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December 7, 2005
How to Become the Next Internet Guru
Have you ever given serious thought to what actually makes, say, an Internet guru an Internet guru? This may seem like a rather rudimentary statement but please, let's discuss this further to ensure that all is understood in the proper context.
Let's start at the beginning...
When one finds themselves drawn to another who seems to be successful in some manner, in this case, successful online, what exactly is it that is so appealing about that person?
Is it because they are at the point of success that the aspiring person wishes to be at?
Is it because that online guru is making the kind of money and has achieved the level of success that is desired by that person, that follower, or seeker?
Is it because the person who achieved that guru status amongst the Internet community somehow discovered the magic online bullet that propelled her or him to success? And if only one could also find that magic bullet that they too would be at the same peak of success?
Let's understand exactly what is going on here.
What has that person really done with their success, and how DID they get to be so successful in life online?
Did they really discover a new way to do Internet marketing that no one else has done before and now they're sharing it during that one-hour teleconference call?
Have they really found that true online Internet 'secret' that no one else was able to tap into, at least until they came along?
Did they somehow come across a magic combination of factors that no one else had discovered before and unless one does exactly the same things in the same fashion, level, and manner they will not achieve a similar level of success?
To all of these somewhat rhetorical questions this author adamantly espouses, no, no, and, finally, no. In my opinion, these people did not become gurus because they discovered any of the above 'secrets' to success online.
Now how can I go about making such a bold statement when I am nowhere near-considered to be an online Internet guru? Well, let me answer that by going into a unique insight I had a couple of days ago when listening to a world-renowned health expert.
This person is literally known around the globe for his knowledge of health issues. And he offers well-rounded advice for others to follow to maintain or improve their health.
The watershed moment that occurred for me while listening to this man was when I realized that this person really didn't do anything special so as to become considered a world-renowned 'expert'. Pretty much anything that he did, with the exception of going to an elite Ivy-League school, most people also could do.
Let me explain...
This man did not make a new scientific discovery in the health arena that he was able to get published in all the latest scientific and medical journals for the world to view.
He didn't create anything 'new' -- for example, like Einstein did with his never-before-seen E=MC2 equation.
This man didn't discover some secret to health that no one before him had done.
He did not make any new discovery in the field of health and healthy lifestyle living.
He did not do anything of that sort.
But, he was no slouch either. Why? Because of what he DID do.
He did ensure that he was schooled in the latest knowledge being released in the field of health.
Over the years, he made sure that he continued to stay abreast of new information in the field of health.
He made sure that he personally retained this new information and was able to be relied upon as a reliable SOURCE of information on health related topics.
Essentially, he became his own little encyclopedia of health subjects. Anytime someone asks him if this or that is a good or bad health choice he was able to pull from his personal mental file drawers information to help that person to make an informed decision based on the information he shares with them and had learned or personally experienced.
Do they follow him because of new discoveries he make? No. They follow his 'advice' because of the reliability and up-to-date-ness of his information shared with them.
They can trust what he says and know that he is a person who is reputable and trustworthy.
So, does that mean that he is successful in his field because of what he discovered or because of what he knew through experience? Obviously, his success is because of what he knew through experience only.
And does that mean that people listen to him because he developed some untapped secret answer to health issues or because he offered trustworthy information for others to follow? Obviously, because he was trustworthy.
So, getting back to our online Internet gurus...
Why is it that we follow them and hang on every word they espouse? Is it REALLY because they discovered a magical secret to doing business online or is it because they have information about what one needs to do to make themselves successful online? Because they have the information, of course.
And are these Internet gurus followed around the Internet bandwagon path because of the magic bullet to online success that they own and if only one of their followers can squeeze them to reveal, or is it because they are a trusted source of information and knowledge? Of course, because they are trustworthy.
Think about it, the gurus that we are all following online (and elsewhere in our lives) are our gurus because we want to learn the 'secrets' they know. You know, the 'secrets to their success' kind of secrets.
But if you really detail what it is they share about being successful online and what one needs to do today to get to that magical guru status, one can actually see that by personally getting the information and knowledge and trustworthiness that these gurus have is really all that one needs to do to eventually get that success as well.
But just how does this happen to average Joes and Janes like you and me? By us doing what one has to do to get that information, knowledge, and trustworthiness through personal experience and encounters.
Not by learning it in a ebook, or buying the newest razzle-dazzle Search Engine automation software, or listening to a one hour teleconference on the latest Internet trick or method.
But by actually internalizing what it takes to GET TO guru status online.
Plain and simple, do what that health guru did.
That is, learn what you need to learn in your desired field of expertise, become a good resource of information over time, be trustworthy with what you know, and take the time to obtain the experience to give you the knowledge.
Do ALL the above and you too can become the next online Internet guru. It really isn't that hard, of course, if that is indeed what you really desire.
Written by Andre Best
President, Ultimate Results, Inc.
http://www.andrebest.com
'Learn About Life From Another Perspective'
(Author's permission is granted to share this full article with others. Just leave the signature line intact, please.)
Posted by Andre Best at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)
December 2, 2005
Ever Heard of A Charlie Brown Christmas?
It's the holiday season around the country and this is no more evident than in North America and the televising of A Charlie Brown Christmas on CBS.
However, this year I had an unexpected insight into this North American Christmas television tradition as I discussed this subject with my nine-year-old son.
Let me digress and state for the record that I grew up with Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, and the Peanuts gang in my daily reading of the newspaper comics and the televised specials throughout the year of the antics of the Peanuts characters as they, mostly, showed how they celebrated holidays throughout the year.
I recall even seeking out the Peanuts compilation books when I was about eight-years-old to make sure that I knew all about Charlie Brown and what he had been up to.
And it certainly was a Christmas season tradition in our household, and since I was a child, to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas as it aired on CTV (Canada) or CBS (United States) the first Wednesday of December, usually. I remember how my mother would chuckle at the Snoopy dance and the dancing of the other Peanuts characters in the big hall while they rehearsed for their upcoming Christmas play.
I still get a warm feeling from watching the scene where Linus says 'Lights please!' and then repeats that biblical verse to inspire Charlie Brown. And I loved the soundtrack to the show so much I bought it about ten years ago and play it every holiday season on the CD player.
But, getting back to what happened with my nine-year-old son this year.
~~~~
I mentioned to him a couple of weeks ago that A Charlie Brown Christmas was going to be on television in a few days.
And he immediately and innocently questioned - 'Who's Charlie Brown?'
As I sat there stunned at his question, all I could do was reply 'Oh, he's just a cartoon character you wouldn't know about anyway.'
After that brief discussion about a tradition I experienced for over 30 years I suddenly realized why he responded the way he did.
That is, why would he have any knowledge of who Charlie Brown is?
He doesn't read the comics in the daily paper, especially since we don't get the paper in our household. And add to that the fact the Charles Schulz died several years ago and the comic strip is forever relegated to reruns only, usually in the classified section of the paper.
He doesn't go to the library to read books anymore, ever since he discovered the Internet.
He certainly doesn't choose to view any of the periodic Charlie Brown specials that are air on television when he can be watching Yu-Gi-Oh, Totally Spies, Duel Masters, or The Fairly OddParents on Nicktoons.
Besides, why would a child today want to watch a cartoon that is full of mostly talking and discussions about life issues?
And, why would a child today want to watch a cartoon that doesn't involve some sort of quick action scenes, duels, and battles for good to fight its way out to conquer evil?
And would a child of today want to watch a cartoon that is poorly drawn and has characters that aren't inspiring enough to relate to only several times a year when they can get their dose of Spongebob Squarepants on Nickelodeon 19 (yes, 19!) times a week as of this writing?
~~~~
So, why am I writing this?
Well, I guess it's to get off my chest the fact that I see a Christmas tradition, the A Charlie Brown Christmas television show, coming to a slow demise with the advent of the Internet and the proliferation of other more 'exciting' forms of stimulation on today's cartoon television shows for kids.
It's too bad that we still don't live in the simpler times when there were only three major television stations and a family was virtually forced to gather around the television on the first Wednesday night in December to watch a timely, and unique (now classic) television show that was meant to inspire and provide hope to all who viewed it during this sometimes, downcast time of year.
Now if only I can get my nine-year-old into some other modern tradition that he will take into his adulthood to warmly remind him of the specialness of this season and how much his Dad cared about him to give him this special memory each holiday season.
Hmmmm....
Goodbye A Charlie Brown Christmas, hello... A Spongebob Squarepants Christmas?
Uh, no. ANYTHING but that. ;-)
~~~~
For those of you who celebrate, Happy Holidays.
Thank you kindly.
Andre Best
Posted by Andre Best at 6:05 PM | Comments (0)