Keeping a Journal

Wow! The nerve of some people really amazes me.

I have an internet friend who decided to take his business in a new direction and started a new business venture. He went on to restructure one of his older sites into a blog to track his progress. He has also been consistent in posting his daily activities regarding his new venture. Anyway, someone questioned him as to why he was creating these mini-posts when they "don't add value" (in their eyes) to his site.

Don't add value? Are you kidding me? First off, let's define a blog. Sure, a blog can be used for any type of site, but it's main purpose when the concept came upon the scene was to be labeled a weblog. In more simple terms, a log of information which could include any of the following:

• A diary of daily activities
• Schematics you wish to share with others
• Concepts you have come up with to apply either for work or your personal life
• A timeline for research purposes
• Cause and effect - sharing of results
• Most importantly - a journal of progress for anything you want

The concept of having a blog has now grown and the software the bulk majority of us use for building one has evolved into an excellent content management system for an entire site instead of it's original intended purpose.

Now back to my friend. As I said, he has been consistent with daily updates regarding his progress with his new venture. Even if there is really nothing to report. I have to give him props for that because in this day and age, it is not easy to be that consistent with anything. Too many distractions.

But stop for a moment and think about what he's done or is trying to do here. He has set a higher standard for himself to do at least something every day to grow his new business and made himself accountable for reporting those actions on his blog. By doing this publicly, he has raised the bar 10 fold for himself because if he does nothing, then he will not have anything to post. Letting not only himself down, but his readers as well.

I may not have communicated that very well, but re-read that paragraph above and understand how powerful it is. What do YOU do to grow your business every day? Do you hold yourself accountable for your actions? When you buy a piece of software do you say "I'll get started on that tomorrow" or do you put it into use every day on a consistent basis? If you join a business opportunity, do you work it every day or do you get a great start and then move on to something else?

I have said this before and I will say it again. Being consistent at whatever you are doing is the key to success. If you are consistent with it and persist, even through the hard times, you WILL be successful. There is no other option.

That being said, I would really like to ask that person who questioned my friend how they felt his posts do not add value to his site. In all honesty, I have enjoyed following his progress and I wish him nothing but the best in his new venture. He may only be on Day 23 or 24 right now, but I can hardly wait to read about Day 365. As long as he maintains his focus and sticks to his plan, I have no doubt I'll be watching a great success story unfold over the coming months.

So Scott, best wishes to you and keep on keeping on my friend!