The Low Threshold of Entrepreneurial Success

Most people who dream of success as an online entrepreneur imagine it to be some out-of-reach endeavor that may only be achievable by a stroke of luck for a few people who attempt it.

But the reality is, the bar is actually set pretty low for people who want to earn a living online. The fact is, many view basic work tasks as insurmountable obstacles, when in reality, they’re not doing much more than a corporation would require of them if they got hired to work for someone else.

The only difference is, you’re creating your own path, and the insecurity that comes with that is what defeats you, not the industry itself. There are five fundamental things you can do to ensure you coast through this process with ease.....

Give Yourself a Green Light to Succeed

Call it quitting or call it long-term procrastination. It's all the same. You're not moving forward and crossing the finish line to success. You have to develop a mindset that shifts from wishy washy to go getter.

When you have the rude awakening that you’ve been a quitter for too long, it’s time to give yourself some tough love. Today is the day you decide if you should be in this business or not.

After all you’ve learned about importance of a positive entrepreneurial mindset, if you can’t muster up the energy, determination and commitment to this career, you should stop draining your finances, stop putting yourself through the emotional rollercoaster and just find a job offline.

Those of you who remain dedicated – today is the very last day of excuses, panic, fear, confusion and other childish reasoning you want to give for not achieving your goals. It’s time to send that childlike mentality off for a nap while you work on your success. 

You have to give yourself permission to succeed. To stop failing yourself time and time again. No one else will boost your morale or push you to the finish line like you can. You just have to make a plan of action for those moments of weakness when it seems easier to pull back than push through your obstacles.

When Everything You've Been Through Leads to a Dead End

Think of all the things you’ve been through on this journey to succeed as an online entrepreneur – the fear, the overwhelm, the time management problems and more. It could all end in one drastic and sorrowful thing – giving up.

Many people look at their past journey and the failures they’ve experienced with shame. They’re embarrassed by what’s happened, and often compare themselves to the overnight (often phony) success stories other marketers share openly on sales pages.

Instead, you need to look at everything you’ve done with immense pride. You’ve gone after something you’ve wanted. You made efforts. You attempted something that few people have the guts to do.....

5 Effective Ways To Deal With Pressures In Life

Do you ever feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? Or, at the very least the weight of the people around you? Nothing weighs you down like pressure and too much of it is likely to leave you feeling frustrated, angry, and sad. In extreme cases, you may find yourself bubbling over and knocked out by overwhelm and burnout.

It isn't just work deadlines that get you, it can also be financial obligations and the burden of daily life. Money, in particular, is a rising cause of anxiety and stress for Americans. Combined with the stress of excessive working hours, a lack of control and support, and it's no wonder so many people are feeling under pressure.

We all react differently to pressure, some people swear it makes them perform better while others recognize the damage it can do to their performance. It is much easier to remain focused on a task when you're calm. So, let's look t five effective ways to deal with pressures in life.

1. It's The Process, Not The Outcome
Sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is detach from the outcome and remain focused on the work that you are doing. It is much easier to live your potential if you remove the obstacles you face mentally. If you focus on the process, rather than the outcome, it will reduce the likelihood of performance anxiety.

2. Organize
How do you organize your day? How do you manage your thoughts? You can't store it all in your head. The best way to deal with thoughts and responsibilities is to have an external organization system. It might be that you write out a daily to-do list, it could be that you prefer a digital calendar. Whatever it is – it removes the pressure of memorizing everything you have to do and worrying about forgetting something. Your list is your bible and will serve as a reminder for everything you need to do or deal with. You will notice a serious dip in the pressure you carry.

3. Deal With Negative Thoughts
If you struggle with negative thoughts this will only add to the pressure you feel. One of the ways you can manage these thoughts is through re-framing them. When you are faced with a negative thought, start by putting things into perspective. As frantic worry starts to overtake you, stop and remind yourself that no matter what it is you're faced with that you can handle it. It's not the end of the world, work through it by deciding your next steps – first, I'm going to do x and then I'll do y, and do this until you have successfully reframed your thoughts and empowered yourself.

4. Know Your Limits
Your brain can only keep it all together for so long. So, if you're dealing with tens of thousands of thoughts daily (you are), as well as a list of things to do, and a glut of problems, your brain can only maintain for so long. Understand that your brain has limitations and start going easy on yourself. Be realistic. Do not expect to carry all of the solutions all of the time. You literally can't.

5. Breathe Through It
When you are faced with a crisis, too much pressure or you feel overwhelmed, press pause and breathe through it. Count to ten as you inhale deeply and exhale and allow yourself a moment to clear your brain of worries. Let your mind have enough time to recalibrate so you relieve some of that pressure and allow yourself to think more clearly to deal with the problem at hand.

6 Ways To Stay Calm Under Pressure

How often do you feel under pressure to act? In those moments, what you really need is calm, but that can be difficult to achieve when your stress levels are so high. It's one thing to feel occasionally frazzled, but to feel panicked constantly is a serious problem. When you start to feel the pressure mounting, you need to have go-to tactics to help you beat the weight bearing down on you. Let's talk about it.

1. Facts
As pressure mounts, it's easy to get caught up in worst-case scenarios. Instead of catastrophizing, deescalate the situation by focusing on the facts. Calm yourself by identifying facts and looking for the evidence in any situation. By making a list of facts and evidence you can calm your nerves and get your brain back into shape.

2. Hit the Brakes
Think of the stress that comes from pressure as a broken car alarm. It doesn't matter how many times you hit the button to silence it, it keeps alarming. The alarm system is broken because it's drowning in stress hormones and can no longer accurately judge or understand the signals it is being sent. The only way to remain calm under pressure is to hit the brakes, downshift, and decelerate. The question is how? This will be different for anyone, but deep breathing, meditation, and calming music are all effective ways to do so. Music, in particular, can help you get a grip on organizing your rational thoughts in a bid to overcome the catastrophizing your brain is trying to do.

3. Impulse Control
As we have evolved, our brain hasn't moved with the times. Once upon a time, the fight or flight syndrome was triggered by serious danger (think: a wild animal trying to eat you). Unfortunately, that hardwiring remains, and when it kicks off it's like a volcanic eruption. It's normal to feel fear and it's normal to start panicking. However, you can use impulse control to help manage this. This is a tool you use daily – think about all the times you bite your tongue instead of telling someone what you really think. You're more than capable. You just need to use self-regulation to calm yourself and stay in the moment.

4. Reactionary
The greatest challenge we face as humans is coping with responsive emotions when someone or something is pushing our buttons. When someone attempts to get a reaction from us, we generally respond exactly as they intended. It might feel good to let it fly at that moment, but it's not the best way to respond to pressure. This reactionary response we turn to is often the result of ego or a complete inability to manage emotions. If you find yourself in this position, your best bet is to silently remind yourself that you don't react and give yourself time to calm down before you respond.

5. Patience
Do yourself a favor and practice this virtue. The more you practice patience the better you will be at exercising it when under pressure. When you have the strength to step back from a stressful situation and pause your reaction you show patience in the face of pressure. Take this moment to do some deep breathing to calm the tension in your muscles, waylay your emotions, and get control of the situation.

With patience, you can slay the dragon of pressure and stress, giving yourself plenty of time to identify a solution.

6. Attention
When faced with pressure, your attention is often swept away. Your ancient brain kicks into high gear building a fictitious future to derail your progress. By building your attention you can keep this ancient brain at bay because you will be more adept at identifying the many false alarms trying to hijack the narrative. How can you build attention? Choose an activity that focuses on the moment and requires your attention – think learning a new language, playing an instrument, chess, or even dancing.

5 Key Reasons You Want To Stay Calm Under Pressure

Stress. Pressure. The hotseat. Whatever you call it we have all been there. Many times in life depending on our occupation or circumstances we are met with the challenge of staying cool under pressure. The worst feeling in the world is feeling like an anxious mess when these moments come up in life. It does not have to be that way.

We all want to be calm and collected when it counts. No one wants to crumble under pressure. It’s not as hard as you might think to learn to be calm under pressure. The benefits of developing the ability to keep calm are many. The main thing is that the calmer that you are the easier it is to make sound decisions and act effectively.
Check out some of the benefits of staying calm under pressure.

Benefits Of Being Calm

● You will feel more in control of your experience.
● Less stress.
● Able to stay analytical in a crisis.
● Rediscover your creative flow.
● You have clearer communication.
● Enjoy better health.

Reasons To Stay Calm Under Pressure:

 1. You Will Feel More In Control Of The Moment
No one likes to feel out of control. Keeping calm under pressure reduces your body’s adrenalin fight or flight style response. Feeling in control contributes to feeling calm. Being able to handle yourself reduces anxiety, gives you more self-confidence, and gives you a sense of being able to control a pressure-filled situation. As you get accustomed to thriving in pressure filed situations, your stress response becomes less pronounced. This basically means although you are still aware of a pressure filled situation, you ability to handle it is greater.

2. You Will Be Able To Make Better Decisions.
Staying calm makes it easier to make good decisions. Tunnel vision is often a consequence of panic and fear. Calmness helps you see the big picture. Try taking a deep breath and focusing on the task at hand. The quality of the choices that you make will improve by keeping calm.

3. Mental Clarity
Mental clarity can be paired with decision making. Being able to think clearly, objectively, and analytically are key to handling yourself in a situation where calmness is critical. Consider this an advantage you have over the situation. Strive to stay calm and keep your head in the game in stressful situations.

 4. Creativity
When you are calm you are able to come up with creative solutions for problems more effectively. When you are anxious, or uptight creativity does not come as easily. Strive to channel creativity through calm collected thinking.

 5. Problem-solving.
Similar to creativity it is easier to objectively solve problems if you are not stressed out or anxious from pressure. Seeing the big picture is a part of problem-solving that definitely works best when calm. Learning how to problem solve in the heat of battle is a skill that will set you apart. This is a great tool for your career, academia, or personal life.

These are just some of the reasons to develop skills that allow you to stay calm under pressure. Learning to use these skills can keep you sane, help you level up in life, and benefit you all other areas of life. The more you practice staying calm in stressful situations the better you will be able to handle high-pressure situations.

Don’t strive for perfection or set unrealistic expectations. If you are not naturally calm under pressure know that it will take practice. Once you start to focus on being calm under pressure and building these skills it gets easier. Practice brings calmness.

6 Signs That You Are Under Too Much Pressure

The majority of people are under the impression that they recognize the signs of stress. The reality, though, is that we often fail to recognize the signs until we're so deep in our stress that we're making ourselves sick. When you're under pressure, you overthink, you worry, you struggle to cope with your emotions, and ultimately, your body responds. The better you recognize the symptoms, the earlier you realize you are dealing with too much pressure, which means you can manage it sooner to ensure it is under control. With that in mind, let's highlight six signs that you are under too much pressure.

1. Headaches
When you're stressed out and under pressure, the muscles in your neck and shoulders tense up. This, in turn, can cause a headache. Generally, tension headaches are typified by pain in the back of the neck, head, and forehead. While it's generally a dull pain, it is a constant one and you might also feel pressure.

2. Aches & Pains
Our bodies tend to experience more aches and pains as we grow older, but there is a difference between that type of soreness and stress-related aches and pains. When you're under too much stress and pressure, your body's sympathetic nervous system kicks into high-gear, stimulating the fight or flight response. This can result in increased tension in your muscles, thus leaving you with aches and pains.

3. You're Constantly Under the Weather
If you catch every cold, flu, and illness going around, then it's likely because you're stressed out from too much pressure. Cortisol, the stress hormone, negatively impacts your immune system and when you're exposed to it for too long, you become more susceptible to illness.

You may also experience digestive issues, whether it's indigestion and heartburn or issues with your bowels.

4. Skin Problems
Whether it's itchy skin or acne, the stress that too much pressure causes can result in serious skin problems.

You might not think of itchiness as being related to pressure and stress, yet stress can cause inflammation issues in your skin which makes you itchy.

While a poor diet and a lack of hydration can contribute to acne, your problem might be bigger. Have you ever stopped to think why your diet is poor? Too much pressure might be contributing to the problem. The more stressed out you are, the more sebum your body produces, leaving you at risk of clogged pores thus more likely to experience acne (and possibly ingrown hairs as well).

While it isn't strictly a skin problem, something that does come when you're under too much pressure is an excessive sweating problem (which can cause its own skin problems).

5. Irritability
Do you snap easily? Are you prone to lashing out with your friends, family, and co-workers? You might think they're being more annoying than usual, but the reality is more likely related to your stress levels. You're under too much pressure and you are unpleasant to be around because of this.

6. Concentration Problems
If you feel as though you're being pulled in every direction, it's probably because it is. The stress that stems from being under too much pressure tends to negatively impact your concentration.

Of course, your concentration issues could also be related to fatigue. When you're under too much pressure you will likely experience exhaustion. When in a heightened emotional state, the type that comes from too much pressure, your brain struggles to store information and this can leave you feeling more exhausted. Combine that with the lack of sleep you are likely dealing with due to stress, you are creating a toxic state of being for yourself.

Take Charge of Your Habits

There’s an old quote about habits that perfectly shows why you need to take charge of the ones in your life. “The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” by Warren Buffet. If you don’t take charge of your habits, even ones that seem harmless, they will easily control you.

While habits are easily formed and followed through, especially once your brain recognizes them as habits, you can still change them. Always remember that you are in control, not your habits.

Habit expert and writer of the book ‘Atomic Habits’ James Clear has four rules for forming habits that can help you take charge of them. Whether the habits are good or bad, you can still use these rules to gain some measure of control. These rules, according to Atomic Habits, are:

Make it obvious

Make it attractive

Make it easy

Make it satisfying

Make it Obvious

To take charge of your habits, you need to make them obvious. For example, let’s say you want to start running. If your running shoes and gear are in the closet, then that habit isn’t apparent. Instead of sifting through your wardrobe for your shoes, your brain will just want to stay in bed.

So, you can put your running shoes by the door and make sure that they are the first thing you see in the morning. Then you’ll be reminded that you should run today. To break bad habits, you want to hide them away.

Make it Attractive

With habits, most people focus on the long-term goals. You might say, “I will go for a run to get my beach body in ten weeks.” While that goal is noble, it does nothing when running in the cold and feeling miserable.

So, make your habits attractive and give yourself a reward or incentive to get it done. Maybe run with a friend or have your running trail pass by a place where you can have breakfast or see the city’s sunrise. For bad habits, add extra steps or make going the habit very unattractive.

Make it Easy

Remember, the brain always takes on the path of least resistance. If that path happens to lead to your habit, then more power to you. It might seem counter-intuitive, but instead of telling yourself. I will run a mile today; say that you will only run a block.

Having smaller micro-habits will make everything easier and will help you do them. Most people go too big, get discouraged, and then get burnt out. But running a block, reading one page of a book, or doing one push-up is something that takes no time at all. Plus, if you do one small habit, why not do another and another?

For bad habits, add more resistance to them and make them harder to achieve.

Make it Satisfying

Reward yourself along the journey for your habits, and you’ll keep doing them. Maybe if you go running for thirty days, give yourself some type of reward. Have a good meal, watch a movie, do something you wouldn’t normally do, and also reflect on how running has made you a better person than you were 30 days ago.

For bad habits, remove the satisfaction from them, and you won’t see them as a reward.

You Are In Control

Remember that every habit comes from your own brain, and you are the one in control. If you want to make or break a habit, you are the only one who can do so. Follow the four steps, and you’ll find that it gets easier and easier to take charge and make your habits work for you.

Work Off the Grid to Tap Into New Ideas and Focus More

One of the best things about the modern world is all the technology that’s available. You can work online in an office or from the comfort of your own home. But a big downside of using technology for work is that it can severely limit your creativity.

One reason that this can happen is that computers or other forms of technology can provide a lot of distractions. For example, if a friend is texting you while you’re working, you could find it harder to focus on your task because you’re busy reading and replying to the messages.

This is why some people find it helpful to turn their phones or email alerts off when they’re working. Another distraction is that there is so much to do on a computer as well as on a phone.

There are games and social media sites and endless emails, articles and more. Some people find it helpful to turn their internet off while they get work done, but there are other approaches that are better and more fun and allow you to be creative.

Working off the grid is a popular way to get your creativity and focus boosted without sacrificing your work. A lot of people find that their creativity increases when they’re doing something physical while working.

You can do something as simple as going out for a walk and find the answer to a work problem you wouldn’t have found sitting in front of your computer. The change in scenery as well as the activity can relax the mind.

Also consider using a pad of paper and a pen or pencil to create with instead of consistently using the computer. Not only will it help with the distractions, but it’s also a great choice health-wise.

Prolonged digital work can cause a severe strain on your eyes. When you’re in pain or having trouble with your eyes, it can be hard to focus on work. Another problem is that bright screens have been known to make people feel lethargic.

If you notice you’ve been having trouble with fatigue while working, take a break and step away from your desk. Even if you can’t do something more physical like going for a walk it’s important to take frequent breaks.

These breaks give both your eyes and your mind a rest. When you stare at a screen for long stretches of time, you can find yourself having trouble concentrating. When you walk away from the screen, even if it’s just for a few minutes, you’ll find that you’re able to return with more energy and focus.

This is because your brain needs changes and breaks. Without the different scenery, your creativity can feel stalled and you’ll find yourself becoming stuck on projects that shouldn’t take you a long time to complete.

Make a list of all the things that you have to use a computer for. Then see what you can change so that you can do without it. For example, if you write your grocery list on the computer, try using pen and paper next time. If you want to brainstorm ideas to pitch at your next meeting, or you’re coming up with a new product to sell, write it out on paper.

Use a Routine to Help You Weed Out Distractions

By using a routine, you’re establishing habits. When you have habits, it allows your brain to function on autopilot. That means you’ll do things without really giving it much thought because the action is ingrained within you.

Having a routine is good for you because it works to keep distractions at bay. Plus, if you’re currently finding that you do have distractions, establishing a routine can knock those out of your way.

Most people, even if they work from home, are more productive and better focused when they use a routine for everything they need to do. This begins with choosing the right time for setting the alarm.

Having a routine lets you know what you have to do next without really putting much effort into it. For example, your routine should include a time for when you need to need to take a shower.

Some people have a routine where they do it in the mornings after rising because it helps them to wake up. Others feel they get more done when they get dressed first and have breakfast, so they schedule their shower in the evenings.

You can set a routine for when you eat and this can include all of your meals as well as any snack breaks. You’ll be able to cut out distractions when you have a routine for when you work, so set a schedule for starting as well as for when it’s time to leave work behind.

Some people find it’s better to have a schedule that breaks down each part of their workday, such as some time that’s set aside for creative tasks while other time is set aside for administrative tasks.

Using a routine allows you to weed out distractions that impede productivity daily. When you conquer the daily distractions, you gain more hours in your week. To create a routine that fits your life, you would first need to make a note of all the things you need to get done in any given day.

This list needs to have both professional and personal life tasks, since they go hand in hand. For your professional list, you would create a routine that establishes what steps you need to take in order to finish a project.

This routine can be based on daily or weekly habits. Once you have the list written down, you’ll want to look over it to see what can be lumped together. For example, if you know you get distracted from work by returning phone calls, save responding until you’re doing something on your daily routine, such as walking on the treadmill during your exercise regimen.

It can be helpful to use a planner to schedule your routine. Your routine may take some tweaking once you get started, but don’t be afraid to ditch what’s not working for you and changing it up for what will help you.

Make Sure You’re Challenging Yourself Enough

If you find yourself getting easily distracted with work, it could be because you haven’t trained your brain to focus enough. It could be that you’ve developed the habit of daydreaming.

While either of these could be the case, there’s also the possibility that your work is simply too easy for you. For example, an artist could find a certain project too easy and it doesn’t inspire him.

This would lead to the artist to feeling bored and unenthusiastic about the prospect of working on that project. Like artists, all humans need to be challenged in order to grow and to have enthusiasm or motivation to work on something.

When you’re not challenged enough, you’re going to grow bored with your life and job. Not having a challenge in your business life can leave you feeling unfulfilled and restless.

When this happens, you’ll have trouble focusing on your work and getting your projects done. You might even find that you just don’t care. If you find your work is too easy, you can become distracted because you might feel that it’s a project you can do with your eyes closed.

You might feel like it’s mind numbing work. If that sounds like you, then it’s time to start challenging yourself. One of the best ways to do this is to get out of your comfort zone.

If you feel stuck in an office job that just comes too easily to you, maybe try doing something in the creative field like photography.

You can also begin striving to become an expert at an area of your field you find the most interesting. If you work in IT, you could challenge yourself by learning to make websites from scratch or work in a different area of IT.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you have a lot of different things to choose from if you want to challenge yourself. One great way is to begin teaching others. If you’re good at your job and feel that it’s become mundane to you, try teaching others how to do the same kind of work that you do.

It will give you a renewed sense of purpose as well as open up a new challenge. Another great choice is to experiment doing things differently. Find new ways to do the same job.

Try to focus on reaching what you may have previously thought of as an impossible goal. Impossible goals are the ones that you may have always wanted to achieve but you thought just wasn’t in your future because you didn’t have the knowledge or the equipment or whatever.

Challenge yourself to do it anyway and work around any obstacles. When you feel like you have an impossible goal, you’ll find yourself pushing harder to achieve it. Challenge yourself to finish your projects faster but with the same quality.

Challenge yourself to take on opportunities that you never imagined you’d go after. Not only does this beat boredom but it also builds self-confidence.