Looking for a mentor with a sense of humour

Everything that I know needs to be done is done. Now I am traveling along in that vast wasteland referred to as "what I don't know, that I don't know"..sigh. It gets pretty challenging in this place because I have not found a mentor yet, and I am limited in my investment dollars for programs. All the internet research that has looked promising -either isn't- or is too expensive. The results are trickling in slowly..too slowly for my taste. I think I should be glad I have results at all, but that is not really what is going on. I want it to happen faster and I feel stuck.

In the past I have seen a pattern occur when I am attempting something new. When I am experiencing a lot of internal resistance -or external for that matter-that is a very good sign- even though it doesn't seem like it at the time. As a matter of fact I've learned to relate the level of resistance to the level of positive results I will end up having.

Many years ago I sold real estate. Every time I would write up a contract that I knew was solid, about two or three days before we closed it would fall apart. I started telling myself this was a good sign- and sure enough- it would be. I came to look at breakdowns or problems of this sort as proof positive that I was on the right track. It fell under the heading of mind management- but whatever- it worked.

That is how I push through difficult times like waiting for results. In terms of not knowing what to do next- I have a similar strategy. I look at who I'm being right now rather than what I am doing. Am I being a successful entrepreneur? Is there something I can shift slightly? Is there someone- even if I don't know them- that I can model my actions after? In this case the answer is yes. A couple of the aforementioned gurus are exactly the type of internet marketing person I would like to be. See? There is an action I can take, even when I have run out of things to do. I can shift my perspective to the domain of being- and I will find a whole new set of opportunities to embrace.

Like the wind, baby.

Regrouping

I thought it would be a good idea to regroup and say what I am currently writing about in this blog. I have been attempting to describe my process of becoming an internet marketer in real-time in order to offer some insight into the process of being an entrepreneur in a new field. Having been an entrepreneur and management consultant for a number of years I will be describing these events without foregoing my business experience. So it is my hope that I will be able to communicate it in such a way that it is useful to someone else just getting started.

The beginning of any business has some similarities and some experiences that can potentially frustrate a budding entrepreneur. The thought being that, if it is understood that this is a normal"operating stage" then the probability of failure at this particular point will diminish. It is an experiment in simultaneous learning and mentoring. "If I can do it, then you can do it". I'm not sure if it will help anyone- but at the minimum I will be able to tell the truth about the process and eliminate a little stress for myself .

I've read many times that the beginning can be the hardest part for someone starting a new business. That is not usually the case for me. In the beginning everything is challenging and new- just what I love. Personally, I can get tripped up when things get boring. Usually after the newness has worn off and I'm in the middle of a project. But I'm getting ahead of myself with regard to this Internet Marketing project, since I am still in the beginning. A variation on the theme is having no or few results. Now this is something that I can relate to. I am a very patient person, but after pressing out, and pressing out harder, and still seeing no results, I can get lost very easily. It is painful to have no results after so much work. This would be the ideal time for me to get a mentor to keep me on track.

Nobody Said It Would Be Easy

The last three weeks have been nose to the grindstone. I have completed a training program, a coaching program, intensive and ongoing self training, and still have only small results. There is no shortage of people attempting to advise me for substantial amounts of money, and a few that generously and freely send me new information on a regular basis. Being on this side of the equation as consumer, I can truthfully say, the next person who I work with will show me their wares upfront. People like Perry Marshall and Ken McCarthy (leaders in the field) have sent new training material daily- and it has substance. For someone new in this business,and I imagine for some that have experience as well, it is great training. When it comes time to buy- that is where I will be heading. It is too easy to spend a fortune as an internet marketer; everyone whose materials I've read says the same thing. And my own experience has shown that the amount spent on the product is not necessarily an indication of a promising outcome for the consumer.