Vol. 01 :: issue 02 :: 20 Jan 2002
(Revised 22 July 2006)
© 2002 to 2006 Kenneth G Woolcock
All Rights Reserved Worldwide
Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you again.
Strange title for my second newsletter, yes?
Those are the Title and opening lines of newsletter #2, from just over 4 years ago. This issue retains the original message and now includes comments from the present day.
Hello and welcome back.
There's a very good reason for the title. Well, three good reasons actually. And, not to put too fine a point on it, frankly ...
... I'm chuffed.
My first 'Thank you' goes to the 15 wonderful people brave enough to, at least, have a look and see what my newsletter is all about. I hope you weren't too disappointed if the first posting was not what you expected.
'Thank you' number two goes out to Ade Martin for giving me a mention in his own newsletter. At zero cost, I might add. I guess that friendly gesture is responsible for most, if not all,
of my current and extensive subscriber list.
And the third 'Thank you' goes to Judy, who seems to be suffering similar symptoms to myself (and numerous others, I reckon).
That was the only contribution. Thanks, Judy.
Judy's submission woke me to the fact I was behind with my second posting. It provides a compass bearing for this week's offering.
(Couldn't resist the nautical analogy there.)
This is what Judy sent me:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
So how about some helpful tid bits on
organizing, finding and setting the priority list.
I have so many irons in the fire I don't know
which one to hone and weld first!
Each inadvertantly webs into the other. :-(
I lost the head of the snake and I think it is
ready to bite me.
There are so many places for getting traffic
to your pages. Problem being; each one
(tells) you to use them as a start page!
You are then pressed to run and surf, while in
the back of your mind you are being nudge by
other incomplete or mandatory projects.
Is this a good head start for you? :-)
Thanks
Judy
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That rings a bell for me. Anybody else?? Come on, be honest.
You're amongst friends. Admit it while our numbers are still small. We've all been there, surely? I know I have.
The best advice I can give is what works for me.
I have to remind you that I'm relatively new to this whole business of the Internet. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't have a big problem with that. And, most certainly, don't have any sort of complex.
Just don't want you thinking I'm trying to set myself up as some sort of Guru. God knows there
are more self proclaimed "experts" than you can shake a stick at.
Problem is, until we ourselves have been online for a while, we don't know who is an expert and who is a "wannabee" expert. Obviously, I don't know the level of experience of any of my readers.
Naturally, I don't intend to patronise anyone by suggesting that you're all as green as me. But, as a newbie, I write as a newbie to share the benefits of my experience with other newcomers.
OK.....let's move on.
The best way I can express my opinion or give advice, is to say that I can identify with Judy's
confusion because I felt exactly the same. Things are still a bit cloudy for me... but the mist is lifting.
(There goes that sailor again)
The most important thing is to be brutally honest with yourself and recognise that we cause our own confusion. Not intentionally, that's obvious. But through inexperience and, to a certain degree, through anxiety.
What do I mean?
Right. Here you are. You've arrived in the wonderful world of Internet. Everywhere you go it's 'Buy me' or 'The Ultimate Strategy' or, even worse, 'FREE download - Millionaire Secrets to Instant Wealth'.
Why are the FREE downloads the worst of all? That's easy!! They're the ones that cause the confusion.
Why?
Because they're coming out of the woodwork at us and, if you're not careful, they'll suffocate you. It happened to me.
What happens is, because they're FREE, we download loads of 'em. Now, don't get me wrong. They're not ALL rubbish. SOME are good. The mistake we make is that we don't read them.
They get stored away, loading up our hard drive, slowing down performance.
Consequently, we forget where we put them. Have no idea where they came from... or even if they're worth saving... and won't even have a clue what they're about anyway.
So, what's the answer?
Again, that's easy!! BUT .... it takes discipline. It's very much like Ade's advice about putting a note on your PC monitor to remind you that
"99.9% of the email I receive is C$*P!"
NOTE
Incidentally, for benefit of anyone reading this (4 years later) who is not familiar with Ade Martin, Ade is a genuine OK guy. We worked closely for 2 years, but circumstances caused us to lose touch. Ade was a great help to me in my early days and I'm grateful to him. For anyone who does know Ade, please pass on my regards. Thanks.
NOTE ends
Back to the plot.
STOP, right now, downloading stuff. UNLESS you make a deal with yourself that everything you download you will read immediately. And that you will DUMP anything that has little or no value for your chosen project.
Which leads neatly into 'What is the chosen project?'
The choice has to be a subject that you have either a working knowledge of or, maybe more importantly, something that you're passionate about. Ideally both - knowledge and passion. Passion builds enthusiasm. And enthusiasm makes the *task* of researching the subject, into a joy.
Even at this early stage in my online experience it was obvious that the passion or interest was more important than knowledge of a subject. The abundance of Free information on any subject under the sun makes the creation of info products easily accessible for anyone choosing to spend the time to seek it out.
Do you want to write an eBook? Publish a newsletter? What about building your own web page/web site? Promoting other peoples' products, as an affiliate? Perhaps you want to get resell rights to products you can sell and keep all the profits?
What is it that you want to do?
You gotta decide which it's going to be.
Now here's a funny thing...
Zig Ziglar says:-
"The most important words I say are the words I say to myself".
That prompts me to ask myself
"If that's all you gotta do, Ken, then why aren't you doing it?"
I repeat, I can relate to the problem. I've been there!
And am now in the process of getting things straight.
Napoleon Hill says:-
"If you have a problem that you're stuck on, help someone else with their problem. Often times
your own will be solved at the same time."
That's why I'm so grateful to Judy for mailing me. I hope my rantings help her and a few others on the way. It certainly did me some good.
So, to summarize:
- Finding the priorities.
Choose subjects/projects that you love. This is much more important than choosing those you think will make you the most money. You won't succeed if you don't love what you're doing and believe in your project as well as in yourself.
- Setting the priorities.
Narrow the field to what you *love* the most, not necessarily the one you know most about. Remember, love builds enthusiasm which aids research, which in turn increases your knowledge.
- Organising.
Sort through your accumulated material. Dump the rubbish so you don't inadvertently pass it on to someone else. It will kill your credibility if you pass on junk to others.
Create folders for your pet subjects and sort the good stuff into their respective folders. Stop accumulating junk.
- Too many irons in the fire.
Reduce to one iron in the fire, get it white hot... and hammer it like hell.
Put the other quality stuff on the back-boiler until the priority project is well under way.
- Incompletes and mandatory tasks.
Clean up your workspace and your environment.
Finish the incompletes.
You can't work efficiently if you're surrounded by untidiness.
Make a list of all the things that need to be done.
Prioritise the list and remember the 80-20 rule which states that 80% of the value of any list will be in 20% of the items on that list.
Also, do the important things first, rather than the urgent.
It's funny how the urgent things are rarely that important.
We might still be holding the head of the snake after this.
But it will be less likely to turn around and bite us.
And now for something completely different.
Dirty work in Cyberspace.
In my previous life, before I became semi-organised, I received what appears to be a useful tip.
Don't ask me where it came from ...
I can't remember :-))
This is it:
eMails
Never accept, unless requested, files with the extensions
.SHS .EXE .COM .DOT .BAT These can contain viruses.
Never forward unsolicited eMails, especially .SHS files.
This all makes perfectly good sense, even though I don't fully understand what all the extensions mean. We all, including yours truly, know about viruses and what they can do. My personal rule is "Delete immediately all unsolicited eMails without reading"
Surprising how much clearer it makes the head.
And just think of the time it saves.
A simple tip.
Have you ever filled out one of those 'Contact us' boxes and clicked 'Send', only to realise you don't have a copy of what you sent, who you sent it to, and when it was sent?
I HAVE! Surprise, surprise!
Tell you what I do now. Put a shortcut to Notepad on the desktop
(Click Start--Programs--Notepad--hold down left mouse button and drag Notepad icon to the Desktop)
Now, when I fill in one of those boxes I do a right-click on the finished text within the box area and choose 'Select All'.
Text becomes hi-lited. Right-click again and select 'Copy'.
Then open Notepad, new document, do a right-click and 'Paste',
go to 'File' and 'Save as' whatever you want to call it.
If you want to record the time, date, and who you sent it to, you'll need to include that in the document before you save it. Even if you don't record those bits, at least you'll have a copy of the text.
Well folks, that's about it for the second newsletter.
All submissions gratefully received.
Until the next one, be lucky, take care and may your gods go with you.
=========================================
Kenneth G Woolcock (Ken)
Don't worry if it will work.....Just DO it.
Added 2006
What you've read so far is a modified version of an early issue with current data input in blue text. Funny how I decided to re-format this old issue shortly after writing on a similar topic in series 3 News. Clearly a prod from subconscious that a dose of my own med might be in order.
~( :-))
Even so, it goes to show that what was true 4yrs ago is still true for today. Maybe that's why certain things get repeated. Emphasis for you, maybe? Or for me? It can only do good to remind ourselves that work is not all there is. I need reminding and although I'm unique, as you are unique, in many respects we are the same.
And that's why this is here from last issue 'Give Yourself the Best Chance in Anything You Do' And Yes, pass that on to those you love, those whom you care for and those you work with, whether in the real world or in cyberspace... maybe especially those in cyberspace.
For many people the Internet is an escape route into anonymity; for others it's a chance for communion with those of similar interests. There's room for us all. But it can be a desolate, lonely place for those who seek companionship and co-operative ventures.
There's a modern-day cliche´ which says a message can go 'round the world in a fraction of a second, but sometimes it can take an age to penetrate that last fraction of an inch. Like all cliche´s, it's true, especially this one in the context of sound advice.
It takes guts to "row your own boat" and follow a path you believe in. Support rarely comes from those whom you expect to give it. You have to accept that and carry on regardless, knowing that support IS available if you look in the right places.
Let go of the desperation and anxiety; keep looking without committing to anything until you feel comfortable that what's being offered is offered sincerely, without pressure or hype. You'll be surprised to find there are some who are only too happy to lend a hand and offer support and guidance. And it's unlikely to come from some "guru".
Some of us are quite happy working on our own but even happier to support those who are genuinely committed to following the same path and are prepared to do what needs to be done and follow instructions.
If that's you and you need a "Buddy" - you now know where to find one.
So until that time comes, keep these thoughts in mind. Decide on a particular course, stop spinning your wheels and make a start. Immerse yourself in what you're doing, without constantly thinking about the money, but don't get so immersed that you push yourself too hard and forget to give yourself some YOU time. It will all fall into place when the time's right.
That just about wraps this up for today. Now, click on the link below.
An Income Source With NO COST To Get Started
PLUS... Get BIG Discounts On QUALITY Products!
Until the next time - Take care and may your gods go with you.
Ken
Kenneth G Woolcock
Don't worry if it will work.....Just DO it.
PS - from 2006 - I was hoping to tell you how it's intended to carry things forward so YOU can benefit from it financially. I've not forgotten and shall get it all together as soon as I've ironed out a few rough edges.
Does that feel good? I hope so!
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