When Does It Get "Too Much"?

I know I get overwhelmed easily. If I find more than 10 emails in my inbox, I get a full-blown panic attack. But even for a person with normal tolerance level how much is too much?

The whole month of August I was in the Thirty Day Challenge - a very intensive training program, where the lessons were posted daily (on weekends as well) and required immediate "practice" action -- sometimes several actions. It was a great free training at a price of 10 to 12 hrs a day in front of the computer. Not kidding. I was anxious, jittery, claustrophobic and overwhelmed but unwilling to drop the course or postpone it.

By the end of August my perfect 20/20 vision was no more. I was mildly freaking out. "Mildly" only because I knew I could probably get it back as soon as I drastically cut down on my computer time. Well, my 20/20 is almost back. But it's not the point. The point is: how much is too much and how do you handle it, so "too much" doesn't swallow you alive?

I am still not done with the training (even though it's been officially over), mostly because new information keeps coming at me. It's good information -- most of it, anyway -- and some of it is even essential for what I am trying to accomplish. But it seems to prevent me from moving forward because there's always something else that needs to be done in preparation for moving forward.

Maybe it's ok. Maybe it's how it suppose to be: first, you prepare for a while, patiently, paying attention to details, taking your time, and then you make a step forward.

Maybe it's not ok. Maybe processing all this information gives you the illusion of a progress, but, in fact, like an anchor it keeps you tied down to a no-real-motion zone.

Every day I open my mailbox and there they are -- new emails waiting for me. And I still have the old ones unopened because... because... it's just too much. It's like the job that could never be done. Too many offers, too many ebooks, too many seminars, too many reminders of the offers and ebook downloads and seminars... And some of these emails are like friends - "Oh, hi, Ed Dale! Love ya...". But some are like "Who is that Sean Casey person and why is he writing to me?"

The easiest solution would be to unsubscribe from anything I don't have time for at the moment. Easy to say. But what if I miss something IMPORTANT??? Yeah...

Then, there are courses and ebooks that I already have, started even and have to finish. Oh, about 7 or 8 of them. I predict, there will be 20 of them by the end of this month.

And every time I go online to do a very specific research, I stumble onto something very useful but unrelated, wonder deep into the woods and get lost for an hour or two. Or three, to be completely honest. I don't suffer from ADD, mind you.

Not to forget, there are also communities -- forums, friendfeed rooms, membership sites, Web 2.0 networks... Is it even possible to keep up with them? I was wondering the other day, if I should sign up with sort of a private network club. It could be good for me in terms of support and camaraderie, but it can also push me right over the edge. And I don't know which way it's going to turn.

To join or not to join - that is the question...

I think I need some peace and quite for a while. I saw some pink earplugs in a 24hours pharmacy. Maybe I should put them in. And turn off the lights. No, that won't work. I still need to see. Put the sign on my door then, so strangers would know not to knock and go away. It shall say:

How I Got To The First page Of Google And Why I Am Not Happy About It

I never knew it could be so easy - getting on a first page of Google search. All you need is a blog, a domain name with the search term you're aiming for in it, a seo optimized theme for the blog, a title and a first post with the search term in it, and a few quality links pointing at your domain/blog. Ready - aim - fire!.. And - voilà! - you're there, on the first page.

Now what?

I mean, it only will do you any good if you got on a top ten list for the right search term. I didn't.

Oh, what am I gonnaaa doooooo?..

A do-over?
Buying a new domain is not a problem. 1&1 sells them for $6.99 apiece. Not a big deal. But then, it's not like you can simply move a blog from one domain to another. And even if you could, nobody knows how Google will react to it. Start a new blog? I already put so much into this one...

It's not a random topic for me. It's not regurgitated news. I write every article myself -- from the first word to the last one. Because it's MY topic, My mind poured thirty times into the electronic medium of the Internet.

People ask me, Why did you pick this niche? Is it profitable? No. Ridiculously so. They ask me, How did you get interested in lie detection? I am not. I am darn good at it, that's what it is. I know how to tell if someone is lying better than anyone I know; and it's easy for me. It's the natural gift of keen perception times lifelong practice. It's my own skills, my own topics, my own way. This is what I write about, and I can't imagine starting over.

Yeah, silly me...

So, I am trying to "fix" the problem with the wrong search term by scoring a rank for a second, better search term. Do you know how to do this? I don't. At the moment I am kind of stumbling in a dark.

The time is a real issue here. That, and the resources. And the fact that I have no support network and no luxury of a safety net.

But the main problem is I am scared out of my wits. Because I am not brave, I just wish I were. And going after a thing like that, building a business alone, from scratch, requires all the guts I have and then some.

I am afraid one day the fear will take over and I will give up.

Dark ages is not the time in history. Dark ages is when nobody believes in you. And even you barely believe in yourself.

Internet Business Manifesto

Back in summer 2006 (yes, I am really behind on my reading) Rich Schefren -- the business coach and strategist to the internet marketing gurus -- wrote The Internet Business Manifesto. The IM community is still crying about it. I don't know why, though. It must be really speaking to some people.

I read it yesterday and didn't shed a tear. But it has some excellent points and, however salesy it is, I feel it was worth reading.

According to the Manifesto, any activity that doesn't make you money is not a productive time spending. For example, reading about a business strategy or searching for a good business strategy is not. Applying a good business strategy is.

The organizational chart on page 15 is simply hilarious. It's so much like me I almost fell off my chair when I saw it:



It's just a couple of things from the Manifesto. You can read it yourself. It's free.

And The "Big Flop" Continues...

From Ed Dale's email, today 6:40am:

Andy Jenkins has been pulling his hair out at the fact the he had a major server meltdown yesterday.

This meant most of you could not order Stomping The Search Engine 2.0 (Which is Free - you just pay shipping and handling)

They have got everything back together and they will re-open at 2pm Eastern USA Time today.

Not so fast. It's already after 2pm Thursday (more than 24 hrs after the original date-time) and the Grand Opening still hasn't happened.

What lesson can we learn from this? Simple. Don't promise what you can't deliver. And if you're planning a great event with thousands of eyes upon you, give yourself time and test for any technical issues. That is, if you don't want to look and feel silly.

However, it doesn't change the fact that Andy Jenkins, the founder of the STOMPERNET, is great and his courses are pure gold.

Behold The Power Of Guilt

I love it when IM (Internet Marketing) masters feel guilty. Then they start piling free gifts on top of free gifts they've already promised you for "buying" their premium insanely popular product for the price of S&H.

That's what happened yesterday with the Andy Jenkins and Brad Fallon's "Grand Opening" of The Net Effect magazine. The opening was postponed for a day, and a free offer got even freeer (I probably misspelled it, but what the heck. It looks pretty.).