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You may think I'm joking, but the sad truth of the matter is that I get this sort of question several times each week.

I used to try and ask questions but I found that there really isn't anything unique about these situations. They all typically have the same things in common.

These people have spent years bouncing from one online "opportunity" to another. They don't have time to learn how to actually build a business. They couldn't possibly spend a couple of hours a day learning how to write ad copy, how to market effectively, how to generate leads, or how to follow up and close sales.

But they have no problem spending hours filling out silly forms and joining a dozen (or more) online opportunities that promise them some unbelievable (and I do mean 'unbelievable') income level if they will just sign up on the site today.

These same people spent years getting themselves in to financial ruin and they think they can turn it around in 30 days if they just join the right deal.

They will spend hours surfing the web trying to find some version of what I call "Internet Welfare" so that they can fill out a form and start cashing checks.

They'll spend an hour a day (or more) driving to a job they hate.

They'll work at that job for 8 hours (or more) for too little pay.

They'll spend another hour (or more) driving back from that job in traffic.

But when I tell them they need to spend an hour or so a day on learning effective online marketing strategies and techniques, they tell me something like, "I don't have time for all that! I work a full-time job and when I get home, I'm too tired to read.".

My favorite is when they say something like, "Well, that's fine for you. But you don't know what it's like out here. I have to work at my regular job all day (or all night). I'm too tired to read all this stuff and learn all this technical jargon.".

I will be honest with you. I used to get really angry when I read something like that.

I remember very well what it was like to work 2 jobs during the week, try to find gigs at night as a musician, and then work on the weekends cleaning boats. Believe me, I know what it's like to come home so dead tired you're not sure you can even make it through dinner much less learn some new Internet stuff.

All of this was going on while I was trying to provide for my wife and 5 small children.

There were times I didn't sleep at all. I would stay up studying online marketing articles, writing and posting ads, following up with sales leads, etc... and then when the sun came up, I would hop in the shower and head off to work again.

Believe me; it was brutal and I remember it all too well.

Why did I put myself through that kind of schedule?

I knew that I wanted to be the kind of father that could be involved with his kids.

I knew that I wanted to work from home instead of mopping floors, cleaning up vomit, driving nails, and cleaning boats.

I knew that I wanted to be able to take my family on vacation and not have to ask someone else's permission.

I knew that I wanted to decide what I was worth and then make that income instead of asking for a raise.

I could go on, believe me. I had a LOT of reasons for wanting to change my life.

So I knew that if I could stick with it, I could figure out how to do it. I knew other people were doing it and I've always considered myself a reasonably intelligent human being. Today, I work from home. I make a LOT more money than I used to when I had several jobs and I coach my sons in basketball. I still play music because I love it and I take vacations whenever I want to.

So why do so many people fail? We all know of people that are successful with online marketing. I'm one of them now!

Personally, I believe the reason so many people fail is because they are afraid or not willing to go through the learning curve.

Let's look at most job situations today. When someone starts a new job, they have to spend time training. They have to learn how to do the new job skills. It's mandatory. Sometimes the training is paid; sometimes not. Usually, they spend a certain amount of time to learn the job and then they spend the next several years complaining about the job, the pay, the boss, the company, the politics, the working conditions, etc... but they keep showing up for that same job!

And remember ... they ASKED for this job! They actually filled out an application, dressed up for the interview, tried to make a good impression, and convinced this boss to give them the job that they now hate!

If you want to be a successful online marketer, you need to embrace the learning curve. You have to realize that it is going to take some time for you to learn how to do some things. And you have to know that it's worth it because we're talking about your life, here.

If you want to take your life back, you've got to be willing to pay a price. The best part about the Internet is that the actual monetary price can be pretty low. The biggest investment is the time you will spend learning to successfully market online.

And even that is lower than it used to be. When I started, we didn't have half the systems available today. Today, we use AutoResponders to manage and follow up with our leads. Back then, I used to have a spreadsheet I used to manage all that. This is one of the reasons I started my own AutoResponder company!

Realize there are going to be setbacks. You will have things that don't work out like you planned. Welcome to life.

Remember watching a young baby learn how to walk? I know we don't remember doing it but we all went through it.

That little baby is wobbily ... off balance ... drooling ... scared ... but they start to take that first step ... and WHAM! They fall flat on their back sides. Sometimes they cry about it. But they ALWAYS get back up and try it again.

The thing is... that little baby has no concept that they might not be able to learn to walk. They just know that this crawling stuff is getting old and it's time to move on. So they just keep getting back up. They just keep trying. And yes... they just keep falling on their little diaper-padded behinds. But after a while, they start getting better at it. They take a step... then two ... then three. Soon, they are walking across the entire living room all by themselves.

Today, we walk all over the place without thinking about it. We just do it. If someone were to ask you, "How do yo walk?", I bet we couldn't actually explain it.

At some point in our very young lives, we just knew it was time. We just knew we were supposed to. And we just knew we could learn to do it. So we did it. We were too young for anyone to tell us to be afraid or that it couldn't be done.

Maybe that's where you are today. Maybe you're realizing that it's time to stop "crawling" when it comes to how you make your money. Maybe it's time to really start living with some freedom. Maybe it's time to decide where you want to go and how fast you want to get there. That's what is available to you when you become an effective online marketer.

Start by believing that it can be done. You absolutely must believe you can do it. Most of your co-workers are going to tell you it can't be done. But you know people do it all the time.

I graduated from high school. I dropped out of college after a few months to go on tour with a band. I never made it back to college. For years, people told me what a huge mistake I had made and how the only way I was going to be able to provide for my family was with multiple low-paying jobs doing work I hated.

Today, I run multiple online companies. I know personally that it can be done.

The next step is to dedicate yourself to doing whatever it takes to learn. I mean it ... whatever it takes.

The good news is that "whatever it takes" will most likely mean getting up an hour early or staying up an hour later to learn something new.

Maybe you can skip a few episodes of your favorite sitcoms.

Believe me... you can learn this stuff a lot quicker than I did. When I was starting out, we didn't have all these amazing systems for lead generation, article submissions, following up with prospects automatically, etc... It was very much "old school" in terms of how we handled promoting our web sites and getting the word out.

The final step is to commit to your own success. There will be no shortage of people telling you it can't be done. Their limited vision and perspective of themselves will be projected on to you and they'll try everything to get you to realize how crazy it is to think you can become a successful online marketer. Don't listen. That is simply their own fears speaking for them.

Think back to that little baby. That little baby has no idea it can't be done. He just knows it's time to do it. You know that it's time.

It's time for you to start taking your own "baby steps". Embrace the learning curve and start changing your life today. It's the best investment you will ever make and the returns will continue for years to come.