Last fall my whole family set out for a 3-week journey to Kashmir, India.
During the visit we took a 40 minute ferry ride out to one of the sight-seeing locations. And let me tell you? what a spectacular view!
Shore land in brilliant fall colors. Sailboats gliding across the water. Seagulls floating effortlessly through the salty air.
In a word, picturesque.
My whole family just took it all in and enjoyed the moment.
And even though it was a beautiful sight to behold, guess what my 4-year old cousin, Jacob, was doing?
While we were ooh-ing and aah-ing over the sailboats and lighthouses and the rainbow of colors, my 4-year old cousin spent much of the trip playing with an old rusty latch on one of the benches located on our deck of the ferry.
That's right, an old rusty latch!
Over and over we said things like,
"Oh, Jacob look at the pretty lighthouse."
"Jacob, do you see the beautiful trees?"
"Jacob, look at the sailboats."
Jacob would take the briefest of glances and then head back to playing with the rusty latch.
For whatever reason, he was so distracted and drawn away by this tarnished clamp that he missed out on basking in something wonderful.
You know, over and over again we are given great opportunities to gaze upon beauty? I wonder how often we are preoccupied with the rusty latches of this world and fail to see the wonders all around us.
If we're not careful, we get so busy with the "stuff" of life - you know, building these Internet businesses - that we don't take enough time to focus our eyes upon the really important things.
Beautiful things like love and faith and time with our family and friends.
Picturesque things like relationships and good deeds toward one another.
Awe-inspiring things like seeing someone find their real meaning in life.
Wonderful things like spending life doing the things you enjoy instead of wasting it away on things that are trivial.
Isn't that what we're really looking for?
I've said many times that most people pursue a means to do the things they enjoy instead of pursuing the things they enjoy!
There's a big difference between trying to make a six-figure income so you can spend more time fishing and simply taking the time to go fishing.
Get it?
"What do you enjoy doing?"
"What makes you happy?"
"When are you most content?"
"If you were making as much money as you'd like, what would you do with your time?"
I think you'll find that much of what you'd ultimately do can be done right now.
Stop pursuing the means to do what you enjoy and start pursuing the things you enjoy.
We clutch these rusty latches and fail to gaze upon the beauty that's all around us just waiting for us to look up from our busy lives and take it all in.
Let me ask you a question -
What "rusty latch" has your attention today?
You see, rusty latches come in many sizes and shapes. In business, it can be many things:
? Answering emails
? Browsing the internet - even in search of useful information
? Getting another "offer of the week" that looks enticing
? Technical stuff like setting up websites
? Not having a clear plan
? Trying to do too many things
? Spending too much time "absorbing" and not enough time "applying"
The list could go on and on.
In business, it can be many things.
In life, it can be your business!
If the primary thing you THINK about each day is your business, then it's become a rusty latch.
Listen, if you've gotten to the point that your primary pursuit in life is to start and grow an Internet business, then you are clutching a rusty latch and letting the important things in life pass you by - and you need to let go a little.
Growing an internet business is a noble pursuit. There's nothing wrong with making money - even a lot of money.
But when those things take away your enjoyment of life instead of enhancing it, when those things draw you away from the important things (like your family and friends) instead of drawing you nearer to them, then it's time to re-examine your priorities.
What "rusty latch" has your attention today?
Now, regardless of their shape, at their core, "rusty latches" are all the same: a distraction. That's what happened to Jacob on our ferry boat ride in Kashmir - his attention got distracted away from the enjoyable view.
That's what a "rusty latch" is - a distraction. Something that causes you to turn away from whatever you've focused your attention or interest upon.
And you don't need them.
So, let's talk very quickly about how to deal with them.
Now, let me preface this by saying that I'm going to explain how to deal with distractions in such a way that it applies to both your business and your life.
That is, whatever is diverting your attention in building your business AND in enjoying your life - here's how you can deal with it.
Ultimately, we want to free up time in your business pursuits so you can be more productive - so you can free up more time in your life that you can focus your attention on the really important things in life and the things you enjoy in life.
You basically have three options with every "rusty latch" in your life, every distraction in your life.
1. You can DETOUR.
That is, you can allow the distraction to divert your attention from what you were doing onto something else that is counterproductive to your course of action. Obviously, this is NOT the choice you need to make. Unless it is absolutely necessary (you know, like your house in on fire or something), don't choose to allow a distraction to get a stronghold in your schedule. Stay focused.
Listen closely: Whenever possible, prevent distractions from happening at all. If you've taken the weekend off to go to the lake with your family, leave your laptop at home!
2. You can DELAY.
That is, you can deal with the distraction by acknowledging it without immediately acting upon it. Now, there are two kinds of delay - one is good, one is not so good. They are: Procrastination and Prioritization.
Procrastination: This is the act of putting off something that needs to be done until the absolute last possible moment because of carelessness or laziness.
Prioritization: This is the act of arranging things in an order of importance so that the most significant things get done first.
In business: There is a time to answer emails. There is a time to look over the latest products and services offered. They just need to be put in their proper place in a strategic plan of attack so you don't get your attention diverted away from the task at hand.
In life: There is a time for business and making money - it just needs to have its own time slot in your schedule? and nothing more. When it begins to take over other things in your life's plan, your priorities need to be re-centered.
3. You can DEFEAT.
Identify those things that are distracting you and do two things: Set Boundaries and Take Shortcuts.
Set Boundaries:
In business: Refuse to even look at new offers that come into your inbox until you're finished with your day's schedule.
Predetermine how much time to spend on answering emails - answer the important ones first (customer support, affiliates, etc.).
Decide the ONE thing you're going to try to do online and work towards mastering it before you try to do ten things. (i.e. Don't try to do affiliate marketing and reprint rights and ghostwriting stuff all at once - find one thing, get it done and then move on to the next.)
In life: set aside a reasonable amount of time to work each day and don't exceed it.
Schedule time for important things.
Make a list of things that you enjoy and make certain you include ample time to devote yourself to what matters most.
Listen, by setting boundaries ahead of time, you'll be much more likely to departmentalize any distraction that might come up - here's where this goes, now's not the time to deal with it.
Take Shortcuts:
Create template responses to those emails you get over and over again so you can simply copy and paste instead of rewrite.
Develop a "frequently asked questions" page that you can direct people to before they even email you.
Setup a step-by-step checklist for everything you do in the order it needs to be done with any helpful hints to get it done quicker.
Outsource whenever possible and pay other people to do time-consuming tasks so you can concentrate on marketing your business.
Invest in tools and services and software programs that will automate things you currently do manually.
Those distractions that routinely come your way, find a way in advance to sidestep them.
All of this is with the same goal in mind: if you can free up time in your business, you'll free up time for your life.
If you can set aside the trivial, time-consuming, less-important things in your business, you can set your sights on the important things that matter most. If you can eliminate distractions in your business, you can enjoy your life!
Well, if you're like me, you've got rusty latches that you're clinging to that need to be dealt with.
There are many wonderful things in life to enjoy that can be enjoyed today if we just cast our eyes upon them.
While there are many different things that dot the shores of our lives, the things that free us instead of bind us are the ones that matter the most.
It's easy to be distracted away from the important things.
Look around you today.
Whether it's brilliant colors of the trees, sailboats or lighthouses, a golf course or a fishing hole, a picnic or a camping trip, an evening at the movies or a meal at a restaurant, hanging out in the backyard with your kids or soaking in the hot tub with your spouse - you only get one shot at life.
God gave you a life, now what are you going to do with it?
Are you going to spend it distracted, disappointed and defeated?
Or, will you make the most of the time you've been given?
While you're sitting there on the bench of life, playing with that old rusty latch, I'm saying to you?
Set aside the rusty latches in your life. And enjoy the beautiful view.
To Your Continued Success,
Dax Ferrao...
During the visit we took a 40 minute ferry ride out to one of the sight-seeing locations. And let me tell you? what a spectacular view!
Shore land in brilliant fall colors. Sailboats gliding across the water. Seagulls floating effortlessly through the salty air.
In a word, picturesque.
My whole family just took it all in and enjoyed the moment.
And even though it was a beautiful sight to behold, guess what my 4-year old cousin, Jacob, was doing?
While we were ooh-ing and aah-ing over the sailboats and lighthouses and the rainbow of colors, my 4-year old cousin spent much of the trip playing with an old rusty latch on one of the benches located on our deck of the ferry.
That's right, an old rusty latch!
Over and over we said things like,
"Oh, Jacob look at the pretty lighthouse."
"Jacob, do you see the beautiful trees?"
"Jacob, look at the sailboats."
Jacob would take the briefest of glances and then head back to playing with the rusty latch.
For whatever reason, he was so distracted and drawn away by this tarnished clamp that he missed out on basking in something wonderful.
You know, over and over again we are given great opportunities to gaze upon beauty? I wonder how often we are preoccupied with the rusty latches of this world and fail to see the wonders all around us.
If we're not careful, we get so busy with the "stuff" of life - you know, building these Internet businesses - that we don't take enough time to focus our eyes upon the really important things.
Beautiful things like love and faith and time with our family and friends.
Picturesque things like relationships and good deeds toward one another.
Awe-inspiring things like seeing someone find their real meaning in life.
Wonderful things like spending life doing the things you enjoy instead of wasting it away on things that are trivial.
Isn't that what we're really looking for?
I've said many times that most people pursue a means to do the things they enjoy instead of pursuing the things they enjoy!
There's a big difference between trying to make a six-figure income so you can spend more time fishing and simply taking the time to go fishing.
Get it?
"What do you enjoy doing?"
"What makes you happy?"
"When are you most content?"
"If you were making as much money as you'd like, what would you do with your time?"
I think you'll find that much of what you'd ultimately do can be done right now.
Stop pursuing the means to do what you enjoy and start pursuing the things you enjoy.
We clutch these rusty latches and fail to gaze upon the beauty that's all around us just waiting for us to look up from our busy lives and take it all in.
Let me ask you a question -
What "rusty latch" has your attention today?
You see, rusty latches come in many sizes and shapes. In business, it can be many things:
? Answering emails
? Browsing the internet - even in search of useful information
? Getting another "offer of the week" that looks enticing
? Technical stuff like setting up websites
? Not having a clear plan
? Trying to do too many things
? Spending too much time "absorbing" and not enough time "applying"
The list could go on and on.
In business, it can be many things.
In life, it can be your business!
If the primary thing you THINK about each day is your business, then it's become a rusty latch.
Listen, if you've gotten to the point that your primary pursuit in life is to start and grow an Internet business, then you are clutching a rusty latch and letting the important things in life pass you by - and you need to let go a little.
Growing an internet business is a noble pursuit. There's nothing wrong with making money - even a lot of money.
But when those things take away your enjoyment of life instead of enhancing it, when those things draw you away from the important things (like your family and friends) instead of drawing you nearer to them, then it's time to re-examine your priorities.
What "rusty latch" has your attention today?
Now, regardless of their shape, at their core, "rusty latches" are all the same: a distraction. That's what happened to Jacob on our ferry boat ride in Kashmir - his attention got distracted away from the enjoyable view.
That's what a "rusty latch" is - a distraction. Something that causes you to turn away from whatever you've focused your attention or interest upon.
And you don't need them.
So, let's talk very quickly about how to deal with them.
Dealing With Distractions: In Your Business and In Your Life
Now, let me preface this by saying that I'm going to explain how to deal with distractions in such a way that it applies to both your business and your life.
That is, whatever is diverting your attention in building your business AND in enjoying your life - here's how you can deal with it.
Ultimately, we want to free up time in your business pursuits so you can be more productive - so you can free up more time in your life that you can focus your attention on the really important things in life and the things you enjoy in life.
You basically have three options with every "rusty latch" in your life, every distraction in your life.
1. You can DETOUR.
That is, you can allow the distraction to divert your attention from what you were doing onto something else that is counterproductive to your course of action. Obviously, this is NOT the choice you need to make. Unless it is absolutely necessary (you know, like your house in on fire or something), don't choose to allow a distraction to get a stronghold in your schedule. Stay focused.
Listen closely: Whenever possible, prevent distractions from happening at all. If you've taken the weekend off to go to the lake with your family, leave your laptop at home!
2. You can DELAY.
That is, you can deal with the distraction by acknowledging it without immediately acting upon it. Now, there are two kinds of delay - one is good, one is not so good. They are: Procrastination and Prioritization.
Procrastination: This is the act of putting off something that needs to be done until the absolute last possible moment because of carelessness or laziness.
Prioritization: This is the act of arranging things in an order of importance so that the most significant things get done first.
In business: There is a time to answer emails. There is a time to look over the latest products and services offered. They just need to be put in their proper place in a strategic plan of attack so you don't get your attention diverted away from the task at hand.
In life: There is a time for business and making money - it just needs to have its own time slot in your schedule? and nothing more. When it begins to take over other things in your life's plan, your priorities need to be re-centered.
3. You can DEFEAT.
Identify those things that are distracting you and do two things: Set Boundaries and Take Shortcuts.
Set Boundaries:
In business: Refuse to even look at new offers that come into your inbox until you're finished with your day's schedule.
Predetermine how much time to spend on answering emails - answer the important ones first (customer support, affiliates, etc.).
Decide the ONE thing you're going to try to do online and work towards mastering it before you try to do ten things. (i.e. Don't try to do affiliate marketing and reprint rights and ghostwriting stuff all at once - find one thing, get it done and then move on to the next.)
In life: set aside a reasonable amount of time to work each day and don't exceed it.
Schedule time for important things.
Make a list of things that you enjoy and make certain you include ample time to devote yourself to what matters most.
Listen, by setting boundaries ahead of time, you'll be much more likely to departmentalize any distraction that might come up - here's where this goes, now's not the time to deal with it.
Take Shortcuts:
Create template responses to those emails you get over and over again so you can simply copy and paste instead of rewrite.
Develop a "frequently asked questions" page that you can direct people to before they even email you.
Setup a step-by-step checklist for everything you do in the order it needs to be done with any helpful hints to get it done quicker.
Outsource whenever possible and pay other people to do time-consuming tasks so you can concentrate on marketing your business.
Invest in tools and services and software programs that will automate things you currently do manually.
Those distractions that routinely come your way, find a way in advance to sidestep them.
All of this is with the same goal in mind: if you can free up time in your business, you'll free up time for your life.
If you can set aside the trivial, time-consuming, less-important things in your business, you can set your sights on the important things that matter most. If you can eliminate distractions in your business, you can enjoy your life!
Well, if you're like me, you've got rusty latches that you're clinging to that need to be dealt with.
There are many wonderful things in life to enjoy that can be enjoyed today if we just cast our eyes upon them.
While there are many different things that dot the shores of our lives, the things that free us instead of bind us are the ones that matter the most.
It's easy to be distracted away from the important things.
Look around you today.
Whether it's brilliant colors of the trees, sailboats or lighthouses, a golf course or a fishing hole, a picnic or a camping trip, an evening at the movies or a meal at a restaurant, hanging out in the backyard with your kids or soaking in the hot tub with your spouse - you only get one shot at life.
God gave you a life, now what are you going to do with it?
Are you going to spend it distracted, disappointed and defeated?
Or, will you make the most of the time you've been given?
While you're sitting there on the bench of life, playing with that old rusty latch, I'm saying to you?
Set aside the rusty latches in your life. And enjoy the beautiful view.
To Your Continued Success,
Dax Ferrao...