Had a call the other day from my cardiologist’s nurse asking if I could fit in a visit to him on a Saturday morning. Most unusual but, as Christmas was fast approaching, it appeared that he was wanting to take a break. I was lined up for an echocardiogram and a stress test.
This set me to thinking again how grateful I was for the skills and knowledge of the the ambulance paramedics and the cardiologists who rescued me
a few years ago when I had a heart attack on a Sunday morning while doing some gardening.
Picture this
I live on my own and was happily planting a small shrub without a care in the world. It was a nice early morning and my dog was good company.
Then, without warning, the world changed dramatically. Pain, nausea and sweating to name some of the symptoms. Something was definitely not right!
Taking these symptoms as my cue I managed to walk 30 metres to get inside for my cell phone. Thought about calling a friend but dialled ‘000’ for an ambulance instead. Undoubted the best phone call I have ever made.
No need to go into much more detail other than to say the ambulance paramedics were there in 10 minutes, I lost the plot, came to on the floor having had CPR performed on me and was shipped off to hospital 30 km away.
In the mean time the hospital had been geared up and on arrival I was straight in to the cath lab for diagnosis where 2 stents were immediately inserted. (And a third was inserted a day or so later)
A few hours after the initial event I was comfortably sitting up in bed all wired for sight and sound. Four days later I was allowed to go home.
What has this got to do with an internet marketing blog entry?
Nothing directly you might say.
What it does highlight is the co-ordination of the parties concerned, their knowledge and their high skill levels without which I would not be here today writing this post.
I couldn’t do any of these things myself.
Instead I had to ask for the right help. Then rely entirely on those I asked for support and guidance.
These same things apply when you are trying make your way in the online world.
Especially in the early stages of your journey.
As I have said elswhere, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know’
So in summary the 3 fundamentals involved were:
1) Help
2) Knowledge
3) Skills
Help – Always ask for it
Many years ago when I was first starting out on my seagoing apprenticeship I was given a small information booklet which, amongst other things, said ‘Don’t be afraid to ask questions.’
My mother commented that I would likely be thrown overboard because I was always querying things. Despite this ‘risk’ I learnt a lot over the next 4 years by asking questions.
Sadly we often miss opportunities to grow our knowledge because we are afraid to ask the question.
Fear of ridicule, fear of speaking in a group or difficulty in wording the question in a meaningful way all limit us at times. I would encourage you to always ask that question which is niggling at you as you try to understand how this business all works.
Knowing who to ask can also be a challenge. We all know there are plenty of opinions about these days. Fake news is a mantra for some. However succinct facts and explanations are what you are usually after.
This is where a mentor can prove to be invaluable. Knowing that you will get a right or appropriate answer when you ask them a question.
Knowledge – Seek It
Knowledge grows over time as you begin to do new and different things you see and hear. Understanding may take a bit longer. There is often a ‘light bulb’ moment after you have been doing something, perhaps by rote, for a while. Suddenly you say to yourself ‘Now I understand’ why we do this or that.
Having a structured approach to growing your knowledge can also prove valuable. This is where a course and mentor can really come into their own.
Skills – Learn Them and Grow
Skills are usually the application and use of your knowledge.
Some are thought processes but most are worked out as any one of the myriad of practical things associated with this business. Like build a website, write a post, configure an autoresponder, find a niche or research a topic.
In this area practice makes perfect – well almost maybe. The key here is to get on and do it. Whatever ‘it’ maybe at the time. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or go over the ground again if things don’t work out the first time.
The first time that you attempt something new it always takes longer.
One practical teacher I knew claimed that it takes at least 25% longer to do something for the first time. Then each time you repeat the task your skill and speed improves.
Well this is more than enough for a post.
I hope it helps you as you get further into this business particularly anyone just starting out.
Talk to you again soon
Ian Whyte
PS
There are a number of good mentoring courses available.
One mentor that I have had personal experience with is John Thornhill.
Click Here to learn more about John’s mentoring program.