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It’s always a good idea to be very aware of your own weaknesses and to be honest with yourself about your shortcomings. If there’s one thing we could all use a little more of, it’s self discipline and focus.

In my own experience building an Internet business, I have struggled with this problem many times and, frankly, it’s still a challenge today. Of course, this concept applies to far more than just becoming a successful internet entrepreneur. Whether you’re trying to start your own business or looking to create a new exercise routine, self discipline and focus are absolutely critical to your success.

If we all need more focus and discipline, what’s the answer? How do we develop the proper mindset to create more focus and self discipline in life?

I believe there is one very simple, incredibly obvious, and commonly overlooked answer to this problem – getting clear about your goals.

Sure, you’ve heard it before – but how current are you with your goals NOW? That’s really the only thing that matters. Nobody cares what your goals were six months ago or even six days ago – especially not your subconscious. As far as success is concerned, goal setting is about the HERE AND NOW. That’s why it’s so dang hard!

Any old chum can decide he wants to become a millionaire. And any gal can say she wants to build a new business from scratch. But how many will actually follow through? Based on the available evidence, very few. As Bear Bryant once said, “It’s not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.”

As usual, we need a clear idea of how to create focus and self discipline, so let’s make a list of things we can all do TODAY or RIGHT NOW to make it happen:

1. Write Out Your Specific Goals
This is the best place to begin. You have to know where you’re going if you expect to get there. Try to keep your goals list focused on one key area.

2. Schedule Your Time
Really. Novel, isn’t it? Plot out your time in blocks and stick to it! Make sure your time is being used to achieve your goals.

3. Create Daily Reminders
You need a system for keeping you mindful of your purpose every day. I know some people have success with post-it notes and the like. I’ve always liked the note card on my dashboard.

4. Chunk It Down
Step one should help you get a clear idea of where you’re going, but you can’t get there in one week, one month, maybe even one year. So break it down and make it easier for you to identify and celebrate progress along the way.

5. Set Aside Time to Relax & Decompress
This is an area where I have a lot of trouble and I know it affects my progress. The amount of “down time” you’ll need will depend on you and your situation, so personalize this step.

Sounds like a lot of work? Well, it is! Focus and discipline is NOT easy, else we’d all just have it. You’re up against years of habitual behavior and thought-patterns. It’s not going to be easy to turn this around tomorrow. But stick with it and I know you’ll see results!

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We all love holidays.  Perhaps the number one reason most love holidays is time off from work.  If you’re a traditional employee in a traditional job, this applies to you.  On the other hand, employees at Wal-Mart and Starbucks are unlikely to enjoy a reprieve from their workaday world. 

Labor Day is really a funny holiday. 

At this point, the first Monday of September is little more than a last shot at long-weekend summer fun.  That, and reminder to not wear white. 

I think Labor Day should really be “Entrepreneurship Day.” 

Really – think about it: Instead of giving everyone a day off to grab the jet-skis and head for the lake yet again, let’s open the door for real change. 

Think of it: one day off to recalibrate your life and consider how the principles of entrepreneurship can make real change happen.  Want another long weekend for trekking out-of-town?  How about a long weekend *every* weekend?

Established entrepreneurs could come together and give free seminars.  The Small Business Administration (SBA) could offer similar workshops on starting a business.  Financial planners could provide free consultations for learning more about investment opportunities and retirement plans.

We could also honor all successful entrepreneurs for their hard work and significant contributions to the American economy.  Talk about a great way to celebrate some of our most important cultural values – initiative, independence, ingenuity, etc. 

This could be an amazing holiday with real purpose and not just another wasted Monday off from the office.  Think about it and spread the word!

I think Steve Pavlina is amazing. And I think Tim Ferriss is amazing. Both of these guys are incredible in their own right, and each has contributed wonderful things to the personal development and entrepreneurship worlds.

Lately, I’ve given a lot of credit to Tim Ferriss for his insightful tips on business building and ruthless time management. Credit well deserved. If you still haven’t read that book, do it!

But after inadvertently surfing my way to StevePavlina.com recently, I realized just how much Mr. Pavlina had already contributed to these same issues - and in articles you can read for free right now to boot!

So here it is, folks: a list of my very own Top 10 Steve Pavlina Articles. These are must reads!

Giving up TV
33 Rules to Boost Productivity
The 50-30-20 Rule
Overclock Your Audio Learning
Efficient Email
How to Become an Early Riser
The Law of Attraction
30 Days to Success
10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job
10 Ways to Relaxify Your Workspace

These are in no particular order – trust me, that’s way too much to ask. Choosing 10 is hard enough. Enjoy!

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Time is money. At least that’s how most people see it. And to a large degree, it’s true.

I’d like to take this concept one step further – time is *everything.* Brian Tracy put it best when he quipped, “It’s not ‘time management,’ it’s ‘life management.’” Couldn’t have put it better myself, Brain. At the end of the day, it really is about life.

During my very early days of college, I had one of the worst jobs of all time: insurance claims processor. At the time, the money was great, but frankly, the time sucked.

This was the first and last time I worked a standard 8-5 job. Never again. Never.

During a break one day at the insurance office, a co-worker (co-slave?) turned to me and he said, “So much happens out there [pointing to the city beyond our fortress-like office building] while we’re in here. So much.” He was right. And I was suddenly very aware of how imprisoned I felt in the routine of that cubicle nightmare.

Two days later, I marched into that office, removed my things from the desk, and walked out – never to return again. Never.

He was right.

That was perhaps the first moment it occurred to me that I really didn’t want to live my life that way. That is, as a slave to somebody else in a never ending time-for-money exchange.

Of course, I soon learned that money was important, and so I soon found yet another time-based job. But I always found a way to implement Jedi-like approaches to managing my time (my life!) on those jobs – from working for more tips to “stealing time” for personal and/or business building tasks. In short, since then I’ve never worked a job where I didn’t make time management a serious priority.

My whole life is really about maximizing productivity, and I think it’s made all the difference. The trick really lies in learning to be uber-productive in one place – almost to a fault – so that you can create more and more time for yourself that doesn’t belong to somebody else. The trick is to seek out and create freedom. Freedom is what we really want.

Even when entrepreneurs go to work on business projects we are still working for somebody else. Sure, maybe we’re creating a business and that’s something we love to do, but so long as the purpose is profit, we’re really working to please the customer. The freedom there is quite slippery indeed.

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Once you have registered for 642-845, make sure you study well as you will also be able to attempt PMI-001 with this preparation. This holds true for 156-215 in context to SY0-101 as well.

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Let’s take a look at the very concept of an “internet business” to define the term right away:

The typical “internet business” is a company or organization that generates regular profit from sales made exclusively online. Some business components may exist in the “offline” world, but the sole medium for sales processing and customer contact is the Internet.

For a specific look at various types of internet business models – that is, different ways of using the internet to create a revenue stream or to maximize and enhance existing revenue streams – check out “The Top 4 Internet Business Models.”

The idea of an “internet business” is appealing because of the potential for automation and mobility. Without a need for a brick-and-mortar store or a standing warehouse, you can travel anywhere with the business on a laptop, or decide tomorrow that you’d like to move, never once worrying about the impact on your business plan.

So what are the essential elements of an internet business?

Well, like any other business, first you’ve got to have a product or service to sell.

Then, you’ve got to have an effective marketing and promotion plan for your product or service.

And, finally, you need a product delivery mechanism – i.e. shipping the product or providing the service.

To be true to the definition of an “internet business,” you must fulfill all three of these basic business processes via the internet. Your product or service must be presentable via a website. Your marketing and advertising methods must effectively deliver customers to the website. And your product or service fulfillment must be initiated and tracked online.

Some internet businesses can function with an entirely digital infrastructure: websites that feature the product, online advertising that instantly delivers customers to the websites, and even a digital product that can be accessed or downloaded immediately. Classic examples here include digital information products, membership sites, and some affiliate marketing methods.

Most internet businesses will require at least some offline mechanisms: offline advertising, physical inventory storage space, traditional shipping methods, customer service call centers, etc.

As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, it is truly impossible to build an entirely digital internet business, as at least some elements will always be handled offline. The internet is, after all, a manifestation of the offline world. (I know some people like to pretend otherwise.)

Still, with the current state of and constant progress in the world of technology, a primarily digital business is possible and comes with a handful of great advantages:

• Automation creates less or zero need for permanent employees
• Online marketing allows for more focused measuring and testing
• Digital delivery can greatly reduce shipping and fulfillment costs
• Email communication streamlines customer service requests

Any one or combination of these can lead to reduced overhead and increased profit margins – important attributes of any solid business model!

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