I lost my job a couple days ago. I was working on a political campaign for a man running for Governor of the wonderful place I call home, Maine. Unfortunately, he lost the primary election, thus leaving me without a J-O-B.
I started this job exactly a year ago, and was extremely excited for two reasons.
First, it was a cool job with really awesome people. I got to work on the computer most of the day. I was the email marketing manager among other things so I got to use really sweet services like MailChimp (which kicks some serious ass).
Secondly, I had the chance to work from home. I didn’t have to go to an office and meetings were rarely required. I was in control so I could work when I wanted, and I could also work on my own projects when I wanted. The whole working from home thing freed up a ton of time.
It was an ideal situation and I was extremely excited about it. I thought that if I couldn’t create an online income in the next 12 months then I never would.
So, I failed. Miserably.
My projects now are only making me a couple hundred buckaroos each month.
I failed for one reason: My inability to stick with ONE THING and focus on it. It’s my entrepreneurial ADHD, if you will.
I’ve had at least 3 ideas that if I had devoted 100% of my time and made it through the dip they would be making me enough to not have to be looking for a job starting tomorrow.
I’ve found the antidote to my focus problem, though. It’s this moment right now. In the future I can just think of how disappointed I was at this moment and I will have a constant flow of motivation to not let it happen again.
It’s frustrating to see so many other people doing what they want and love every day. I’m actually pretty damn jealous. It’s a terrible way to think and feel, but it’s honestly what I’m struggling with right now.
So, how can this self-centered tirade benefit you?
It’s simple. Learn from my mistake! If you’re struggling to create an income online to free yourself from a regular job, pick one thing and focus 100% of your energy on it. Fight the urge to hop along from project to project. It’s like running the first couple miles of a marathon and then returning back to the starting line every time you do it. If you could just keep a steady pace and finish it you would reach your destination eventually.
I’m going to just take all this as a lesson learned and keep moving forward (with one project getting all my attention, of course).
Do you suffer from entrepreneurial ADHD? Has it delayed your progress?
I’d love to hear what y’all think of this.
get free updates when I post again by rss or by email. if you really want to make my day then you can share this post with your network. you rock.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Ouch can relate to this. I think its a good sign actually. Focus? Really? :::sigh:: don’t think I can do it. Focus on deal making. Not on working. Then you are gold. :)
I totally hear this! After picking up and switching several careers in the past few years, I frequently wonder what would have happened if I just stuck one of them out. I guess that’s where I am now, sticking out this design through thick and thin. No matter what other ideas come up. I keep a lot of side projects going that take up a huge chunk of my time and probably slow my progress in growing my business, but they keep me from jumping ship when I start to get bored. So, it’s a balance.
Don’t spend too much energy beating yourself up. As long as you’re moving, you’re moving toward something, even if you don’t know what that is yet. You’ll get there. And now you have lots of free time to focus! :)
Hey Nate
Stop being so hard on yourself! :) Seriously Nate. I am really impressed you are earning a couple of hundred bucks a month … you are doing it and it’s more than a lot of people … it’s just time to crank up the action I’d say. Sure you can see now that maybe you have flitted around a bit or wasted some time but it’s all a learning experience. It seems to me you have been cut free… time to get your head down and take what you have learnt from the last year to push on.
Is there anyway you could cut down some outgoings? You may need to earn less than you think and that could free up some time to push ahead with your projects. Slightly related tangent… I found this website recently: http://www.earlyretirementextreme.com – it may or may not be your cup of tea and his aim maybe different but Jacob shows you that you can live on a lot less. It may help whilst you make your goals a reality?
Anyway Nate, I have complete faith that you can make this happen!
Jen
I hear this too. Can’t tell you how many projects I’ve started and stopped, started and stopped. I’m with Andi, though–you’re headed in the right direction! It’s a constant struggle for me too. Jeez, I haven’t written a blog post in nearly a month.
Anyways, sorry to hear about this, but use it as a catalyst for doing bigger and better things. You know, like hiking the Presidential Traverse :) Calling you this afternoon!
Alan
I think the line that hits hardest is ” I’ve had at least 3 ideas that if I had devoted 100% of my time and made it through the dip they would be making me enough to not have to be looking for a job starting tomorrow.”
- Great advice for all of us looking to find a way out. Good luck.
Hey Nate,
Yep I had that too. Don’t be too hard on yourself, learn from your mistake and do better this time round.
Dont let failure get to your heart and dont let success go to your head:)
It’s been 2 years since I started online and Ive hopped around quite a bit, although my main focus now is my blog and ebook. That should be pretty big.
Last month was my biggest month online at $750, still nothing big enough to live off but it’s getting closer:)
Good luck Sir, do not give up, ever!
Diggy
They already said the important stuff. Now you have even more free time to devote to your project of choice. Sounds like a good deal to me!
Let me know if I can help with anything.
Nate-
Beating yourself up won’t do any good. In fact it seems like you’re more focused and wise because of it. Just get back out there, pick one thing you love and make things happen =)
Hey Nate,
I think you have lots to be proud of… just think of all that you HAVE learned from the benefits of your work from home job. I think a couple hundred bucks are a great start. I made two sales of 4.95 in the past two days, and I’m delighted with it.
I totally get (and love) that phrase entrepreneurial ADHD. I sooo have that. It makes progress on one thing so difficult, but I think sticking with one and working hard at JUST it is a great plan.
It’s a bummer isn’t it? But, as Khalil Gibran says in ‘The Prophet’ – “Pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding” so welcome that pain, feel it fully, and move on with the lesson learned and grateful for it!
I’ve had lots of businesses, none made me financially wealthy, but I am so rich in experience as a result, and not afraid of getting things ‘wrong’, because I’ve learnt something important each time I ran, full pelt, into that wall.
You’re never too old to learn – set a pattern of being grateful for every painful lesson, and you’ll end up having far less pain, that’s one of the major lessons life has taught me in 63 tears ;oD
@ dan – Thanks for the advice! Focus is a tricky thing for sure.
@ andi – Hey! Sounds like we’ve had similar experiences. I think having those little side projects is great, and I’m glad it works for you. You’re obviously smart enough to still maintain the necessary focus on your main project, and that’s what I struggle with :-) And you’re right… always moving toward something, thanks for the encouragement.
@ jen – A couple hundred bucks really isn’t bad is it? I guess if I’ve managed that while having absolutely no direction then from now on I should really start seeing the results I want. So yeah, you’re right… as always :-) And thanks for sharing that site, been looking at it and it’s super interesting.
@ alan – Nice to hear that you can relate. And get on that blog post issue, the masses crave something new! Definitely looking forward to chatting more in depth about this stuff on the hiking trail.
@ sean – Take the advice and run with it! That’s why I wrote this post, so you don’t end up in my position. Great site you have by the way, stay in touch man!
@ diggy – “Dont let failure get to your heart and dont let success go to your head” – You always have great little bits of wisdom! And $750 last month? You’re really doing it, man. That’s beyond cool. Thanks for stopping in :-)
@ james – Yeah, it’s not a bad deal at all really! Thanks for the support, I truly appreciate it.
@ joel – That’s the plan! Already feeling much better about things. Thanks for the comment, buddy.
@ karen – Congrats on your sales! Glad you like the term for our condition, it’s a very serious one ;-)
@ michelle – What a great quote! Thanks so much for sharing that. Experience rich is a huuuugely important thing for me. And I’m glad that all this has happened, as much as it kind of sucks right now. Loving your picture, by the way!
Yo dude! A few hundred buckaroos is nothing to be ashamed of. The thing is to keep the momentum of those buckaroos. Where are they coming from? How can I scale that? Etc.
You got mad ideas and honestly now have the one skill that every blogger sucks at – email marketing. Once you learn email marketing the world is your brother.
“It’s frustrating to see so many other people doing what they want and love every day. I’m actually pretty damn jealous”
I know what you mean.
“I’ve had at least 3 ideas that if I had devoted 100% of my time and made it through the dip they would be making me enough to not have to be looking for a job starting tomorrow.”
Just wondering, what were those 3 ideas?
@ greg – Hey man! You’re totally right about email marketing. I’m realizing that it can have some serious earning potential. I’ve already made a couple of sales through it on my product website and I’m really thrilled.
@ sonicsuns – The ideas were…. 1) An affiliate website I have that promotes a product that I know converts insanely well. I just gave up on it when I got bored. 2) A WordPress blog setup business. I think if I had tweaked my marketing strategies a little I could have made it work. 3) A fitness/weight loss eBook. I ended up using it as a bonus for my current project so it’s not a complete waste though. Thanks for showing interest!