I have a friend, let’s call this person Eduardo, who’s a pro’s pro in the Internet marketing arena.  He makes a ton-o-dough with his Internet properties and services and he works hard at what he does.  (He did everything the old-fashioned way by boot-strapping his business and his learning.)

We get together from time to time to swap stories and compare notes.

Quite often our conversation will drift to mutual friends or acquaintances who have good intentions, and often the smarts, in creating businesses, careers, or online entities for themselves, but just never seem able to get the job done.

One mutual friend, Paul, was the subject of a recent conversation, and here’s what Eduardo had to say about Paul:

Paul has asked me for help over the years, but I find that he lacks focus and follow-through.  I’ve tried to help him a few times and we’d end a conversation after chatting and deriving his own plan, derived with some tips from me to make the journey faster . . . but his goals.

Then, the next time I talk to him he’s doing something completely unrelated.  I think he genuinely likes talking and learning.  But I think when he starts shoveling the dirt, he quickly tires and the glass of lemonade in the fridge grabs his attention and then the trench sits half dug and the shovel gets rusty and he forgets what the goal was . . . has happened a few times now.

So I spend a lot less time with him on things when he reaches out to me - because I’m not helping him get anywhere with my attempts to lead him to the trough.  I think he’ll need to find his own path.  And it’s not web savviness he needs, imho, it’s stick-to-it-ness.  A little like Barry (another mutual friend), smart enough, interested enough, but doesn’t want to grind it out.  You gotta want it.  I used to think that by sharing stories of my success, they’d want it more, knowing it can be done . . . but I was wrong with them both. 

I think there’s a poisonous concept of being the idea man and sitting back and counting your cake as it rolls in.  Truth is, you can grind out even marginally good ideas and find success.  It’s nearly all in the grind.  Grind begets the rewards.  Idea men get copied by grinders and don’t often make it over the long haul anyhow.  Dreamers keep looking for that one big idea, and it rarely comes, and even when it does come, it still requires grinding.  Truth is, there are thousands of ideas sitting right there for the taking.  If you’re willing to grind.  Since you’re a grinder, I already know this ain’t news to you. 

Disdain and contempt, aimed inwardly, for being just an employee . . . those are the people I want to help.  They’re rare, but I’m getting better at recognizing them.  So help Paul and Barry out, next time they ask you for something, just say “no, you’re not smart enough to pull that off”.

Man, when you told me (on two separate occasions) that I didn’t know enough about Internet Marketing to do it, it really chapped my ass.  I had prepared myself well, on my off time over Christmas break!  So I owe you, Michael, and I sincerely mean that.  I think you knew what you were doing then and you should know that I tell people “our” story often - you sir, are a great motivator, perhaps one of the best I’ve ever known.  I remain grateful.

Thanks for the kind words there, Eduardo.  You know who you are and you’re right on target, my friend.  It’s the grinders and the stick-to-iters who get things done, whether its building a fortune in an online business or running a bookstore.

Eazy peezy?  Well, kinda sorta . . . it’s about finding your passion and grindin’ ‘er out.

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