Today’s blog post is not what I had planned on posting, but given some recent (life in the last hour) experiences, I feel compelled to write this post.
I just got off of Lynn Terry’s weekly webinar that she offers for free to anyone interested in learning internet marketing. This particular webinar was very different from any one I have heard her do in the past. Now in case you don’t know Lynn, she is known as the “voice of integrity” in internet marketing. While I have never met Lynn in person (something I am very much looking forward to!) we do have some friends in common and I have been a member of her forum for almost 2 years and a member of her Elite forum for about a year, so I do feel qualified to speak to her caring, her integrity, her generous spirit, and her honesty.
Today she wore her heart on her sleeve as she expressed her frustration and disappointment with those who are having difficulty reaching their goals and doubting their abilities. There is a very long thread on her forum where many people have weighed in on this topic (this thread initially started out as “if you had to start over, what would you do differently..”). The general concensus appears to be that one must have “it”..certain characteristics that enable one person to be more successful than another; or experience a different level of success.
This is not about “whoo hoo” thinking (although that has a certain place when used appropriately); this is not about reading the Laws of Attraction and expecting everything you desire to fall into your lap. This is about a mindset and belief in yourself and what you are capable of achieving. This is about being very clear on who you are, what you want, why you want it and putting one foot forward day in and day out to achieve those goals.
Lynn, you are a dear soul who I admire very much. You have shared so much of your time, your expertise, and your patience with others, and I for one am grateful and so very appreciative of you. I’d like to publicly thank you for all you have taught me (whether I applied it or not!) and your kindness. I don’t get over to the forum too much anymore because for me, I have recognized in my journey that I’m not really all that interested in internet marketing per se…I want to touch people in a different way as a coach, teacher and trainer. As with anything, the internet is a tool for me to get my message out and create as much impact as I possibly can.
All of this rambling 
leads me to my main point. Until and unless a person takes 100% responsibility for his/her actions no amount of lip service from anyone else will matter. The excuses of one person having more of “IT” than another person, more talents, more luck…whatever, are just that…EXCUSES! We all deal with doubts of not being good enough or expert enough or smart enough or being unsure of ourselves…it’s called stepping out of the comfort zone and sometimes it SUCKS! Excuses start creeping in when we see someone doing what we want to do, or having what we want to have and to make ourselves feel better or validated we talk about things like luck, and having “IT.”
Perhaps you’re not getting the results you want because you’re not doing the things that you should be doing. Life is a learning process, YOUR success is YOURS alone…don’t borrow someone else’s. Not having the results you expect or want is NOT failure, it’s feedback. And yes, I consider myself an expert on learning theory (read my bio).
Success (your definition of it) will require persistence, determination, tenacity, commitment, clarity and focus…is it worth it to you? Only you can decide that…
Your thoughts?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for this response, Danielle – and for your kind words. I enjoyed your post here
Lynn, you are so welcome. My heart was breaking today as I listened to your quiet tone and the pain in your voice. I feel honored to know you and to have learned so much from you. I don’t comment too much in the forum as most of the time I can’t really speak to SEO, affiliate marketing and such…(but don’t get me started on mindset and motivation!)
Keep on rocking Lynn!
Danielle-
1. You’re right Lynn Terry rocks. I have spent some time with her in person (and a lot of wine! ~ LOL). Se’s brilliant, kind, and truly a stand out in our Internet marketing world.
2. You’re right about excuses. The thing is so many people haven’t really gone after what they say they want because they are scared of failing, or succeeding in some cases. They’re afraid to make the wrong choices so they stay frozen. It’s easier to whine than to move forward for some!
3. You’re wrong about one thing (respectfully disagreeing with you my friend!). If you want to use the Internet as a tool for your business, you are, by definition an “Internet marketer.” Don’t ever forget that. You need to stay on top of the best ways to communicate your message to those listening and find where they are. If it’s online, then you really do want to continue to stay educated about the best and most effective ways to reach them there — using Internet marketing principles, techniques, and tools. There are lots of IM strategies and not all of them are right for everyone. Find those that will work for you & use them to your benefit to serve those you can best reach.
Big hugs. I mean holy moly, sister!
Felicia
http://Twitter.com/FeliciaSlattery
Well you’re right Felicia…I stand corrected. I think that I think of the Internet as a tool for marketing just like any offline strategies I use to market myself…as a tool. And indeed, in order to stay ahead of the pack and distinguish yourself, you absolutely need to stay on top of trends, principles and tools:-) (as one would with offline marketing as well).
Anyone in any type of business is a marketer, in theory. It’s whether or not you do it with integrity and play off of your strengths and talents AND understand what you want the end result to be. Thanks for the great comments!