Making Excuses 101 ~ How to Overcome Them to Achieve your Goals

"Being a LEADER is EXPECTED... Not Requested" ~Chad Wade

(For all my facebook readers, this note is a re-post from my blog)

It turns out that in taking part in a 52 week, 52 book challenge, I am challenging myself in much MORE than simply taking time out of my day to invest in my knowledge (and exercise my mind). This is also a challenge in becoming a life-long learner, in time-management, in becoming a better leader, and in finding COMFORT being out of my comfort zone.

For example...

In the fall, my excuse for not creating incredible results in either my business ventures or my school work was, "School is taking too much time out of my day to focus on my businesses," and "My businesses have made me too busy to fully focus on my music."

Both of these excuses were used at one point or another, either to explain my acceptance for mediocrity either to myself or to other people.

*MISTAKE*

In making excuses for myself, not only am I ensuring that I will NOT achieve any of my goals in EITHER business or music, but I am ensuring that I will not be able to achieve the lifestyle that I desire to create.

In reading the book "The 4-Hour Work Week" by Timothy Ferris, I am challenged to overcome these obstacles and look more intuitively at how I am using my TIME <-- my greatest asset. In a simple example, he talks about restricting email use to twice a week... and setting up auto-responders to send out an email to anyone that emails you saying "I am only checking my email on Monday at 11AM, and on Friday at 5PM. If any matter is much more urgent, feel free to call me on my cell phone to get in touch immediately."

Timothy explained that this cleared away any excuses he made for not being productive in his day, and spending too much time with emails, but it also made the people that were emailing him question the urgency of his response (and very rarely would he even get phone calls).

As many of you know, I am a big advocate of APPLYING knowledge in my OWN life. As it relates to reading email, being on facebook, twitter, and youtube, I plan on limiting my internet consumption to an hour in any single day. I can surely get everything I NEED to get done in that time. Whether it is uploading new videos, responding to friend requests, building my network, and finding the necessary resources to take care of business - these can surely be taken care of in only an hour every day (probably less as I get more comfortable with the schedule).

Result?

I will have more time to practice my music, I will have more time to make business calls, I will have more time to read books, develop relationships, contribute to my school work, work out daily, and participate in ministry activities.

Do you see it?

One simple change in my life, allows me to DO so much more that I had been making excuses NOT TO DO before. Also, by no stretch at all am I considering spending ALL of the newly-found free time to be productive, but it allows my productive activities to be fulfilled completely rather than in part.

You see, the more specific I can be about the goals I am setting, the better chance I will achieve them. "I will only spend ONE hour a day on facebook." I will wake up at 6AM, work out for 30 minutes (with my specific fitness goals and routine in mind), and then shower to start my day." "I will spend 2 hours saturday afternoon making phone calls to set up a minimum of 6 appointments for conference calls during the week (at specific times)."

The goals here are very specific and measurable... making them achievable.

Looking back to the title of my post, I now remember why I decided to write this blog post. After an unexpected turn of events, I will now be going to school at NIU full time instead of only part-time like I had expected. Being that this is an incredible time commitment, it is absolutely necessary for me to make CHANGES to adjust in order to achieve all the same goals I would have had with only a half-time schedule. This is the exact same principle as "The 4-Hour Work Week," but instead of spending those 4-Hours to be able to escape my JOB, it is to allow me to continue to be in school ~ And simultaneously run successful businesses.

THERE WILL BE CHALLENGES... and I know this.

The challenge will be to figure out ways to be more EFFICIENT with my time, rather than being half-efficient with many different tasks.

...More to come.

Please leave me comments below to inspire me to continue writing on my blog...

Also, if you aren't already... follow me on twitter, youtube, and facebook.

~Kevin Hudoba

630-677-5559

Other Resources:

7 Free Videos "How to Attract People to Your Business", 

Starting a Business on a TIGHT BUDGET, 

Inquire to work alongside of me to achieve your financial goals

NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER!

Today I got in an accident when I rear-ended a semi. I'm fine... my car is KO. I was supposed to get my wires off today, but it never happened since I got in an accident on the way there. I think the universe is trying to take everything away from me, but doesn't realize that I'll NEVER GIVE UP! I could lose my car, all my money, people close to me, anything and everything... but as long as I am alive, it cannot take away what lies between my ears, my brain and my knowledge. I realized something today as I was sitting in my smashed car, and waiting over an hour for the police to come... so cold, so upset. In the past month, I have lost my ability to make music, I have lost my ability to eat foods, I have lost my ability to verbally communicate, and I have now lost my car. In this time, I have read 4 books, attended Nouveau Riche RE Investing college, and set a plan of action for my future. I have fed my brain with life-changing information that I can never lose. Right now I should be crying in my bedroom about how I'm not going to have a car, or about how I was supposed to be able to eat again today, but THAT WILL NOT SERVE ME to look upon the past as "what if" something didn't happen. As John Dessaur says in his seminars, "When someone pukes all over you about how horrible the economy is, respond with 'So What, NOW WHAT?'" That's exactly where I'm at right now. Never give in and never surrender to the temptation to drown in your own laziness and sorrows, because that will never serve you for changing your future for the better. If you are ever feeling down or upset, or like you have lost something or even everything... think that THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER! Everything you do from that point forward will improve your life as long as you are taking steps forward toward that reality. If you succumb to your own pain or sorrow, it will eat you alive. NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER.

~Kevin Hudoba

$2740/day Goal... One Step Forward

As I venture toward my 2009 goal of $2740/day with online marketing, I have made steps toward this goal in the past few days.

I am learning about how Google AdWords works and how to increase effectiveness and efficiency in marketing campaigns. The book I'm reading is "The Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords" by Perry Marshall and Bryan Todd. I would say that my $20 investment in this book is worth its weight in GOLD!

I have never used a Google AdWords campaign, and didn't know in the least bit where to get started (to make sure I don't lose money). After getting through the first 7 Chapters of this book, I am confident that I can get started to TAKE ACTION toward making my $2740/day goal a reality.

This is exciting b/c the greatest thing that keeps most people from being successful is FEAR. Fear to TAKE ACTION, fear of failure, fear of the unknown. The only difference between a person that is successful or wealthy is in the actions that they take. Sure some of it has to do with the opportunities they take advantage of, their mindset, focus on personal development, and who they know, but in TAKING ACTION... you will see results.

Any successful entrepreneur can tell you that not all of their actions have led them to success. Even Thomas Edison failed to create the lightbulb thousands of times. But he says, "I would not look at it as thousands of failures, but rather thousands of ways to NOT create the lightbulb."

We have to accept that results (whether positive or negative) will teach you what you are doing well, and what you can be doing better. I know that the first Google AdWords campaigns will not be perfect, get thousands of clicks or conversions, but I know that I will continue to test my campaigns so I may move forward toward the success I aspire to.

Don't let FEAR get in the way of your success. Set realistic goals and expectations, create a plan of action to achieve those goals, and take the ACTIONS that are necessary and required to ensure your success.

~Cheers to a healthy and prosperous 2009!

"Real Estate H20" By John Dessaur

John Dessaur is an entrepreneur, real estate investor, teacher, and mentor to many successful real estate investors. Having gone from working as a successful employee 60-80 hours a week to owning 1500 rental units, his own property management company, and a mentoring business in merely 7 years... his success resembles the elusive "American Dream".

"Johnny D" is now a published author. His new book entitled "Real Estate H2O" is a Nuts-and-Bolts guide to getting started investing in Real Estate.

The final chapter is "50 Tips for Being Successful in Real Estate". I want to list some of these things so any of my readers can get an idea of what he has to contribute...

Before You Get Started

1) Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to have money to make money. If you don't initially have cash to start investing in real estate, find a partner who's willing to pair his or her cash flow with your knowledge and entrepreneurial skills. After all, its better to have a share of profits rather than having all of nothing.

2) Choose and use your partners wisely. Make sure that the partner you choose complements your skills and assets rather than simply having the same ones, or else the partnership won't amount to much. Real estate investors who lack either knowledge or money should choose a partner who has what they lack. Because you will probably outgrow the need for a partner, you should be sure to use the partner only on a deal -by-deal basis.

3) Remember that quality counts over quantity. When you start out investing in real estate, maintain the right degree of choosiness. It's better to take one good deal over several average deals. This doesn't mean that you should sit back and wait for only the best deals to come through, but it does mean that in the long run having fewer but better deals will pay off more than having many average deals.

4) Don't quit your job yet. Many of you will get started in real estate investing because you're sick of your current job. But any new enterprise is a risk, and having a steady job will provide you with stability and security when you're first starting out. Grit your teeth, have a little patience, and soon enough you'll be able to hand in that resignation with the confidence that your investments can now take care of you and your family.

I hope this was as valuable to you as it was for me. Feel free to leave me comments if you learned anything...

Goal Setting- 2009

The last 2 quarters of 2008 have been instrumental for guiding me in a direction that will change the rest of my life forever.

I have planted my seeds for wealth creation, I have taken the action towards getting started, and I have educated myself. All that is left is the action steps...

In the past week I have bought ten new books, all of which have been personally recommended by friends, colleagues, and business partners. 

1) I will read 20 books in 2009 focusing on internet marketing, personal development, and real estate investing.

Having come back from my first session at Nouveau Riche University, I am empowered with the knowledge and confidence to begin investing in property.

2) I will acquire 12 properties in the next 12 months... my first being before the next college session.

I have been working on some internet marketing arbitrage with my partner Gabe Strom. We are both learning, but based on realistic results, I have set a DAILY internet marketing goal.

3) I will make $2740/day through CPA advertising online within the next 6 months.

One of my WHY's for being an entrepreneur is to be able to free my father from his daily grind working customer service at O'Hare Airport.

4) I will help my father to replace his income (and more) within the next 6 months.

Piccolo International University will be accredited by June 2009. 

5) I will be the first marketer to have 100 students attending PIU in 2009.

I love traveling, and have never been out of the contiguous United States except for montreal and Toronto Canada.

6) I will reward my achievements by traveling to Hawaii, Mt. Kiluamajaro, or Europe for 2-3 weeks (as long as I have internet access).

I have many goals and ambitions for the path ahead, but for now, I will leave these as being at the forefront of my list.

About me

I am a 20 year old entrepreneur that loves meeting people, creating value, and helping people. I am extremely passionate about my desires and realistic about my pursuits.

I am just an ordinary guy with extraordinary ambition. I know what it feels like to be struggling in life financially, but THERE IS OPPORTUNITY OUT THERE! If you need help getting out of the rat race or bettering your financial situation, I would be more than happy providing value for you.

~Take risks, be creative, educate yourself, and never be satisfied with your current quality of life~

Kevin Hudoba

630-677-5559

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