Hey everyone.
My name is Scott. I am a learning junkie.
I love to learn. Of course, I call it research and continuing education.
I need to be up-to-date, so I subscribe to 20, 30, maybe 40 expert newsletters. And naturally I frequent many blogs where my peers share even more tips, tricks and invaluable strategies.
Sure I am rushed and always out of time. Sure, I don’t have time to read them all thoroughly and digest the information. And yes, I remember just enough to know that i heard something about that topic somewhere… which send me into a frenzy of surfing and reviewing long lists of emails looking for the source of my fuzzy memories.
I was sure I was alone in my affliction, until…
I noticed some friends of mine were suffering from the same malady.
They had the same symptoms, lack of time, tele-seminars on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights; Monday night is for the copywriting homework, Wednesday night they have ten videos to watch and 18 pdf’s to read; Saturday and Sunday are spent at the Internet Marketing JV MLM Humongous Seminar in Hawaii.
You may even know what I am talking about…
Is the answer to go “Cold Turkey”?
Throw out all the DVD’s, CD’s, PDF’s, AVI’s, and burn your Bookmarks?
We live in a world of overabundance. There is so much information. It is impossible to keep up on one small area of any discipline, forget about the whole industry.
It is like we are at a feast and remember the droughts for all those years before.
So we don’t want to stop eating.
But is it getting you what you want? Are you achieving your goals or procrastinating. Using the excuse that you are learning more so you can do an even better job? But do you REALY need that information?
I think it is time to say, Stop! You know enough. Now apply it.
Set your goal. Then go after that one goal. If you sincerely need more information to achieve it, think hard about how you would be best served to get it.
One of my clients spent a small fortune on a course to learn eBay. It was another distraction. Save the $5,000 until you have achieved your main goals. In 4 months, eBay NEVER came up. So why did he go for it?
Great salesmen and women.
Ask yourself: Have I been sold? Do I really need this? Sleep on it. What do you
think the next day? Probably that you did not need it.
Know why?
You ALREADY HAVE everything you need to be successful.
Here’s a tip:
If you really believe you don’t, then you won’t be successful until you change that belief.
You begin to be successful when you say to yourself: “I have everything I need to be successful right now. I am a Master of my profession.”
Realizing this was a major turning point in my life.
It is a decision.
YOU DECIDE
You decide you have what you need to be successful. Think about it. What is the MOST successful thing you have ever done. It is the same for everyone, you know.
When you were in your Mother’s womb, did you think, “Okay, I better read a book on how to get out of here.” Did you watch a video, take a tele-seminar? I seriously doubt it. :^)
You and your mother did it together. I am not saying you won’t need help. Of course you will. I am saying that you probably need less help than you think.
Everyone has patterns in their lives and if your pattern is to take course, after
course, after tele-seminar, after Home Study course, and you do that instead of
taking steps towards your goals, next year at this time you will be no closer to
achieving your success than you are now.
We, here, at Coachamatic, don’t want that to happen. Right, guys and gals?
So here’s your next question:
What would happen if you stopped today, put all those great courses away, cancelled your subscriptions, and started doing the work you need to do to achieve your goals?
That’s what I think, too!
Posted on Dec 17th 06 by Scott Paton.
Scott Paton is a world reknown speaker on Blogging and Podcasting. He has captivated and motivated entrepreneurs on three continents with his dry wit and insights.Author of Podcasting Unleashed and contributor to the Internet Marketing Center's hit book and DVD (he's the star!) 'Blogging for Dollars'. An accomplished copywriter, his last sales letter gross over $100,000 in 7 days.
Scott is the father of two great teenage boys (young men), loves to hike in the pristine BC mountains,play tennis and travel. http://www.podcasting-unleashed.com
Other posts on Coachamatic by Scott Paton.
You make such a great point, Scott. Just think of all that could be achieved if the time spent in one more program, one more homestudy, were instead, used to implement all that the person already knows?
Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice. - Heber J. Grant
I am guilty as charged… a ‘learning junkie.’
However, I too finally said “Stop! You know enough. Now apply it.” And went cold turkey. Do you know how much money — and time — I saved? Of course you do… you know exactly what I’m talking about.
You are so right on when you say it’s a conscious choice one has to make. I have to constantly remind myself: “I have everything I need to be successful right now. I am a Master of my profession.” But the pressure I’ve taken off myself is well worth it. I’m no longer plagued with the guilt of “I’m doing everything they’re telling me to, so why am I not making the 6-figures they promised?”
I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and I’m doing it on my own terms.
Thanks for the reminders!!