Just one more day...

by Steven J. Odette

Many years ago, I heard a very old man, a previous prisoner of war, share his heart-wrenching experience… there was nothing obviously unique or extraordinary about him, nothing apparently special or superhuman yet, as he spoke he explained that he had survived more than five long years… FIVE YEARS… in SOLITARY confinement as a prisoner of war.

I’m sure his ordeal is not unique. Many others may also have suffered a similar fate. War is a very sad human affair and many tragedies and horrifically sad stories are written on the pages of history in the wake of wars.

I remember him…

He stood there, unkempt gray hair, old, frail and tired looking, except for his eyes — which seemed to actually twinkle as he spoke, his lips slightly turned up in a curious almost smile, that made him look like a mischievous child, who was planning something a little devious.

As he started softly speaking that mid-summer’s day… he began his story with a simple statement…

“I was held in a prison camp, a prisoner of war… in solitary confinement… for five, very, very long years. Five long years of the most cruel, hateful, painful, physical, mental and emotional torture one can imagine. Yet… I stand before you today, a survivor.”

“Are you a survivor?” He asked. “How many of you feel that you could survive 5 years in solitary confinement under those, or indeed any, circumstances?”

No one raised a hand.

He then solemnly nodded his head and kindly stated – “I believe you underestimate the human spirit, your spirit. Seeing that not one here feels strength enough to endure such an inconceivable fate… may I ask you another question…? ”

“How many of you feel that you could survive just three years in solitary confinement? Your family will be waiting for you when you get out… the rest of your life will be yours to live… but, to experience these again, you must endure solitary confinement.. beatings, starvation, hatred, no warmth or love, no human kindness… for three years.”

Again.. no one, raised a hand. Not me, a young man at the time, not the old woman sitting next to me, not the businessman in his expensive suit behind me, no one… not one single person.

The room was quiet as the old man stood there before us, his weary body bent over, his warm smile and kind eyes gently washing over us as he patiently waited for our response.

He quietly continued…

“I’m not so special.”

“You, are special. You are all here because you’ve survived life to this point. You’ve all had adversity, challenge, pain, suffering, heartbreak, injury, and no doubt, worse… yet, you doubt your own strength and your own spirit?”

“You are stronger than you believe yourselves to be, my friends… truly. Let me ask you this question, because I know that here, among you, there is strength and faith, and will, and belief… even if you don’t recognize it in yourself. ”

He took a deep breadth and sipped the bottled water sitting on the small, round table next to him, then he began again…

“If you were imprisoned in solitary confinement, torn away from your family and friends, bereaved of all hope and caring, tortured and spit upon every day… in order for you to see freedom again, to hold your family, kiss your children, sleep in a warm bed again, even feel the warmth of a kind smile again… How many of you feel you could survive just two years in solitary confinement?”

Silence. Not one hand, of the more than 100 people, old, young, teenagers, healthy and frail… not one hand so much as moved to wipe a tear from their eyes.

The old man stood there… gazing over all of us, looking from one person to the next… then he spoke again…

“The test of human strength is not in how well you face each day of your unchallenged life… it is not in how well you face your contentment and comfort… To truly know yourself and to grow, you must… you have to… face adversity, persist through problems, survive whatever life throws at you. For in adversity you learn about yourself and discover how incredibly you are made. You discover strength that you never even knew you had, lying deep, deep inside of your being.”

He paused…

“You are stronger than you believe.”

I remember him gazing at the audience, at me. The silence in the room was total… and it seemed that even the babies were rapt by the old mans words, I don’t remember even one crying or caughing or making any sound for that matter.

Again, he took a deep sigh, then he continued…

“Now, we come to the heart of the matter, the true test of who you believe you really are… how strong you honestly understand yourself to be… I have only a few more questions to ask you today… then, if you’ll permit, I’d like to share some thoughts with you…”

And then he carefully asked this question;

“If you knew that you were going to have to suffer the pains and deprivations, the hate and punishment, the fear and torture, of solitary confinement… could you survive just one year of imprisonment?”

Now… tentatively, slowly,a few people raised their hands. He warmly and appreciatively smiled.

“Ah,” he commented, “I see you have begun to fight for your families and your future freedom now.”

“How many of you believe you could survive just six months in solitary confinement?”

More hands slowly, tentatively, went in the air…

“Good, good…” he said, “Good for you. You are finally willing to fight, and not give up.. you are telling me that you are not so easily stopped and that you finally believe, believe in yourself, enough to face the challenges and survive.”

Once again, he took a sip of water from his glass, then he asked…

“Raise your hand if you feel that you could, for your freedom, family, faith… your friends or children… your love of life…, survive just one month, under those horrid conditions, with rats, starvation, death all around you, rotting flesh, leaches and maggots, pain and suffering… in solitary confinement?… Just one month.”

More hands timidly went up in the audience… clearly, over half of the room now had their hands raised – silently agreeing that they believed they could survive just one month of solitary confinement if, at the end of it all, there was freedom and family again.

Finally, the old man walked out from behind his podium, and he stood in the center of the front of the room, with the microphone now held in is right hand, looking almost too heavy for him to hold, he commented;

“So, you do have faith in your own strength and ability to face cruelty head on… to face adversity and survive. You are not so different from me, and I am no hero or special human being. There is a strength and a survival instinct in you that is built-into your design… it’s there, whether you know it or acknowledge it, or you do not.”

“Yet, I see that some of you still don’t believe you could endure… that you doubt your own ability to make it through, to survive, such an ordeal for even a month. ”

“So, let me ask those of you who are still afraid to believe in your own capacity to survive, your own inner-strength to make it through whatever life puts before you, one final question…”

“How many of you sitting here today, feel that… for faith or family, for your children or your friends, for your beliefs or just for your rights as a human being to life itself, you could survive just one day of imprisonment in the most hurtful, hateful, painful, lonely, abandonded, and cold solitary confinement you can imagine?…

Just ONE, Single, Day?

If, in the end, you would be released, let out, set free, back to your family and friends, your loved ones and your life again.”

Hands began to raise in the silent audience. The old man, standing at the front of the room, slightly bent, his fragile, aged, body, alone before us all,  raised his hand too… and then, everyones hand, including my own, from the most elderly to the youngest child, went up into the still air.

He stood there with us, just sharing the moment, looking over the room of raised hands… and a tear came to his eyes.

He lowered his hand, he reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a small, white cloth, which he used to gently wipe away his tears.  After which, he put the cloth back into his pocket, then he began to speak again…

“Very good, very good… see, we are not so much different, you and I… you think I’m special because I survived 5 years of solitary confinement… yet, I tell you as sure as I am standing her today, that I could no more survive 5 years of solitary confinement, than you. But I did, didn’t I? 

How can that be… that I, at the time weaker than many, if not all, of you here today, survived… even when many, many, others did not?

Allow me to share a secret with you…

… Something that, years after I was freed from my ordeal, became clearer to me and that I feel may help you in some small way also, if you ever face hard times.”

“Everyone here agrees that he or she can survive just one day in solitary confinement… so, do you feel that, seeing that you have now made it through just one day of solitary confinement… that you could make it through just one more, short, similar day?

Keep your hands up if you feel that, now you’ve survived one day… you could hold out for just one more solitary day… you’ll see your family, you’ll get your freedom, you’ll be able to go home, you’ll be set free… can you make it just – one – more – day?”

No one dropped their hands…

Again… he smiled and spoke… “See, you are strong… stronger than you realize and certainly as strong as I was those many years ago…”

“But, seeing that you’ve been able to survive yet another day… could you possibly, maybe, although unfair as it may seem, just for discussion… could you survive just-one-more-day?

Could you make it through just one more day… you’ll get your bread, your water, your faith… tell me… how about Just - ONE - MORE - DAY?”

All hands remained in the air… even, amazingly, the most infirm and elderly.

He asked us to put down our hands
and to listen carefully.

He recounted his ordeal in careful and painful detail… the tortures, the deprivations, the fear, the sorrow, even the death all around him… And… then he made a most revealing and awakening observation about his trials that sent chills down my spine even then, as a much younger man, still in my prime, sitting in the audience that day.

He crouched low to the microphone, now placed back in the podium stand, which he again stood behind, leaned on his elbows and said this…

“I was weak… I was a frail human being with no spirit, little belief in myself, little understanding of my true strength, just as many of you here today. I too, doubted my ability to survive torture and abuse for years… I cried and prayed and feared… but somewhere, deep, deep, down inside of myself I pulled out a small, tiny, hidden little truth… a truth that I could believe, a fact that I had no doubts about…

… I knew, deep down inside that I could survive… Just-One-Day. In fact, I already had survived one day.. and onother… All I needed to do was survive… Just One More Day. Just One More Day. Just One More Day.”

“You see,” he said… “it would have been impossible for me, just like you, to have survived five years in prison, let alone in solitary confinement.. I was weaker in heart, faith, stature, and self esteem than many, if not all of you here today…”

“I would have died there had I known my imprisonment was going to last five years, four years, three years, one year,or even, months… I was a weak man, and still believe myself to be a weaker man than most, though others believe me different. Why do others, like you, believe that I am so strong or special?

Why are you in awe of me
for what I survived…?”

“For you, yourselves… have just shown that you are just as strong as I was.

Some of you, much, much stronger in fact.”

“How, you might ask?”

“Because you too… no matter what happens around you, no matter what events befall you, no matter the trials or tribulations of your days, no matter even imprisonment or solitary confinement… you too, pledged that you could survive for Just One More Day.”

“And, that is all that I did, those many years ago. I survived, just one more day.”

“That is what we must all do sometimes in our lives…

Sometimes… we just need to forget yesterday, ignore what tomorrow might bring… lift our spirits up, put our hopes and faith in our own abilities and make it through… Just One More Day.”

“No one ever truly knows how long trials or tribulations or unforeseen occurances will last… our job, is to focus on the now… on this day… on making every minute we have the best it can possibly be, and sometimes, when things aren’t going like we may want them to, to concentrate on getting through, just one more day.”

“One day at a time.”

“You are a beautiful creation… and  you can survive much adversity if you just believe in yourself and your ability to survive THIS MOMENT and make it the best you possibly can.”

“I believe you are stronger than you believe yourself to be… you have already survived adversity, you’ve already come through many days of trials… there will likely be more to come, who is to say… but all you need to do, is stay focused on getting through this one… just this challenge or problem… just this day… doing the best you can to make the best of this moment, right now.”

“And if you keep waking up to new days, again, and again, and again… and you keep making the best out of each one, moving forward, ever forward and never back… you, my friend, will be just fine.”

“I believe in you…
and, you should believe in yourself too.”

And then the old man took one final drink of water from the glass on the round table next to the podium… looked at us one more time, and simply said “thank you for letting me share my story and my thoughts with you.. now go out and live your life to the fullest, and if you have challenges, problems, adversity, or depression, failure or pain… remember, you don’t need to endure it forever… all you need to do, is endure it… for One-More-Day.”

Live your life to the fullest… one day at a time. Make each day the best it can be… and you will be surprised just how fast the bad times slip on by.

Thank you….”

What do you think about this story?

How do you feel about your problems and challenges, that sometimes, no doubt, seem endless and forever, when you consider what the old man shared that day?

Post a note or comment below and give your feedback, I’d love to hear what you your comments…

Also, here are some of my own thoughts on living One-Day-At-A-Time…

Live in the “Now”…

“Live In the NOW” — “Now” is the most important time you will ever have in your life. If you live each and every NOW to it’s best and fullest, your string of NOW’s will all add up to a beautiful life and you will learn to appreciate living from a whole new perspective.

Yesterday…

Yesterday is gone… there isn’t anything you can do about it, so if it wasn’t the best day of your life, then learn what you can from your experience and move on. There is only “Now” yesterday is yesterday and is gone. Let it go.

Tomorrow…

You can’t guarantee the outcomes or perfectly plan all of your end results for tomorrow or for any part of your future – all you can do is line things up as imperfectly as we humans are capable of doing, so do yourself a favor, don’t worry too much about tomorrow, just do your best to prepare, then brace yourself.

When tomorrow becomes “Now” do your best with it… and live it to the fullest. You never know when your “Now’s” will be done and your tomorrows will stop coming as well.

When it comes to the past or the future, the truth is you are powerless beyond what you can visualize, imperfectly prepare for, inaccurately remember, meditate upon, think about or even assume, really… and those things hold no guarantee or absolute result because in the big scheme of things, you are incapable of perfectly doing anything, especially with any degree of consistency.

Now, I know that there are some Quantum Theorists out there who will argue with me on that point, with good reason — according to what you believe and understand about how the universe is wired.

I’m inclined to agree with much of what you believe, but the fact is, for me anyway, I’m no more able to change my past or truly manipulate my future than an oak seed laying deep in the earth can decide to grow into a concrete building… well, in my own experience so far in my life anyway.

There are some natural laws, as far as our limited human experience currently understands them, that we can’t yet change.

The NOW…

“What you CAN affect, control, change, and experience,… is right now, this minute, this second, this milli-micro moment in time.”

Your thoughts, your actions, your beliefs, your feelings… are all in your control, right now.

Now is all that matters.

So, I’m glad you are sharing it with me and reading this article… I am honored.

Post a comment below.. until next time!

Warmest Regards,

Steve Odette is the creator of MagneticMastermind.com, a coaching community for online entrepreneurs. He is also an in-demand copywriter, marketing consultant, and business coach. He has written several courses on real estate investing, internet marketing, and on being a successful entrepreneur. You can find Steve’s latest projects at www.SteveOdette.com.

MagneticMasterMind

I absolutely, 100%, relate.

In fact… it’s one of the worst positions to be in — to need help, want help, even know who can help you, but not have the resources to be able to GET the help you need.

I understand this issue from both sides… I’m a coach and I’ve been (and still am) a student looking for just the right coaches to help me get to that next level, understanding or goal.

What about you?

Are you stuck and having difficulty finding your own solutions by yourself?

Do you know you need help but wonder how to go about getting it or who you can trust enough to help you?

So many of you have emailed, called or Skyped me over the past couple of years expressing how frustrating it is to KNOW you need coaching and explaining how tight your finances are or how you are just not sure who to invest in as a business or life coach, who you can trust to help you reach your goals.

Sometimes, just getting someone to listen long enough to help you figure out exactly what your goals really are would be enough to get you moving in the right direction. But who’s going to give you a few hours of their time for free or for less than a couple hundred dollars?

I admit it, even my own one-on-one coaching hourly rate is fairly significant. It has to be, there is only so much of me to go around.

You see, coaches get paid for their time, true… but also for all of the experience and education, connections and resources, support and motivation, etc. they bring to their students to help them. After all, it’s not just two buddies having a beer together.

Coaches worth their fees have paid dearly to get where they are… invested in their own knowledge and gained a lot of experience along the way and sell these things to help others reach success. They understand strategy, motivation, teaching and learning styles, psychology, and most importantly, their students or players and know how to bring the very best out of them… that deserves to be paid for, and sometimes, it’s worth a LOT to be able to work with a winning coach.

Coaches have a limited amount of time each day, just like you, and need to carefully plan how, and who, they are going to spend that time with. They also need to set their fees accordingly or they won’t be in business helping others very long.

They get paid to teach, help, support, encourage, motivate, connect, and train you… among other things. The time they spend IS their business. So, in all fairness, they need to be paid.

Anyway, if you are frustrated trying to find a coach… I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone.

Steveism #27:
“Define the problem.. DISCUSS the solutions.”

Are you Solution Minded?

Most coaches will tell you something like“If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way to pay for it.”

“Phooey”… sometimes desire and money just don’t seem to be cooperating with each other!

You are probably aware that timing also plays a very important role in success and reaching your goals, right?

I’m not ‘most coaches’ myself.. and I HAVE paid for coaching with my last dollar before… on more than one occasion.

It was a bad choice each time.

The coaching programs were not what I signed up for, neither were the coaches or the results I got. Someday I’ll tell you about my experiences, but I’ll spare you today .

Look, do NOT spend your last dollar on a coaching program… no matter how good the heart wrenching story is, about the student who “slept in her car… in the snow… who’s husband left her… and who had given up hope, but who sold her little puppy, Gigi, and took the money to buy a ticket to the weekend seminar given by guru-gives-you-hope and then… low and behold! She becomes wealthy in 30 days!! And… got Gigi back, purchased a mansion, drives a Ferrari, and is living happily ever after on the Beach in Bali…” Amazing…

So, what about you?

What has your experience been with coaching or group mentoring or Mastermind groups?

Speaking with my other hat on now… the coaching hat…

I can tell you that there is nothing more frustrating than giving or charging for your time… making yourself and your experience available to your students, and having them not show up, or show up late, or not do anything you ask them to do FOR THEMSELVES.

THAT is very frustrating indeed.

It’s also why coaches charge a lot of money. No, not because they hate to waste their time, though that is true, but because if you’ve been a coach before, then you understand that if a student invests in his or her future with hard earned money and time – they will put themselves into the program 110% and often become very successful. They will listen, show up, put in the effort, try harder, work at it, be persistent, find the passion, etc. because they are financially invested in the process.

There does seem to be a connection between how much is invested, and how much get’s done.

FACT: I have yet to coach one student for FREE who ever made anything out of herself.

Actually, I have recordings of coaching sessions going back for a few years with students that just disappeared after the first small breeze of effort or adversity blew their way.

I have had students ask me why I didn’t just do everything for them and give them the checks! When they were only paying me $197/mo.! Now THAT is pretty offensive, from a coaches perspective. It’s rude and a bit presumptuous.

If that’s what they wanted… they should have purchased a franchise. Of course, finding a franchise for $197 might be a bit challenging. “Duh.”

Besides, it wouldn’t work… if a coaching student were given such a opportunity, it would only be a matter of weeks or short months, before it all came tumbling down — because, in the “just give it to them or do it for them” model, she would not have changed a single habit or learned a single thing to keep her new, handed to her on a silver platter, business going, growing, or offering value.”

So, “CRASH” it would come, tumbling down eventually.

So what’s the solution?

I mean, if coaching works (and it does) and you need to be invested in your coaching program to keep you motivated, engaged, driven, etc….

If coaching depends on a student and a coach “fitting” each other – getting along – and being compatible as teacher and student…

If your success in a coaching program depends on your ability to stay involved, afford the program, and willingly to do the work needed to help you progress.

Then… how can you find a program that you can feel comfortable with, that will not break your bank account, and that has all of these things to help you reach your goals in your life and business?

Magnetic Mastermind™ is a new
program that provides just
what you need… plus, exposure
to an experienced coach
on a weekly basis, LIVE.

Access to your coach, and other coaches, and other community members who can help you, 24/7.

A monthly investment that won’t require you to sacrifice anything for you to be able to participate in it…

What has your experience with coaching programs been?

What would you like a coaching program to do for you?

What are your expectations for a great coach or a solid coaching community?

Check out http://magneticmastermind.com and post your feedback and comments below… I’m very, very interested in what you have to say about this powerful new cutting edge coaching model…

And, if there are still memberships available, why not enroll and be a part of something great that could be just what you are looking for.

Unfortunately, Magnetic Mastermind is only offering 100 of the Silver Charter Memberships… then the monthly investment has to go up… I’m sure you can see why.

Anyway… thank you for stopping by… and for posting your comments below… go on… post, post, post!

P. S. Include a link back to your site in your signature… I’d like to see what you are up to!

Steve Odette copywriter

I was an entrepreneur for over two decades before I even heard the word “Copywriter.”

Today, when I tell people what I do for a living (from the comfort of my own home office in front of a computer) and mention the word ‘copywriter,’ almost to a person, they respond with some comment similar to “Oh, yeah (pause) you help people get stuff copyrighted… uh… how do you get that little ‘c’ sign anyway? I didn’t know you needed someone to help you do it.”

Ugh. Sigh.

Because of my own previous ignoranceof the entire industry that now pays my bills, copy-writing, my earlier businesses no doubt suffered (in years gone by I’d have probably been one of those folks who just looked puzzled and confused if a friend had told me that they did “copywriting”…).

In fact, had I known what copywriting was, how to use it in my businesses, or how valuable a tool it could have been in helping those businesses, I venture to say that they would have been even MORE successful — by a solid margin — than what they were over the two decades I owned them.

Most entrepreneurs, if you are anything like me, really don’t have much training in the art or science of business.

Nope, most of us just dive right in with our dreams and desires to succeed… generally without any regard for how deep the water really is or whether or not we should even be swimming in the pond at all.

So much of my success as an entrepreneur comes from, as I like to call it, “Failing Forward.” Part of that learning the hard way means that we often miss the little things that could have helped us short-cut our way to success or that would have helped us to make more money with less effort.

Things like…

• Systems
• Mentors
• Coaches
• Business Plans
• Marketing Plans
• Training Manuals
• Outsourcing Skills
• Management Skills
• Time Management (I call this one ‘Choice Management personally)
• Sales Training

And many more… in particular, and as respects our conversation here, Copywriting / Advertising / Salesmanship in Print… etc. etc. etc.

“If I had only known then what I know now!”

– to be cliche’.

The fact is, copywriting should really go at the top of the list above because of how important a role it can play in the success of your business or any other endeavor you are getting into that requires others to participate.

And, one of the true values of great copy is that once it’s written, and tested, and proven to work — your job is a whole lot easier!

All you have to do now, is get your audience and potential customers to read it, hear it, or watch it… and the WORDS will do the rest for you… automatically… with no effort.. from now on!

I used to believe that the best form of advertising my small businesses was the quality of my work and the referrals that would just pour in from my happy customers and clients – after all – what small business can afford to spend great sums of their gross income on ADVERTISING? Duh…

Phooey… who needs advertising? I am the BEST at what I do – people will swarm to my business!

Not. Not by a LONG shot actually.

If I had only known about marketing, advertising, selling, and copywriting back then… if only I had known!

But nobody told me and I was certainly too busy to stumble across the many wonderful advantages of having a copywriting magician on my team… so I cold called (GAG!) and knocked on doors.. busted my butt trying to grow my businesses the hard ways… AND I even did it all without a tested script, USP, Tag Line, Feature or Benefit mentioned ONCE!

There was a lot of HARD earned sales in those days… and, probably like you, I also kept thinking to myself  “There has GOT to be a better way!”

A few years ago, when I was heavily involved in real estate investing, I stumbled across the copywriting industry.

I was putting some simple lead-generation websites to attract potential investment property sellers online and, after getting the graphics done, the domain purchased, the hosting set up, and a webmaster hired to help me put all of the pieced together — he asked me where the “words” for the website were?

“Uhm… words? Isn’t that YOUR job?” I asked him. He didn’t laugh.

It was then that I discovered a key and very important thing – the prettiest website in the world is good for about zero if there are no words on it.

I also found that finding the right words to put on the pages was not so easy.

Truth be told, it was absolutely no fun at all trying to come up with ANY words, let alone the right words, to put on my website… after writing about a dozen drafts of the most horrible dribble you have ever read on a real estate web site, my webmaster sent me an ebook on copywriting.

Thus began my education… and passion… into the world of direct marketing and words that sell… and copywriting.

And sell I did… once I started to use the right words in the right places at the right times in front of a targeted audience of prospective buyers (all very key to your marketing success, by the way) my businesses began to flourish.

The best part? My marketing materials, salesletters, articles, postcards, emails, etc. where doing all of the hard work for me while I just followed through and cashed the checks.

So, why am I telling you all this?

Because if you can start earlier than I did.. or if you can connect with someone like me who can get your salesletters or other marketing copy (the words that are used to promote or sell your products, services, or programs) you will be so much more successful and make boatloads of money, faster and easier, than ever before.

You’ll run circles around the competition and they will be scratching their heads wondering how you are doing it.

Great copywriting… that’s how.

Videos, salesletters, direct-mail, even your yellow page ads or websites words or online ads… if you get the words right, your job get’s a whole lot easier and your clients will be lining up to buy what you are selling — if you get it right.

That’s my job. I started copywriting because I had to… for my own businesses. I do it for others like you now, becuase I’m good at it and because I want to help you in your business.

Tell me, how would you feel if you could double, triple, or even get over 1,000% increase in profits for your clients, how would that make you feel? I can tell you, it makes me feel incredible and I love the high I get when I help others succeed.

Of course, being in demand because I can do that for my clients is also good for my bank account too, in all fairness and full disclosure.

Anyway, the reason I wrote this today is to just introduce myself to you and to let you know that I understand what you can gain by hiring me to help you with your salesletter, website copy, or other copywriting needs… but I wanted you to see the value of working with an experienced copywriter  like me, for yourself, too.

I’m very good at helping you make money… and I’m very, very good at getting the words right to do that for you.

“If you are tired of trying to do it all yourself and are ready to get serious about moving your business forward to the next level, then get in touch with me, my contact information is below,  let’s discuss how I can help you.”

I’m always busy… always working… and yes, my time is valuable just like yours is. I also believe in the old-school approach to business. I am a real person who likes to know my clients and get a careful picture of what you need before I accept you as a client.

I am looking for entrepreneurs who are aiming at success for themselves and who will be my clients for many years to come, who offer solid, high integrity services and products that I can be proud of helping you to promote and market.

If that sounds like you… what are you waiting for?! My contact information is below, I look forward to hearing from you and setting up a time for us to discuss your project.

Contact me today…

“Dedicated to your success… and working my butt off to prove it!”

Warmest Regards,

Steve Odette
www.SteveOdette.com
919.261.7929
919.521.4214
steve.odette Skype
steve@steveodette.com

P.S.I’m also working on a new venture right now called Magnetic Mastermind involving a very affordable way to help you get your business online and profiting quickly and affordably… and my outsourcing site at PowerOutSource.com which will be a great resource for you if you are looking for more than just a skilled copywriter. Stay tuned…

3 Things Before You Begin...

Where to begin… where to begin?

I’m certain that the answer to that question is different for each person who is interested in using the internet to market an existing business or book, product, or service… or for those of you who are looking to break free of your job or make some extra money online as absolute entrepreneurial beginner.

Answering the question will go a lot smoother though, if you understand some of the basics of Internet Marketing.

Here are a few things for you to consider in order to increase your chances of succeeding online…

• “The Internet is a MEDIA, NOT a business.”

  The internet is possibly the greatest entrepreneurial tool ever conceived or created. However, it is just a tool to promote your OFFER, it is NOT the offer itself.

  It’s called “Internet MARKETING“ for a reason, after all.

  If you are going to succeed online, you need to come to the table with something to offer. It doesn’t have to be your-own offer (you could do affiliate marketing or CPA marketing or something like that) but still, you need to have something to OFFER.

  Do you have ideas? There is your offer.
  
  Have you written a book? Offer that online.

  Do you have a business or service you can promote? The internet is your magic marketing wand to reaching your goals.

  Are you are super salesperson? The internet just made your job a whole lot easier to get wealthy at doing, if you use it correctly.

  Even if you are not sure what you have to offer yet… just knowing that you need an offer will help you get started on the right mind-set and path to using the internet to make money or share your ideas and products with the world more profitably and along a straighter line.
  
  Remember though, the internet is just a media… no different than a newspaper or TV or the radio or a magazine… in that it’s just a way for you to get the word out to the world about what it is you have to OFFER.

• It isn’t “Set it and Forget it…” Until you SET IT UP.

  This one is really sad to me.

  I see it everyday, good, honest, hard working people buying into the dream of internet wealth and a “4 Hour Workweek” with all of their money and resources – just to discover that it is going to take work.

  Or, worse yet… jumping from one product to another to another hoping to avoid the work by finding the one magic formula to mix together and “Phoof!” money into their bank accounts.

  It’s really, truly sad for me to see, largely because I too was thinking about the internet in the wrong way at first – and I should have known better!

  Save yourself a lot of grief and time and know this:

  ” The internet is a media and you need to have something to offer for it to work. Also, you need to work at getting your offer put together in a way that you can make money. It isn’t going to happen by magic, it will take real effort on your part.”

  The good news is, the effort doesn’t have to be painful or slow or expensive. But we’ll talk more about this in another article.

• Salesletters are made to SELL you something!

  Okay, I’m a professional copywriter and maybe I shouldn’t tell you this… but here is the fact: Salesletters are supposed to sell you the dream and the results, it’s your job to put the product or service together and make it work.

  Imagine going to a salesletter that says:

  “Work your ass off… do your graphics, write your salesletter, create your own product, pay thousands of dollars for traffic to your website, pay for an autoresponder program, write many, many follow up emails and articles, do teleseminars, connect your shopping cart, get your domain and hosting, pay for me to coach you… blah, blah, blah… and THEN you will make some money online!… maybe. Click Here to BUY NOW!”

  My bet is on your running, not walking, but RUNNING the other direction as fast as you can, agreed?

  So, salesletters sell you the dream… the end result… and so do many of the products that promise you internet riches sold today with salesletters.

  Don’t let that discourage you… just look deeper into the program, service or product that you are considering spending your hard earned money on before you buy it. Think about what is NOT being said in the salesletter, deal?

  It’s your job to unpack the product or read the book or watch the videos and apply the valuable information inside. And I’m here to tell you that after writing hundreds of salesletters, every product, program, or service requires you to do something once you get it. It’s just implied in the copy… but it’s a fact when you get the package.

  So be frugal and read between the lines.

• Find a Coach or Mentor that you can trust and that you “mesh” with.

  Want to become a successful internet marketer? Great… find someone to guide you and help you put all of the many puzzle pieces together. Preferably someone who knows the puzzle intimately and who has put it together and taken it apart many times herself.

  I have had my share of bad coaches that have cost me thousands and thousands of dollars. So be selective in who you decide to work with and make sure that you understand what is and is not offered. Not all coaches and mentors are created equal.

These should get you started on the right foot…

• Understanding that the internet is not really a business in and of itself, but is a media to promote your business, service, program or product.

• Knowing that ALL business require effort on your part.. and learning and trial and error… and investment, etc. to succeed. Even online businesses.

• Realizing that you will reach success a lot faster if you get help… find a coach or mentor that you trust and who will help you stay focused and you will increase your chances of reaching your goals a lot faster.

Let me know if you agree… disagree… or have some value to add to the above by adding your $.02 below.

“Dedicated to your success, as always,… and busting my butt to prove it!”

Words Matter...

Have you ever been to a website where finding the order button or contact information is like looking for a needle in a haystack?

I have, and it’s frustrating.

Have you ever been to a website because an ad or link or friend convinced you that it had a product or service that you needed or wanted… but when you got to the site, you left without buying anything?

I have, and it makes me shake my head and wonder what the owner of the website was thinking.

“If I go to a website, I’m interested in what they have to offer… If I leave the site without buying, it’s because I wasn’t convinced that it was what I was looking for or that I could trust the person selling it to me… more often than not.”

Do people go to your website and buy what you are offering or do they leave without taking action?

Here’s the logic.. if a website is good enough or interesting enough for me to visit it, then I’m engaged enough to buy something there when I do.

Is your website setup to take advantage of my interest?

So often, especially with small business websites, I see a pretty site with lot’s of nice graphics and pictures of the owners or bright, rich, colors and “Look at Me!” branding… with a whole lot of words that usually have the terms; me, mine, I, my, our, etc. peppered all throughout.

Blah, blah, blah… See Ya..

Really, who cares about YOU? Also, I might be impressed with your rich looking design and I might even tell my friends about how “cool” your site is.. but if you don’t sell me something, I’m simply not going to buy it!

What? You thought that just because I came to visit I should beg you for the opportunity to pull out my credit card because your site is so pretty? Get real.

“I don’t mean to be so harsh, but the fact is if you don’t sell your visitors something, your competition will.”

People are generally not going to your website about diet programs or your decorating services to just look at your pretty website graphics… they are probably interested in losing weight or decorating their home or office, right?

Why make it so hard for them to buy then?

Worse yet… why have poorly written copy (the words on your website) that talks nice, is fuzzy and friendly, tells them all about YOU and DOESN’T SELL THEM WHAT YOU HAVE that can truly help them?!

Ugh! and UGH! again…

Even non-profit organizations, political websites or spiritual websites who sell feel-good to the “Burkenstock / Hairy Armpit” vegetarian earth-friendly crowd are still in the business of selling something – even if it’s just a different way of thinking.

So, if you’re going to put up a website and take all of the time, energy, and resources to do so… why not also take the time to put words on your website that help your visitors to take action… do something… buy something… from you that will improve their lives? Like your product, idea, guidance or service?

Oh, and after you take the time to write the words using all of the psychological triggers and tactics to help your visitors make a decision to get happily involved with your product, service, organization, or whatever… that a professional copywriter like me can provide for you without all of the effort… do one more thing for yourself and for your visitors.

Put your “Call To Action” button or request front and center where they can see it…PLEASE!”

Then, add your contact information somewhere also, so they can see that you are a real person and feel confident and comfortable making a decision to buy whatever it is that you are selling and get happily involved with you and your company.

That’s what makes your website work… and how you can stay in business. By getting the order through great copy, using the right words, creating the most vivid pictures in your prospects minds-eye of owning your product or service or being a part of your community.

No pretty graphic or “Me” copy will work for you the way well written words (even if you deliver them in VIDEO format!) can…

And, if you find words don’t come easily to you, contact a copywriter, you might be pleasantly surprised to discover how much value we can bring to your bottom line or how much more effectively your ideas can become viral.

What is your experience? What are you doing on your website to help you increase your buyers? Sound off below… and I’ll gladly post my comments right back at you!

“Dedicated to your success.. how can I be of service?”

You can succeed online!

“It’s Not What You Know, But WHO You Know!”

If you are an aspiring internet marketer or if you’ve been trying to find the magic formula to making money online, then you already know that something is not quite, exactly, precisely, like you are being told.

“Make Millions Overnight – While Sitting on the Beach – In Your Underwear – With Your Big House and Ferrari Just Around the Corner – While Your Neighbors all Stare in Wonderment at Your Success – Which You Attained With NO Effort – and NO Struggles… blah, blah, blah.

Ugh… it’s enough to make you want to puke if you’ve been hangin’ around the internet marketing arena for long.

The sad thing is that after milking every dollar out of your pocket, these guys ARE living that lifestyle – and you are too broke to buy another one of their programs.

Why? Are all internet guru’s selling you snake oil BS? Does ANY of their garbage work for the common guy or gal?

Fact is, most of what you can invest in from those guys DOES work – some of it works very well indeed.

If you work at it (which is not very popular for me to say, I know).

That’s the problem though.

“If you’re like I was when I got started, no matter how much of the “How to” information you purchase, the “Do it” just isn’t getting done!”

There is too much to learn… and too much distraction… and too much information… and NOT ENOUGH HELP!

So, should you just give up and go back to your day-job (that is, if you can find one nowadays!)?

Maybe. I can’t answer that for you personally. I don’t know you… I don’t know how committed to making it online you are, I don’t have any idea how much time or other resources you have to put to the task of succeeding online.

So… maybe you should reconsider the internet as a full time “4 hour workweek” for now and just stick to part time until you get your foundation under you.

However, if you are serious about making it online and if you can APPLY some of the things that you probably already have in your overstuffed hard-drive of “How To’s”… one step at a time… chances are that you will stumble upon a little success – then a little more – and finally, if you are persistent and DO what you need to do – a LOT of success.

The truth is, though, that it’s not going to happen for you through osmosis or by sitting on the sofa watching TV and practicing visualization and manifestation for 5 minutes every night before falling asleep.. asking the Quantum god to deliver your million dollars on your front porch in the morning.

That said, how can you make it easier and faster and more certain that you will be successful online?

There are some proven methods and practices that will most certainly help you, if you are up to the challenge. Here are a few:

• Learn and DO What You Learn:

  This should be obvious, but you’d be shocked at how many people think that success happens by accident. When I say ‘Learn’ I’m not talking about “get” or “discover” or “find” either – I mean actually READING or WATCHING and practicing, putting to use, what you LEARN for yourself.

  It’s kinda like eating, you can have someone else do it for you, but after a while, there is a kinda’ hollow feeling… “Doh!”  So, learn SOMETHING NEW… every day, for the rest of your lovely life – and then apply it. Okay?

• Get a Coach or Mentor – Follow Their Guidance:

  I don’t want to sound cliche’ here and I’m not pushing my own coaching programs on you (I am a great coach though and you should consider working with me! ), but the fact is – with the right guidance you can cut a lot of the learning curve, make fewer mistakes, and reach your goals much faster. Still, understand that a coach or mentor is just a GUIDE, and will not DO the work for you.

  I think that is a mis-perception many of my own students come to the table with.

  Just because I can point you in the right direction and guide you to success faster, or help you find the shortcuts that matter, or guide you to making more money with less work, doesn’t mean I’ll do it all for you while you watch American Idol.

  Still, a coach or mentor worth investing in will hold you accountable and motivate you to get things done and provide valuable resources (often our OWN, inside connections) to help you accomplish what needs to get done so you can reach your goals faster (we’ll also have your cable disconnected if you can’t focus! LOL).

• Outsource and Out-task:

  Want to cut your path to success to the shortest route? Learn how to outsource and out-task all of those things that need to be done that you are not an expert at doing – so you can focus on doing what you are great at, grow your business and take care of your customers and clients.

  This one is like coaching in a way… because you need to have a focused direction before you can hire someone to help you, right?

  I mean, imagine getting a great copywriter (like me!), calling them up and saying “I need an irresistable salesletter… can you write it for me?” but when asked what you are offering, you reply – “I don’t know, what do you recommend I hire you to write about?” DOH!

  Also, you need resources to outsource or out-task. It doesn’t have to be money, but that helps. Sometimes you can barter for a percentage of the profits, or trade your old Harley Davidson Fatboy (hint, hint) to get the work done for you, but the fact is, you need resources… a great place to start looking would be my new PowerOutSource.com – but you will have to wait until we get everything connected to begin (it will definately be worth the wait though!).

I’ll stop with those three for now…

• Learn and DO What You Learn
• Get a Coach or Mentor and FOLLOW Their Guidance
• Outsource and Out-Task Starting Today

If you have read this far and if you can see the truth in what I’ve said here, then you have what it takes to succeed online. All you need to do now is TAKE ACTION and move forward.

Don’t be afraid of making mistakes or even failing. If you are taking small enough steps, the worst that can happen is a stubbed toe, so to speak. If you are diving from the mountain cliff, all in, and you are jumping into un-tried waters alone – well, you’re on your own and I wish you the very best.

Finally, know this… “Success; online, offline, business or personal, spiritual, physical or emotional… is usually best achieved as a team sport.”

It’s really, really hard for humans to succeed, in business especially, alone — even if we think we are capable of such a monumental task.

So start getting quality guidance from books, programs, teachers, coaches, mentors and from your top-notch outsource vendors and peers. You’ll be glad you did.