Over the past few years I’ve spent literally hundreds if not thousands of dollars on e-books and online courses. In many of those investments I received an solid education, however the majority of them went on to be a huge waste of both time and money.
I could blame it on the fact that many information products don’t live up to their hype. Or that I didn’t have the time. But doing so would be a cop out. The reason I failed was because I was unsuccessful in following through.
For the longest time, I thought that by simply forking over 20 bucks here, or 200 bucks there, that one day I would have a thriving online business. I’d be living my passion and life would be great. But then it hit me. Information alone does not build legacies.
The other night I checked my email, to find a message from Chris Gullibeau’s Empire Building kit, which I had purchased during his second launch. Each day he sends out a tip on how to further progress your business.
In all honesty, I can’t remember what the tip was for that day, but something did catch my eye. It was day 151. I saw that and literally became sick to my stomach.
It had been 151 days since I bought his course.
I thought to myself: Holy shit. You mean I bought the course half a year ago!??!
I took a moment to reflect on what I accomplished over that period of time. A few blog posts, a bit of networking, an e-book. Then I went blank. Really? That’s all I’ve done in six months??!
Here I was receiving actionable information from one of the most highly touted information products out there and all I could muster up was a few blog posts and a free e-book? It appears as if I had fallen into the information trap.
Extreme Measures:
Today I opened up my mac to find literally 50+ e-books and courses waiting to be read. Some of them I recalled doing a quick scan of, others I even forgot I had bought. Pathetic.
So most of the day I spent deleting literally dozens of e-books and online courses, which I estimate is thousands of dollars worth of information products. After I was through I was left with only 6 resources I’m confident I’ll be using within the next few weeks. The rest I reluctantly parted ways with.
Information overload breeds inaction.
While I’m sure I could revive the majority of those products with a simple email I know that the likely of me needing to do so is very slim. This isn’t a slight at any of the products or e-books I downloaded. Rather I simply find no reason for me to continue to lean on information as a sense of accomplishment. It took me thousands of dollars to learn that all the information I need is already at my disposal. The question is what am I going to do with it?
Will I buy more products down the road? Certainly. But I sure as hell will do a much better job of making sure it’s a necessity rather than a luxury. I fully intend not to buy another information product of any kind for at least the next 6 months perhaps more. I need to act on what I have now rather than consume more than I need. Minimalism isn’t only about physical objects you know.
Learning From My Mistakes:
The pursuit of knowledge is the first step, not the end all. Information is a code and action decodes it. The product is success.
Do you find yourself looking for the magic bullet?
Are you hoping that a single PDF will turn your life around?
Do think you have it made now that you’ve joined an online cours
Don’t download the newest PDF or buy the newest course thinking it will change your life. You must first decide that YOU are committed to changing your life. Information alone won’t.
Take a moment and think things through. Pulling out your wallet isn’t going to solve your problems. Deciding how far you’re willing to go, will.
I’m not suggesting a piece of work can’t have a profound affect on your business or life. But far too often we rely on the pursuit of information as our savior.
Take a hard look at how much you’ve progress you’ve made. How are your information investments paying off? Is today any different than last month? These questions are tough but will help you make progress towards your goals.
Don’t lie to yourself. Be honest. Are you spinning your wheels? Or are you actually building the foundation that will create the life you want?
If you find yourself stuck, perhaps it’s time you stop sucking on the information teet. Grow up and begin creating your own online glory.
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