If what you and I have been doing hasn't got us to where we want to be, what is the point of carrying on doing the same things? Where's the sense in that? If I want some different results then things have to be done differently and it will involve some changes in me.



Anyone, no matter what their current situation is, can achieve the things they long for if they are prepared to commit themselves.

To succeed we need to follow and learn from those who are already successful. Great you say, but I don't know anyone successful.

Well, it's just that you don't know them yet.

There are plenty of people whose lives have been written about that we can learn from. 'Wake up and Dream' by Pat Mesiti, or 'Losing My Virginity' by Richard Branson are just two examples. Richard Branson's first 'office' was the local telephone kiosk!

We need to ask ourselves, what are the principles they have adopted to reach success? On discovering those principles, we can then copy them.

A key factor in all success is making the decision to succeed. That means deciding to be committed to achieving success by doing whatever it takes. Having made the decision we then need to act.

Self~Discipline

Unfortunately the word discipline seems to be something many people don't like to hear. They resent being told what to do. You would probably agree that without discipline the world would become even more chaotic.

But here we are not talking about someone else telling you what to do. We are talking about you taking charge of your own life and you responding to telling yourself what to do.

Every successful man and woman will list self~discipline as a major factor in their journey to success, but what do they mean by self~discipline?

Self~discipline flows from our motivation, our enthusiasm to achieve our goal. It is really about making choices. If I want to be successful and have the freedom I see some other people having then there are two major areas of my life that I need to examine. Time and money.

Self~Discipline with Regard to Time

We have to decide to put in the commitment and make the time to create and grow the online business to achieve the results we want.

You could say it is all about sorting your priorities often at the expense of some sleep, TV, and leisure. But if 2 to 5 years of hard work now were to bring financial freedom would it have been worth it?

Obviously to develop extra streams of income online in addition to a 9 till 5 day job immediately restricts the hours you can work. If you are married with a family your free time is further reduced.

But none of these things in themselves need prevent you from developing that much sought after residual income. An income that can become more than sufficient for you to be able to fire your boss. Does that thought excite you?

Have you ever carried a notebook with you where ever you go throughout the day? You could begin to note down times of the day when you could save 10 minutes here or there. May be you could start and finish half an hour earlier or have only half an hour for lunch.

However you decide to create the 'extra' time, discipline yourself and get into a new routine.

The family will understand what you are doing and why and that it is for a limited period. If you don't have a family then all your evenings and weekends are free!

Use your notebook to jot down ideas, or things to be done, so that when you get the time with your computer you know exactly what you are going to do. It will prevent you from wasting precious time thinking about where to begin, you can refer to your notebook and begin working immediately.

Keep the notebook by your bed at night~time. It is amazing how many ideas can come to one in the middle of the night.

Self~Discipline with Regard to Money

Always a touchy subject, but that's the reason why you are developing an online business! Inevitably money is required but even on a limited budget an online business is still possible.

You know what your income is but do you know what your expenditure is? Very few people keep a record of their expenditure and those who do are initially appalled at what the money disappears on!

Using your notebook keep a record of everything you spend every day for a whole month. At the end of the month review it and see where you could save.

By keeping a tight reign on your expenditure now will enable you to invest more in your online business. Cutting costs now to invest in your business will pay you big dividends in the future.

Remember to be patient. It takes time to grow and nurture a project but done well a harvest of success will come in due season.

Self~discipline means doing the things that unsuccessful people are not prepared to do. Be encouraged. Self~discipline can be learned. Julio Melara in his book 'It Only Takes Everything You've Got' not only has an eye opening questionnaire on self~discipline but also helpful guides for improving it.

Finding the fundamental keys to a successful business is vitally important. They are not difficult, but once you have found them repeat them and constantly improve them.

Setting some goals of how to find extra time and extra money is a great idea but make sure those goals are realistic. If for example, you think you can find eight extra hours a day, you will quickly become despondent if you can only make two.

It is much more encouraging to have a goal of two hours and then find by regularly reviewing how you spend your time, you can achieve two then three or even four hours. Do the same with your money.

There is no time like now to start. So begin practising self~discipline in the way you spend your time and your money. Take a hard look at your life and your lifestyle. Weed out the waste. And you will find a bounty you never knew you had.