more soon.
For now, I encourage you to grab the report. You’ll be reading it in less than a minute. Like I said, no opt-in required. So, go grab a copy.
We all like easy!
Is Twitter Becoming An Echo Chamber of Marketers?
I’ve heard this claim before. The idea that Twitter is really only useful for people trying to sell things online. Do you think it is true?
I posed the question to my Twitter followers a few days ago. Here are some of the responses.
frankangelone
@davidrisley I’d say to some degree that Twitter is becoming that. I’ve heard many say that 2 years ago Twitter was used differently.
JRGriggs
@davidrisley I know it is not what it was 6 months ago for me
MarcEglon
@davidrisley Absolutely – it’s all links, retweets and quotes. There’s much more room for engagement and value…
djsartin
@davidrisley re: echo chamber…all depends on who one chooses to follow…me thinks. (or unfollow)
imjustagoyle
@davidrisley I think Twitter is still what you make it. I’m still having plenty of conversation but that’s the kind of peeps I follow.
djsartin
@davidrisley Do feel tho, internet has gone beyond saturation point as far as Internet Marketing and Social Media Experts/Gurus/Coaches…
ShotOfCoffee
@davidrisley I think that twitter has never been better…unless the marketer is trying to market directly on twitter
HowToMakeMyBlog
@davidrisley i thought it always was an echo chamber! but twitter lists do help a lot to remove the clutter…
What’s My Take?
I agree with @imjustagoyle. Twitter is what you make of it. If you follow all internet marketers, it’ll look like everybody on Twitter markets things online. If you auto-follow or go after sheer numbers, you’ll just be a magnet for the dumb marketers who also think huge Twitter follower counts mean they can spam people and make money without doing any actual work. Either way you slice it, you are in the driver seat in what Twitter looks like for you.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the very nature of Twitter makes it so that those with the most useful Twitter profiles are probably going to be in internet business in some fashion. Think about it, who has time to tweet that often unless they are online most of the day? And who is online most of the day? People who are online for work. And when new people come to Twitter looking for interesting people to follow, the people who are most active look the most interesting. So, essentially, it is human nature which fuels this – not the setup of Twitter as a platform.
So, that’s my take. What’s your’s?
4 Bloggers Doing It Right
There are a lot of great bloggers out there and I think it is only fitting to point them out.
These first four are each people I’ve met. They are good at what they do, and each provides examples of right things to do as a blogger.
Erica Douglass
Erica blogs about success. She talks about blogging, business and self-improvement. I really appreciate her style. She provides a lot of value on her blog, but she also brings her personality to the table.
The number of things she does right is, well, high. She uses images to highlight her posts (something I really need to be doing more myself). She makes effective use of her email list to drive traffic back to the blog. She understands the power of relationship marketing. And, she creates products to sell.
She’s also a helluva nice person. She and I met in San Diego in April, where we and a small group shared some extremely overpriced sushi. 
If you want to see how it’s done, check out Erica.Biz and you can follow @ericabiz on Twitter.
Nathan Hangen
Nathan came onto my radar earlier this year when he began to comment on this blog and did a guest post. We started interacting on Twitter, then in October we met up at BlogWorld. It seems that, since then, I’ve been seeing his name all over the place! In just the last few weeks, I’ve seen him guest posting on the likes of CopyBlogger and Problogger.
Nathan focuses on lifestyle design, with a focus on how to use the Internet to design that lifestyle. I enjoy reading his unique take on things.
What is Nathan doing right? He is producing great content. He clearly realizes the power of networking and connections. He is actively working on creating products, and the guest posting he is doing is putting him on lots of radars across the Internet.
You can catch Nathan Hangen’s blog, or follow @nhangen on Twitter.
Mike Crimmins
Mike lives here in the Tampa area, so I first met him at one of my internet business mastermind meetups that I host here in Tampa. Once we met and he told me about his blog, it immediately stood out to me.
It is about coffee. I repeat, COFFEE. It is one of those topics that would just never have occurred to me to dedicate a blog to. Not only does he make it work, though… he REALLY makes it work.
I like Mike’s writing style, too. The little injections of coffee humor are fun, almost as if he knows it is funny to have a blog about coffee.
But, it does great traffic and I know he’s making money with his blog. So, he’s doing it right.
Mike is active on Twitter. His content is well written. His blog is branded very well for his topic. His list opt-in box is well located. His blog is obviously a niche blog, but I think he hits the nail on the head with his approach.
You can check out Daily Shot Of Coffee, and follow @shotofcoffee on Twitter.
Lisa Morosky
Lisa is my virtual assistant and that’s how I met her. I put out a call for a VA on Twitter and she replied (along with many others). But, Lisa stood out because she exhibited a true interest in blogging. In other words, she wasn’t just going to be executing orders I gave her… she CARES and shows it by doing it on her own.
Lisa has really exploded since I first met her. She is still a VA for Bloggers, but she is busily practicing what she knows on her own business. She is even setting up a new membership site over on SpendLessOnLife.com (not to launch until January).
Lisa is doing a lot of things right. She is posting good content. She is running a great newsletter for her mailing list (I’m on her list and I enjoy it). She is out there in the social media space, making connections constantly. And she’s straight-up witty. I think its awesome.
You can check out Lisa Morosky’s blog, and follow @lisamorosky on Twitter.
Nominations?
Do you have somebody you’d like to point out as a blogger who is doing things right?
Submit your nominations in comments.
The Search For A Good Shopping Cart System
I have been spending some time looking into different hosted shopping carts. This is something every internet entrepreneur will need to do eventually.
I wouldn’t say that my evaluations are over, however I will discuss where I am now for the benefit of you guys. Plus, perhaps by writing this post, I’ll have some others with good experience with any of these carts chime in.
Why Hosted?
Certainly, there are a lot of decent cart solutions out there which I could host locally. In fact, I already own a license to X-Cart.
I’m at a point in my business, however, where I would rather pay somebody to deal with stuff for me than have to worry about it myself. For this reason, hosted solutions work best for me.
Plus, most shopping cart solutions which are self-hosted seem to be your classic catalog-style carts. This isn’t what I need. I tend to sell via sales pages, not catalogs.
Scoping Out Options
There are a lot of different solutions out there. There are equally as many opinions. It makes evaluating all the options pretty frustrating.
All of this is a move away from Clickbank, too. The last 2 products I’ve launched, I ran them through Clickbank. The problem is that Clickbank exerts too much control over me (price caps for one). Plus, they take an average of 8% of every order. I have had a merchant account for years. I use it already for my other website. For my 2010 plans, I need something far more robust than Clickbank – something I have control over.
The features I need most are:
- Ability to integrate with Aweber
- Ability to integrate with the software I wish to use. (Amember, Wishlist Member, etc.)
- Ability to do upsells, downsells, 1-click
- Built in affiliate program
The ones I looked closest at were:
Let me discuss my view on each of these…
Is It Just Me? [Social Media Gripes]
In this line of work, I see a lot of things. We all do. And some of those things are annoying.
So, I’m going to spill 10 gripes of mine when it comes to social media and blogging. You know, just to get it off my chest.
- Calling yourself a social media expert is like saying you’re an expert in talking. It is just human interaction like we’ve been doing since we rubbed two sticks together and made fire. I know “social media” is a buzzword these days, but let’s just be honest here, shall we?
- Foursquare? Mafia Wars? I could not possibly give less of a sh*t.
- People who tweet quotes all day bug me. It tells me you cannot come up with an original thought on your own.
- I always get a little chuckle when I get an invite on Facebook to be a fan of the person who just invited me. OK, I understand why they’re doing it, but you gotta admit, it is ironic.
- Facebook. Your interface is frickin UNGODLY. Were you spiked on weed when you thought up that interface? Why does stuff have to be so hard to find?
- The people who fail to find value in Twitter are the ones who are socially inept in real life. Twitter is a platform. If you have nothing to offer on that platform, you’re hosed. You’re the problem, so stop saying that Twitter has jumped the shark. It hasn’t.
- People who declare email dead or blogging dead are idiots. We go through this circular wave of people declaring various things dead. Lately, its been blogging and email. Yeah, right. It is a shallow ploy for attention. Or perhaps trying to explain failure.
- To those bloggers who think that there is something wrong with making money as a blogger, that blogging is pure and that you are sacrificing your honesty to violate this pure medium with financial aims – bullshit.
- People who think there is a difference between a blog and a website just crack me up.
- People who say they don’t have time to tweet really don’t get it. How long does it take to type 140 characters? I mean, seriously.
So, do you agree with this? Disagree?
#1 “Secret” To Making Money Online
I get a little tired of this stuff. I really do.
I’m almost hesitant to even use this as a headline because it just furthers my point. But, this is the very subject line I got in a recent email from an internet marketer.
My readers know that I am always a straight-shooter. So, let’s just deal with this.
THERE IS NO SECRET.
If there is anybody who hasn’t made any money yet, but yet keep surfing the net, reading blogs and buying products, well guess what? THAT’S the reason you’re not making any money.
The “secret” is taking action. The people who are out there searching for a secret are the people who are trying to make it without taking any action. It won’t work. You might as well believe in the Easter bunny because it is about as workable.
Every single tactic you could possibly think of when it comes to making money online comes down to this simple 2-step process:
- Build up traffic.
- Sell them something.
See, it is simple. However, it obviously entails strategy, tactics, and ACTION to bring it to fruition.
Those of us who do make money online already know this. But, some marketers continue to appeal to the bottom feeders who don’t want to do anything yet want to have money just show up at the door.
This marketing will always work, I guess. But, you, as an enlightened reader of my blog (yes, I’m kissing ass a little), you know better.
There is no secret. Only tactics. And none of those tactics will work if you don’t take action on them.
Know and apply this and you’re already a huge step ahead.
I'm David Risley. I've been making my living as a blogger for over a decade. Blogging is my business and how I support my family. With this blog, I'm just gettin' REAL and telling you how this business works. 
