Succeeding Online When You're Not 30-Something Anymore ~ 3 Destructive Emotions to Steer Clear Of

Written by Rebecca Longster Friday, 12 August 2011 06:57

It's not surprising that more older people (not in their teens, 20s, or 30s) are looking for alternative ways to earn an income these days. We've seen the loss of of jobs (for some people, the only real job they've ever had); we have retirement accounts that have dropped 50% or more in value, or disappeared altogether, and there's a growing unease about how we'll be able to survive, never mind enjoying the "golden years."

It's not surprising that more older people (not in their teens, 20s, or 30s) are looking for alternative ways to earn an income these days. We've seen the loss of of jobs (for some people, the only real job they've ever had); we have retirement accounts that have dropped 50% or more in value, or disappeared altogether, and there's a growing unease about how we'll be able to survive, never mind enjoying the "golden years."

Fortunately, there are also more alternatives available for generating a decent income, thanks to the internet. Online business opportunities abound, though you have to be careful to avoid the too-good-to-be-true ones (because they are). However, programs intended to help you build an online business can end up reading like instructions for setting up a home theater system. You often find yourself sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by component parts and instruction booklets, all giving you a headache ~ in 5 different languages! The same feeling can come from even the best legit programs for building a business online, and results in three destructive states of mind.

Confusion ~ The trouble with trying to do something like that is, unless you're a professional, or at least have some solid experience, you don't realize how complicated it can be. You quickly come to realize, often to your dismay, that there are several other things you need to do before you can even begin to do what you started out to do. It's the same with building any kind of online business from scratch

Depression ~ Are the gurus and successful people online trying to frustrate us and make us give up, leaving them a clear playing field? Nope ~ most of them aren't. The best of them really do want us to succeed the way they have. But sometimes that's what it feels like in the moment, and at that point you just want to give up.

Well, that's okay if what you're quitting on is an afternoon or weekend project. You can always set it aside, or get someone else with more experience to finish it or help you finish it later. But what about quitting on something that has the potential to bring in a significant income down the road?

Demoralization ~ Maybe, you think, the problem is me. Could it be that I just don't have what it takes to do this? Maybe I'm not bright enough (although some of those people in the testimonials looked like they'd lose their lunch money if their moms hadn't pinned it into their pockets). The program creators say you can do this, but it's been a long while since they've felt that insecurity, lack of knowledge, and lack of confidence that many people new to IM are faced with.

The paradox is that these days it's less a case of having to have money to make money, but more a case of having to know what you're doing before you can do what you want to do. Instead of the old "it takes money to make money" bit, in the online world it's a matter of having to have experience to get experience.

In order to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be, online, you need to begin at the beginning, with the basic steps you need to take to lay a strong foundation upon which to build your online business. That way you can start out right, right from the start.