Failure is not an option.

I’ve read a lot of really incredible plans for this year.  Some people are planning to write a million words, while others intend to grow their monthly affiliate income tenfold, and even others are looking to expand into new areas, such as eBooks or eCommerce.  I’ve even got some pretty big plans myself which are going to require quite a bit of hard work.

But…

The truth is, and you may not enjoy hearing this, internet marketing is full of failure.

Often times I think we get so caught up in creating these incredible goals that when we run in to any problem we immediately get discouraged and quit.  We’re not prepared for the pit falls that lay ahead.  I’ve mentioned some of my costly mistakes before and looking back making those mistakes has proved to be very valuable, but at the time it was hard to keep pressing forward when I was spending money and not getting results.

So, before we get too far into the year I want to take a few minutes and outline several reasons you may fail to reach your goals.  All in all I think 2012 is going to be EPIC.  However, there are going to be obstacles to overcome.  It’s going to be sleeves rolled up hard as heck work.   It’s going to require the mentality that failure is not an option.

Reason #1:  You don’t have any real goals.

I can’t sum it up much better than this podcast at Ending the Grind, so I won’t try.  I don’t necessarily agree with everything Penelope Trunk has to say, but she does make a very good point about goals.

Reason #2:  You live in a box.

This is a comment I often hear from my wife, usually pertaining to the fact that I’m clueless to anything outside of my normal routine.  You can call it whatever you want: “thinking outside the box” or “getting out of your comfort zone”.  The point is sometimes you need to do things you don’t usually do.  If you build sites monetized primarily with Adsense, try Amazon or Clickbank.  If you spend most of your time promoting someone else’s product, try creating your own.  If all you build are affiliate sites, try your hand in eCommerce.  Whatever it is, mix it up.  Don’t limit yourself.

Reason #3: You spend more time at the Paypal checkout buying products than actually implementing them.

Be honest.  How many times a week do you press that little yellow/gold button that says “PAY NOW”?  Though, that’s not really the problem.  The problem is what happens next. You sit down and read your brand new guide on getting hundreds of powerful links using press releases, or you spend 2 hours trying to figure out how to use your brand new keyword research tool.  But after those first 2 hours, that’s it, you don’t take any action which was the whole point of buying the product in the first place.

Reason #4:  You spend 2 months building a site and decide to give up because you’re not converting on your 17 visitors each day.

I’m going to repeat something I often hear Mark say at The Keyword Academy.  You’ll get paid next year for your work this year.

That’s 12 months of work, not 60 days.

Reason #5:  You spend more time asking others what you should be writing about than actually writing about something yourself.

There’s a trend I’m beginning to notice lately.  Everyone wants to create niche sites about their passion, but no one knows what they’re passionate about.  If you don’t know, then I’m not sure why you think some stranger in a forum is going to be able to tell you.

At some point you’ve got to stop asking and start doing.  You’re going to make mistakes, you’re going to choose the wrong niche, you’re going to spend time on things that will never make you money.  And that’s okay.  Just start writing.  Creativity and ideas come from those who do, not from those who do not.  It is within your own action that you’ll begin to find great ideas.

Reason #6:  You don’t trust the system.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that nearly every system works if you just stick with it.  There’s hundreds of gurus all professing a different strategy of link building, site promotion, content creation, and everything else.  Nearly every single one of them work.  The problem is most people get a few months in, don’t see immediate results and then blame the system.  The name of the game is consistency.  After you’ve done your research and come up with a general strategy for building out your sites, stick with it, and stop changing your methods every 30 days because someone else just wrote about how they made thousands online.

Reason #7:  You’re not building relationships.

Build relationships.  This is one of the very first things I found to be widely professed.  At first I was convinced I could do it all on my own, and perhaps I could.  But in the long run not only are you going to make it easier on yourself, but you’re also going to put yourself in a position for even greater opportunities.

Don’t just email all the big players, and don’t expect much of a response from them.  Instead get in touch with people in your similar situation and start to build relationships that are mutually beneficial.  Also, don’t forget to reach out to those that are just starting out, as they need the guidance that you once needed.

Reason #8: You put all your eggs in one basket.

Mark Twain was wrong.  I don’t care how well you watch your basket, put all your eggs in it and they’re liable to end up broken.  Making money online is a very precarious business.  If you rely too much on one specific stream of income you may end up in a very unfortunate situation because of something as simple as an algorithm change.

Reason #9:  You don’t truly believe.

You must believe.  Believe your goals are worth reaching, believe your methods will work, believe that hard work will payoff, believe that you will persevere.  It really doesn’t matter what you believe in, just believe.  Believe in anything, believe in everything, and do it with conviction.

Bonus Reason #10: You spread yourself too thin.

I asked my wife to add one reason to this list based on what she’s witnessed in my journey over the last 6 months.  One thing she noted is that trying to accomplish too much can result in you not accomplishing anything.  Be honest with yourself, and while you may have 20 great ideas, choose 2 or 3 and put a good effort in making them work.  Then move on to the next.

One Step Closer or One Step Further Away

In the end everything comes down to this.  Every step you take will either bring you one step closer to accomplishing your goals and dreams, or one step further away.  There is no in between.  With that in mind, whatever happens this year, keep taking one step closer to your goals and I promise you will reach them.