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Life is a series of decisions. I started reading Awaken the Giant Within last night, and it really got me thinking. I think I’m going to like this book…I’ve never read anything by Tony Robbins believe it or not. This guy has something undeniable; when you read his words, a certain kind of energy comes through that is really engaging. One short piece I’d like to quote:

Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives. Controlled focus is like a laser beam that can cut through anything that seems to be stopping you. When we focus consistently on improvement in any area, we develop unique distinctions on how to make that area better. One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular. In fact, I believe most people fail in life simply because they major in minor things.

And of course we know this is true. How many people do we know who have graduated from college? This cannot be achieved without concentrated effort over time on a particular thing. How many people do we know who have successfully gone on vacation? The process of making the plans, arranging your affairs and making the trip happen requires concentrated effort. The week before a vacation is something many people describe as one of their most productive times of the year. We have the capacity to make great things happen. We don’t give ourselves enough credit. Concentrated effort and mastery of any one particular thing in your life can bring about huge, positive changes. It can increase your confidence, inspire others, increase your performance, lead to new and better opportunities. Focus.

How this Applies to Internet Marketing

This carries an immense lesson for anyone involved with blogging, social networking and internet marketing also. We spend a huge amount of time doing things…but are they the RIGHT things? Are we focused? Knowing your goals is essential. Here are a few things to consider to determine if you’re focused and on track to achieve your marketing goals:

• Are you doing things that are moving you in the direction of your goals, or are you just staying busy?
• Are you working hard and not getting results?
• When is the last time you’ve reviewed your plan? Are you marketing activities bringing you the results you desire? If not, what are you doing to improve?
• Do you need more traffic to your site, but you spend most of your time redesigning your site?
• Do you want to get more clients to buy your service, but you spend most of your time writing content that doesn’t necessarily attract the right kind of buyer?
• Can you state, right now, in a clear manner, exactly what goals you’re trying to achieve with your blog? Or are you just pecking away at different things, trying to “figure things out”?
• Can you describe the kind of person you’re trying to attract to your site? What specific things are you doing to attract that particular kind of person? Or are you simply blogging, hoping that the right people will magically find you?

I’ve written about the value of writing a plan for your internet marketing before actually getting too involved in it. You need to know what you’re shooting for in order to truly hit your target in a predictable manner. This book is reminding me about that right now. I wish you all the success in the world…it starts with having a plan. Having a plan brings focus, and focus brings success.