do you LIVE or simply EXIST

photo credit: andrea.pacelli

Do you know where you are going?

All of us, I’m sure, have felt aimless, confused, and unmotivated. There are times when I just want to sit in front of the TV and do nothing. A lot of the time it’s not that I don’t want to do anything, it’s because I don’t know what to do. Escaping this self-imposed exile can be difficult, but not impossible.

The first, and most important step, is to want to do something and be willing to act on it, even just a little bit at a time.

1. Find one goal

To begin, decide what your goal is. Don’t try to do too much at one time. Decide a single, realistic, doable goal. If you have too much on your plate, you will lose energy and become frustrated. Choose one goal and focus only on that goal.

2. What’s your “why”

Find your “why.” Your “why” is the reason you need to accomplish your goal. If your reason is strong enough, it will inspire you.

For example, my “why” for moving my income online is so I can work from anywhere. I think about how great it would be to take my work with me on vacation. I know that sounds strange to most people, but think about this: why are your vacations so short? Usually it’s because you only have so much money for your vacation and you have to go back to work!

What happens if you decide to go on a 3 month vacation to Europe? If I have my job with me, I can rent an apartment in Paris, see the sites during the day while America sleeps, and work in the evening when America wakes up. I don’t have to go home when I run out of money, because I’m earning money to live on every day.

That’s my “why!” It excites me. Find your reason and get excited about it. Dream it. No, do more than dream. Want it. Desire it! Be driven to have it! If your “why” doesn’t drive you to accomplish your goal, then your dream isn’t big enough. Dream bigger.

3. Build on the dream

You can build anticipation by setting a date to make it happen. Get excited about that date and try to make it the most important date in your life.

Post your goal somewhere where you can see it every day. Print it in big letters. Maybe even put pictures below it like a vision board. Think about your goal every time you see it. Dream about. Stay focused on it

4. Commit to doing it by being accountable to others

Being accountable to others means making your goal public. Let everyone know what your goal is. Talk about it often. Give them updates on your progress. Discuss it with new colleagues or friends. Keep in on your mind as often as possible. If you’ve read “the Secret,” you’ll see the wisdom of this.

When you seem to lose motivation for your goal (which is normal), your friends, family and colleagues can help bolster your motivation and keep you on track. They may even have suggestions or ways of helping you accomplish it.

5. Be persistent

Whatever happens, don’t give up on your dreams. Don’t give up on what you want, even if you are losing steam or feeling like it’s not worth it. Slumps in motivation are normal. The path of motivation is like a hilly road. There are ups, there are downs, and sometimes there are detours. But stick with it.

6. Remind yourself daily

Read about your goal to keep it fresh in your mind. If you want to travel, read about places you want to visit. Read about the history. Read comments from others who have been there. Write out your itinerary of where you want to go and what you want to see. Don’t write your plan for IF you go, write your plan for WHEN you go. Make it definite and make is solid.

7. Think about the positive

Concentrate on the benefits of your dream, not the difficulties. Acknowledge to your self, that yes, it may be difficult, but how will you feel when you make your dream come true. Don’t let negative thoughts, or negative people, affect your dream. Dream stealers are everywhere. Don’t listen to them. They simply don’t understand how important your dream is, or they want to stop you from accomplishing your dream because it reminds them of how unhappy they are.

Concentrate only on the positive aspects of your desire.

I like to write. I can’t say that I am “gifted,” but I like to write more than most of the people I know. Writing is something that I enjoy… when I can get around to it. Writing is something I hate… when I am forced to write.

Many of you, I’m sure, know just what I’m talking about: Sit down and write about something YOU want to write about, and you could go on all day. But sit down to write a report for school, or a freelance assignment for someone else, and suddenly writing becomes a chore.

Recently I’ve wondered, do I want to try to be a full-time freelancer? Full-time freelancing would give me some of the freedom I’ve been seeking. It’s a way to earn money from anywhere, without having to be tied to a specific place.

I own the “Well Fed Writer” books. Commercial freelance writing seems like a lucrative way of earning money writing as well - if it really is all it’s cracked up to be.

This will be a difficult decision to make. I can try full-time freelancing and travel everywhere I’ve always wanted to travel, but possibly have little in the way of insurance or benefits. Or I can stay put in my cushy government job with it’s great benefits, but end up living the clichéd “life of quiet desperation.”

I guess what I look at it like that, the decision becomes a little easier. I need to locate freelancing opportunities.

I wrote before about finding what I want and taking action to make it happen. I decided I want this to happen now, not ‘Someday.’

So we have taken action! My wife and I signed up for Conversational French classes. We’ve been to two classes so far, with the third one on Thursday. We’ll be learning French until early June. We’re also planning a return trip to France in late June.

As far as making a living online, I wish there was an easy ‘get rich quick’ way to do it, but there isn’t. Working online is actual ‘work.’ It requires just as much dedication and hard work as any job does. But developing an online income while working a full-time job, and going to school for my Master’s degree is going to be quite the chore. But if that’s what it takes, then by god that’s what I’ll do!

I started another blog. This blog exists to make money. It will promote affiliate marketing, pay-per-post, etc. Although the theme may be similar to this site, the goal for that site is to produce income through advertising and affiliate marketing.

By the way, If you’re interested in learning about affiliate marketing, I’ve put together a free 42 lesson e-course. I’ve seen 5 day course, 10 day courses, and even a 14 day bootcamp. I think 42 days breaks the record! Before you ask, yes, there is an advertisement and an affiliate-link in each lesson, but there is also a LOT of content. There’s also some free ebook and product giveaways during the course.

I’ve also started my own online store and an article directory.

My next goal is to look at writing possibilities online. I’ve been a part-time journalist before, perhaps I can capitalize on that experience in my quest for online work.

What suggestions do you have? I want to be able to work from anywhere so I can travel.

I need advice. I’m looking for a practical and realistic way to earn a living online.

I’ve been sorting through ideas (I had no idea googling “make money online” would bring so much crap), and I’m having trouble believing a lot of the things I read.

“Make $3,000 / month with article marketing”
“Made for adsense” sites
etc
etc
etc.

Can anyone guide me to some real advice (don’t give me your affiliate link to your “great program”).

Thanks

“Every man dies. Not every man truly lives.” - William Wallace (Mel Gibson) from the movie, Braveheart.

I read Wallace’s words recently and thought what a true statement that is. Not only did I read them, but they stung because I knew I was one of those men.

And I hated it.

I planned to do just what every self-improvement book/blog says to do: Plan your future, TAKE ACTION, then review and change as needed. I put that on my list of “important things to do.”

It’s been weeks since I planed that. It somehow turned into my “someday” list.

Again, I was stung, like a slap on the face, when I read Starting a New Year with Death over at Pick the Brain.

I had fallen right into the Myth of Someday. I’ll do that ‘Someday.’ I really want to go there ‘Someday.’ ‘Someday’ I tell them how I really feel about them.

But sometimes ‘Someday’ never comes. In the last two years I lost my father and a grandmother (in law). The insurance commercial says, “Life comes at you fast.” So does death.

I’m not going to be one of those people that looks back and sees a mountain of regrets and unfulfilled desires. So after weeks of delay, I have my plan.

Step one: Decide what I want.
That is both the easiest and the hardest step. It’s easy when you finally decide to sit down and evaluate what you want. It’s hard to push everything else out of your mind so it doesn’t get in the way of what you want.

For example, it’s easy for a mountain of bills to affect your decision of what you want. You just want a way to earn more money to pay the bills.

So here’s what I have come up with: I want to go where I want, when I want, and for as long as I want. When I come home, I want a secure home to return to.

Step two: Find out how to become a location independent professional.
I will do research to find jobs I can do from anywhere. By April 1, 2008 I will have decided what method or methods I will use and will have begun putting them into action. Whether it’s working online, freelance writing, whatever. By January 1, 2009, A majority of my income will be online.

Step three: Decide where to travel or live.
I already know my wife wants to live in France. And why not? We spent 10 days there on vacation in 2007. It was a great time. Once we are established there, the rest of Europe will be close at hand.

Step four: Take Action
This is the most important step. Plans without actions are just daydreams. I will begin this plan immediately. I don’t have forever.

From the book, Wanderer, By Sterling Hayden.

“What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade

The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?”

This post begins the series: Journey to Independence. I will add to this series over the coming months to track my progress in becoming location independent.

Leave your comments. What does it means to you to truly live? What advice would you give others on this subject?