Time To Kick Ass And Think Bigger

21 | Posted In Life & Mindset by David

Judging from that headline, you might think I’m sitting here feeling totally PUMPED!

Well, yes and no. Truthfully, I’m sitting in my hotel room in Scottsdale, AZ right now, at Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula LIVE event. I’m conferenced out and I’m beat. Last week, I was in Vegas for Blogworld Expo. Then I went home to Florida for 3 days, only to fly BACK out here for this event….

I’ve talked to a LOT of people. And I’m beat. I’m actually kind of an introvert, and daddy needs to recharge. And I can’t do that in large crowds. So, I’m sitting in my room and I might just thaw out in here tonight rather than hit the bar.

But…

I’m frickin’ PUMPED anyway. For the future. And I’ll tell you why…

Success Is All Relative

In this blogging space that some of us are in, we’re actually not a big frickin deal. We’re thinking about things like “blog monetization”, but actually that kind of language just leads to tunnel vision.

You know, being in this market and having a lot of people read my blog, you develop a little following. And the truth is… in this blogging space, I’m probably in the upper crust of the success ladder.

Nah, I’m not saying that to brag or anything. When it comes to the whole blogging as a business thing, I just happen to be in a crowd of people who have done it pretty well. And that’s a small crowd. So, I go to a place like Blogworld and people make me feel like a big deal. Its weird, actually.

A week later, I’m sitting here in Scottsdale at an internet marketing conference. A completely different kind of crowd. Barely a peep of this event on Twitter. Many of these people don’t have blogs, and if they do, they under-utilitze them.

But, THESE PEOPLE ARE BANKING.

Just today, I had lunch with three 7-figure guys, one of them bringing in a regular $100K/month. I could start name-dropping people I’ve talked to here, but it doesn’t really matter. The point is… these people have really successful online businesses in all kinds of niches. Everything from make-money to Indian astrology.

And they’re really good people, too. Some of the most dynamic, interesting people you could ever talk to. It honestly pisses me off when I hear some blogger rip into an internet marketer as a “scammer” or whatever. My thoughts on that? Shut up. Just shut up. The vast majority of people I’ve talked to here take customer support and providing value so frickin seriously it isn’t even funny.

The difference is… these people (mostly) are about building real BUSINESSES, not just gaining some shallow fame on Twitter or getting more comments on their blog. So, it is about….

Perspective.

I’m getting a lot of take-aways from this event and I honestly need to sit down and just PROCESS some stuff… mentally. But…

You know what they say… when you want to achieve great things, you surround yourself with people who are better at it than you are.

It is humbling coming to an event like this. Not that I needed to be humbled… I’m not that into myself. :) But, in my little piece of this blogging thing, I’ve done pretty well. I know I can do a lot better, but I’ve done OK. Here in Scottsdale, I’ve had my mind opened up on just how much room for growth there is.

I’m not going to stop blogging, as some have done. I’m not going to go off and quit Twitter and call it a waste of time, as some have done. However, the truth is, this world of blogs, Twitter, follower counts, blog comments…. this is actually a VERY limited tunnel vision of a much bigger picture…. IF you’re actually seeking out true life-changing success.

So, I’m excited. And pumped. And ready to make some shit happen.

I think it is time to take my business to the next level. My BUSINESS, not my blog. :) I want to take a lot of people with me, too. I really want to help my Blog Masters students and my Inner Circle students kick ass and stop thinking about little tiny things like blog themes, etc. The big picture, the REAL picture, is so much bigger than that.

It reminds me, actually, of a report I wrote a couple years ago, called The Blogger Wealth Gap. If you haven’t read that report, I encourage you to do so.

But, I’ve said before…. don’t be a blogger. Be an entrepreneur who happens to have a blog. And this PLF event and the folks here will solidify that statement into your head more than you might know. If I can relay that mindset to my readers and help provide a pathway to doing it, then I’ve done my job and I can sleep at night.

Hope you’ll come with me on the ride.

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  • http://twitter.com/JimKukral Jim Kukral

    You’re dead on right in this post. Be around successful people, and those people at Jeff’s thing are real people who bank and who are not douchebags. One of the guys there is one of my long time mentors. Wish I could have come.

  • zach

    I thought it was time to kick ass and chew bubble gum

  • http://www.jeffwalker.com Jeff Walker

    David… after a very long but exhilarating day – well, it was really cool to get back to my room and read this post.

  • Mojeauxmedia

    I answered the survey before reading your blog. Can’t wait to hear what you learned!

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Maybe next time you can make it. :-)

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Thanks, Jeff. It was a long day, for sure. But, a good one. Look forward to Day 3.

  • http://www.newbizblogger.com Michele Welch

    Funny I should be reading this right now, because lately I’ve really been trying to get laser-focused on what is effectively moving me forward with my business and what is bring me little ROI to do less.

    Between commenting, guest posting, social networking, creating content, HOW often and when to create content, forum participation, etc., it’s no wonder many online business owners are reaching plateaus not allowing them to take it to the next level.

    I’ve really been trying to think how can I create an ‘experience’ for someone through my products and service…that’s where they are going to get real value, more so than me posting another ‘Tip of the Day’ tweet…ya know!

    Anyway, thanks for the post. Bigger is not always better, but in this case it is! =)

  • http://www.newbizblogger.com Michele Welch

    Funny I should be reading this right now, because lately I’ve really been trying to get laser-focused on what is effectively moving me forward with my business and what is bring me little ROI to do less.

    Between commenting, guest posting, social networking, creating content, HOW often and when to create content, forum participation, etc., it’s no wonder many online business owners are reaching plateaus not allowing them to take it to the next level.

    I’ve really been trying to think how can I create an ‘experience’ for someone through my products and service…that’s where they are going to get real value, more so than me posting another ‘Tip of the Day’ tweet…ya know!

    Anyway, thanks for the post. Bigger is not always better, but in this case it is! =)

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    It’s really ease to lose sight of the big picture, especially as bloggers. As a result, it turns into a huge hamster wheel. Once you begin looking at the larger picture, it puts some of these things like comments and tweets into perspective. It isn’t that they don’t matter it’s just that often our efforts and focus can be much better spent on other things.

  • http://www.BruneianDollar.com Bruneian Dollar

    “Be an entrepreneur who happens to have a blog.” LOL! I love that quote. “happens to have a blog”. True that we should actually have a website that is actually making money with some actual product or service. Not just some blog but something viable. Ads are one thing, affiliate is another but having your own products or services to sell is even better.

    Though I’m beginning to have a hard time restarting myself off (because I just done migrated from Blogger to Joomla, not sure if it was a wise move). I remembered a post long ago by David about what would he do if had the chance to start over again. Right now I’m searching for it to help me as a checklist. :P

  • http://www.BruneianDollar.com Bruneian Dollar

    I just noticed something here. You said “Blogging is my business” in your “About Dave”. Does this contradict the idea or simply evolved from that initial sentence?

  • http://twitter.com/yolandafacio Yolanda A. Facio

    It’s amazing what happens when we step out of our space/niche and see that there is a entire universe out there that doesn’t rely on blogs and twitter. I’m involved in two bricks n mortar businesses that don’t use any online or social media component to communicate with and find customers. And it’s a different world. Your post is great reminder to me that when I’m in the online world I should try to bring a bit more offline world in!

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    That thought has already occurred to me. I could just change it, but I have some thoughts on the way forward…. Stay tuned. :-)

  • http://twitter.com/DrWriteBrain Dean Fitzpatrick

    It’s funny, I had this same thought earlier this morning: “success is relative”. You are spot on with this post; it’s kinda cool to look at someone who’s acheived the level of success you have still realize how much room for growth you have. On the flip side, for someone like me that’s just now entering the blogosphere success is something as simple as get “x” amount of posts done this week. Reminds me of an old quote: every morning the cheetah has to be faster than the slowest gazelle, and the gazelle has to be faster than the fastest cheetah, so whether you’re a cheetah or gazelle you better wake up and start running!”

  • http://www.BruneianDollar.com Bruneian Dollar

    Will do! ;)

  • dk

    Great to meet you at PLF. It kicked ass. I loved the people i met there. In one night I met the guy who has a 5 time world championship in hitting a golf ball the farthest, and the most winning person (a woman) for training doggie show obstacle courses. Some bad ass peeps there. :)

  • http://mominmanagement.com Daria

    Wow! Tons of energy and inspiration in this post. I’m excited to see where you go next.

  • http://www.howtovanish.com Bill

    Hi David,
    It was good to meet you at the PLF event. From this post it looks like your social muscles are as tired as mine after three solid days of talking to lots of the most incredible people around.

    I came away from that event with a much bigger vision of what my business can be when amplified by the power of an online presence like a blog, which isn’t hard because I am a newbie at this whole blogging thing. I can’t wait to hear what you do to take your business to the next level (and hopefully borrow some of your tips). I call shotgun!

  • Anonymous

    *grin* Makes a big difference when you’re with people making real money. The world’s very different and you’re very right that those who focus on just the little online portion… well, there’s a LOT more out there, and as you say, when you’re out there, you’re banking. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

    I’m glad you got to see that. And it’ll be cool watching your coming months.

  • http://fastforwardacademy.com/index-page-continuing-professional-education-enrolled-agent.htm enrolled agent cpe

    This is a great post. I know a few people who are also utilizing their blogs and making money with just simple steps. i guess all it take sis having the right resources and knowing which direction to take. The internet has become a great stabilizer over the years for people from all parts of the world.

  • Psabaj

    I think it’s also time to read or re-read the magic of thinking big. Come up with a plan and work the plan. I often feel I have adult onset A.D.D. but when I have a list and the plan in front of me things go well. Joining a great mastermind group is also a great way to stay motivated. My bud goes around the USA every other month and meets up with his group in some way cool places.
    Hey maybe that could be your next niche. Love the post and learned from the comments.Cheers