Internet Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Persistence

Why do some people succeed while others don't? Intelligence, resources, strengths. But one of the most vital is possibly persistence.

When I first began working online I saw that while there were thousands of people looking for ways to earn money online, only a percentage of them became successful, and a handful became extremely successful.

While you still hear the occasional story of the cyber-rapid progression from rags to riches, these stories become fewer and further between. There is more competition online than there was a few years ago (although, once you know what you're doing, there actually isn't much real competition). And it isn't possible to short-cut or cheat oneself into momentary wealth, as once may have been.

I decided that the key difference between the successful and the not-so-successful must be, primarily, persistence.

There are many other qualities. The ability to focus, to pick out key data, to value importances, to study and apply, to learn from one's mistakes, to finish what you start ... and probably a lot more I could list out.

But this factor, persistence, must rank high among the make-break qualities of a successful Internet Marketer (or a Successful-Internet-Marketer-To-Be).

A "positive attitude" helps. Deciding one is going to do something and that no barriers are going to stop one. Deciding that one will study and work, to get past any barriers. Deciding that success is possible.

But, even if you don't have a positive attitude - persistence might get you there anyway!

If you have ever seen a hungry man open a can of food with a broken can opener, you might get the picture of what I am talking about.

At about 4:00 a.m. one night in Belgium I had just published my 38th Squidoo Lens for a certain niche I was working on. (Squidoo is a website which enables one to publish individual pages on the subjects of your choosing, and each page is called a "lens." I was working on creating fifty lenses before a certain date. I had two more articles ready and waiting to be turned into Squidoo Lenses. I had made thirty Squidoo lenses in the previous two weeks.

I said, "That's it. For the first time in two years, I had had enough of my computer! I just want to go to the beach or something!" (I'm not even a beach person, and there was nothing similar to a beach near Brussels in the autumn). I said, "And I'm not bringing my laptop! I'm just going to sit there. I've had enough of Squidoo Lenses."

Then I sighed, got up, and said, "Well, at least I'll go get a cup of coffee."

So I got up, made my coffee, sat down again, and grumpily started making my next Squidoo Lens.

Well, I don't know if one would say I had such a "positive attitude" that evening. Or, at least not a cheerful one. I had already started dreaming about SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages).

In fact, I got a pretty funny look from my husband when he told me the best way to make coffee without a filter, and I said "make a Squidoo Lens about it honey."

Well, Squidoo is tons of fun. But after 30 lenses in two weeks on technical subjects, I think we can all agree ... even the most fun stuff can get un-fun.

This article is not really about Squidoo, it is just the example I happened to use.

The point is that this is sometimes going to happen in Internet Marketing - or in any endeavor, for that matter.

The "thing you should do right now" might not always be the "thing you feel like doing right now."

And once one gets rolling on one project, it's easy to drop it in the middle to go chasing after a new "more fun" project. (You might not label it that way, but lets face the facts! It might not even really be "more fun and interesting," but just "new"!)

Well, that first project might have been on the brink of creating some serious income, before you balked at the less exciting work that you would have had to do next. Or the bigger tasks that had to be completed.

So it's not just a matter of generally persisting in a specific endeavor such as Internet Marketing.

There is also persistence in carrying a given project through to a "done," once you have started it.

If you really need a break from what you are doing, then go ahead. As long as its proportional. A few minutes spent watching the Muppets on YouTube can be therapeutic. So can a walk around the block!

Or if your current task becomes just too mundane, work on something else for a little bit. But something valuable.

Just make sure you return to your original task and complete it. You will feel better and you will also get more done.