This is a reprint from a blog post I did from my first blog.  It still applies.

July 10, 2009
Whitewater RaftingEarlier this week I went white water rafting in Washington State. There were 5 people in the raft with a guide/instructor. We were asked if we wanted to go over a 14′ waterfall, told the pros and cons and given about a minute to make up our minds…

We didn’t have time to think about all the things that could go wrong. We basically had to grab our fear by the throat, trust our guide and the info he had given us and go for it! That was the point! We did not have time to worry about all that might go wrong.

This scenario isn’t very different from what happens with new internet marketers.  Unfortunately most new internet marketers spend way too much time thinking about what to do, what could go wrong, how they could fail, don’t set any goals and don’t have a trusted mentor/instructor to follow.  I’ve done all those things…

At some point, after getting a base of knowledge and/or finding a good mentor, you just have to go for it. Yes, you might fail and flip your raft over, but you learn from your mistakes and move forward. Failing is not easy, but just like the other 5 people in my raft, you are not alone.

Even your mentor will fail, they just know how to recover quicker and make adjustments.

Here is a key point. Get good at one thing before you jump to the next thing.

Most out there never really get any good at one specific thing. They distract themselves over and over again. They continue to be only 10% good at a ton of things, but never 90% good at one, very specific, thing…10% good is not good enough.     Eric Louviere

Your 90% good can be in PPC, website design, copywriting, driving free traffic, whatever you choose. The key here is once you are 90% good at it, there are a bunch of people out there that are 10% good at it and would love to partner with you or pay for your skill.

We went over that waterfall, scared but excited. One man fell out, but we all agree it was the ride of our lives…. Climb in your raft, find a mentor to help you paddle and TAKE ACTION!

Give yourself permission to fail because you will. Look at it like discovering the things that don’t work, so you are that much closer to success.

Start Paddling!!

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    17 replies to "Get In Your Raft & Paddle"

    • Dawn

      Oh lucky you! I miss the thrill of rafting on the Colorado or the K. Falls River in Oregon. There are some rapids in Texas but nothing like Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

      But getting to your point; just launch yourself into whatever it is you want to do. Do it with focus and purpose. Purpose has a plan, so you need to follow it step-by-step. Treat those little blips as a lesson and not a failure.

      We only fail when we don’t take action.

      • lesliez

        Dawn, It was truly a rush. We had a blast. My daughter wasn’t able to go with and she was not happy 🙁

        Focus, planning and step by step are all must dos for making continuous progress with your business.

        You are so right about “We only fail when we don’t take action”.

        LeslieZ

    • Jeremy

      Telling story … ask yourself “Will I die?” … chances are, the answer is no. As long as it adds value to your life, go for it!

      • lesliez

        Thank goodness Internet Marketing is not a “will I die” situation Jeremy. 🙂

        It just may be a little scary now and then. But nothing that can’t be overcome with a little constant action.

        LeslieZ

    • Harleena Singh

      Hi Leslie,

      Good to be back on your blog after my little holiday break 🙂

      It must have been so much of fun to go through all that you underwent – I’ve never tried rafting, but I can imagine the thrill. Yes, you have to take risks if you want to achieve something or try your hand at new things, or else you’d never really go ahead and do something different.

      Whether it’s our blogs or marketing, as you mentioned, unless you focus on your goal and achieve it, you cannot really proceed further.

      Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂

      • lesliez

        Hey Harleena,

        I’m happy that you had a great holiday! We all need to take a break now and then.

        That is why we are in business for ourselves…to control our own schedules. 🙂

        Yes, there are definitely days when you are running full steam ahead at your goals and other days that if you didn’t know why you are doing this, you may just stop (at least for the newbies who haven’t gotten momentum to carry them forward).

        Thanks for stopping by!

        LeslieZ

    • Paul Jenkins

      Great post! Makes me think of the title of the classic sales book Ready, Fire, Aim! There’s also a truly extraordinary video doing the rounds right now of a pilot landing a stunt plane without injury after one wing FELL OFF!! IMHO We’re not conscious of our potential until putting ourselves in situations where we need to employ it.

      • lesliez

        Thanks Paul! I’m glad you liked it!

        I’ve heard about Ready, Fire, Aim but have never read it.
        Guess I’ll have to take a look.

        And I’m looking up that video 🙂

        LeslieZ

    • The Great Gordino

      I’ve known a few people do this, and they’ve all said they love it! Not something I@ve got round to yet…;-)

      I love the idea of relating it to starting out in internet marketing, and getting started, taking the plunge is the key, which leads on to working out what you need to learn how to do.

      Much like the rafting! Keep paddling indeed!
      Cheers,
      Gordon

      • lesliez

        Gordon,
        You should definitely give white water rafting a try.

        Now that I look back at it…a little crazy but so much fun 🙂

        Paddle, Paddle, Paddle!

        LeslieZ

    • Adrienne

      Hey Leslie,

      You are definitely right, this still applies today.

      I would have never done the raft thing, I hyperventilate if my head goes under the water. Horrible near drowning incident when I was a kid. Tried to get over it numerous times with help but just never worked.

      But I understand the concept because it’s getting over our fears which I still have plenty. I’m dealing with some right now that I need to get through and I will. If I don’t I can’t move forward and that will be devastating for where I want to go.

      I agree also that we need to focus our attention on one things at a time and master that instead of being all over the place. I know we all just want to know everything but that’s not going to help us get to where we need to be.

      Thanks so much for sharing this story with us again. Loved the lesson.

      ~Adrienne

      • lesliez

        Adrienne,
        Even when we see success, we still struggle with our fears. Crazy….

        I wish you much success and I know you’ll conquer any fear that is causing you issues.

        As for focusing our attention… it is definitely hard to figure out what to focus on and then stay with it. It is much easier to dabble here and there.

        But you only succeed with focus and mastering the task at hand.

        Good to see you here!

        LeslieZ

    • donna merrill

      Hi Leslie,

      What a great analogy! We cannot afford to spend too much time thinking if we should do this or that. We learn something, apply it, and tweak it until it works!

      Just go for it is my take! BTW That poor guy that fell out! If it were me, I would have spent many hours in therapy he he he.

      I commend you for your spirit!

      -Donna

      • lesliez

        Thanks Donna!

        “Think think think” as Winnie the Pooh would say can be paralyzing.

        We have enough other things that can get in our way without us being one of them.

        Taking ACTION is what we need to be doing in a true entrepreneurial spirit. That makes the difference.

        LeslieZ

    • Phil Berkun

      Leslie,
      You tell a great story to make a great point.
      The “fear factor” has been the biggest impediment I’ve faced in my own online marketing.
      It never really goes away, but practice at taking action despire the fear is making fear itself easier to deal with.

      • lesliez

        Thanks Phil!

        Fear is something that we definitely need to work on overcoming. And you are so right that taking action does make fear less of a factor.

        Keep paddling!

        LeslieZ

    • Max Arthur

      I’m not sure I could do rafting. It looks dangerous yet fun at the same time.

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