Beginner’s Mindset

Beginner’s Mindset… this strategy makes sense… dollars and cents!

What is beginner’s mindset? It’s dropping our expectations and preconceived ideas about something, and seeing things with an open mind and fresh eyes, just like a beginner. If you think back to when you learned something new, you can remember what that’s like: you may have felt confused, because you didn’t know how to do whatever you were learning, but you were also looking at everything as if was brand new, perhaps with curiosity and wonder. That’s beginner’s mindset.

Beginner’s mind is actually a concept from Zen Buddhism called Shoshin: “having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would.”

Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has jaded us. And, it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others, because we can’t readily re-create others’ state of mind. I’ve gone contrarian with this concept since coming online sixteen years ago…

I teach and mentor with the beginner’s mindset top of mind. I focus on helping my students and mentees to forget everything they know (or think they know!) about a subject or project and view it as if completely fresh – with no expertise, experience or opinions. Learning in this way helps to ensure greater success, along with more joy and satisfaction.

Easy… or Not? Building a Profitable Business Online

They (marketers and gurus in the online space) make it sound easy… send an email, post on social media, make money. But does it really work that way? No. And beware of anyone who tells you that becoming a profitable online entrepreneur doesn’t take hard work, dedication, and consistent effort. Instead, there’s a better way to come aboard and grow a profitable business online, like I and so many others continue to do.

When I discovered the world of online marketing and entrepreneurship in 2005, I was enthralled with the idea of making money as I slept. If I could just get a website set up, start recommending affiliate products, and get someone with a big name to promote me, I’d be on my way.

Luckily, I did not have success initially. This was for the best, because I learned the value of hard work, time management, productivity, and networking. It would take me about 18 months to get to six figures, and by then almost everyone who had started online when I had was already on to another “get rich quick” scheme. By then, I had learned a much more lucrative business model, that of “getting rich slowly” and that continues to be what works for tens of thousands of people all over the world.

For one thing, you must choose a narrow and specific niche to get your income up and running. As much as I wanted to teach people about online marketing in 2006, I knew I didn’t have the reputation, credibility, or experience to back that up. Instead, I chose the niche of helping people to write, publish, market, and sell eBooks.

My years of experience as a classroom teacher helped with that and I traded Kindergarten through 12th grade students for adults who wanted to supplement, or to replace their current incomes with a business they could run from their home computer. Two years later I transitioned into full on internet marketing, and by then I had made a name for myself in this area.

It’s simple enough to start a blog, build a list, and recommend other people’s products through affiliate links; not so simple is making sales and building a solid reputation.

What do I recommend? Make a plan. Work with a mentor. Take action every day. Make friends by networking and reaching out online. Write simple, direct blog posts. Create a simple product and market it every day. Learn about affiliate marketing from a 10-Day training I’ve created for this purpose. This works!

James Clear says…
“The gift of a beginner is fresh eyes. The longer you’re in a field, the harder it is to perceive new truths. Your mind is biased toward refining what you’re already doing instead of exploring fresh terrain. Take your expertise and apply it to something new.”

Come along with me for this journey. I highly recommend and encourage you to take at least a small step back to once again see the world with a beginner’s mindset to shift your thinking and perspective in a way that will open up a new world for you. And please reach out to me if you’d like to be considered for my ongoing mentor program.

I’m Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, independent publisher, and serial entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and would love to connect with you. If you’re new to the world of online entrepreneurship please check out my training on how to sell yourself at Sell Yourself and Your Stuff and learn how to gain an unfair advantage when it comes to building a lucrative online business.