Spend Less, Invest More, Take Action

Spend Less, Invest More, Take Action Image

Does this title confuse you? I had to read it a few times to make sure it made sense to me. I had several others I was also deciding between, but I felt this one was short, sweet, and to the point. And actually, I was hoping some people wouldn’t get it right away. Some people, myself included, are far too curious and just have to read something that has an odd title. “How the hell am I supposed to spend less when I’m investing more? Investing is spending. This Randy guy is a ra-tard!”

What I’m trying to get at is this: Investing your money in your business isn’t spending, in my eyes. If you are buying an expensive piece of software, sure, it may seem like a lot. But if a lot of people you know are seeing great results by using it, it pays for itself, and you gain something from it, how is that really spending? To me, that’s investing in your business and your future.

On the other hand, say you and a group of your friends just got back from a crazy long weekend out of town for a concert. Yes, we all need to just get away sometimes and clear our minds with a mini vacation. But when you get back, some of your friends want you to go out to the bars, then the next night they want to go to the casino, then skydiving, then the movies, and expensive dinners, and so on.

What I mean is, you do need to interact and be social, but it doesn’t have to define you. No one NEEDS to go out every single night of the week and spend money everywhere they go. Sure, going out of town for fun every once in a while is good for you, but doing it regularly is not good for your wallet. All of that extra money you have been spending is NOT giving you anything for your investment. Take that extra money and put it towards your business and it will more than likely give you a better return on your investment than paying your next bar tab. I’d almost guarantee that.

I’m sure you can think of many ways to invest in your business that have good odds of improving your life in the long run. Maybe you’ll buy a video course teaching you how to make money with the Amazon Affiliate program. Maybe you’ll buy an ebook that explains how to create niche sites and blogs. You could upgrade your hardware to make you more productive, like buying a new laptop, getting a second monitor, buying an HD video camera, or even getting a comfier office chair.

If you are serious about bettering your business and you are on a budget (we all should be on some sort of budget, time wise and monetary), you need to find out what’s holding you back and what can help you take the next step forward. Here are 10 things that have helped get me going more in the right direction. These include lifestyle changes, products, and more…

  1. Not drinking like an alcoholic. There are so many benefits of not being an alcoholic. These include no hangovers, better memory, more free & focused time, and yes, more money.
  2. Market Samurai. This keyword research tool is just plain amazing. Probably one of the best Internet marketing tools I’ve used.
  3. Niche Profit Course. This is Chris Guthrie‘s badass video course designed to help anyone succeed with the Amazon Affiliate program. And you get a free custom WordPress theme too!
  4. Cloud Living. Glen Allsopp is a genius. This is an ebook he wrote that gives you all the info needed to create successful niche sites and more. Highly recommended.
  5. Stopped blowing money on gambling. Yes, I would probably say I had a gambling problem. I’m glad I realized it before I lost everything I owned. Obviously not gambling is a huge money saver. My wallet always wants to make love to me now.
  6. Pat Flynn‘s podcasts & videos. Looking for one of the most transparent and inspiring people on the Internet. Look no further. Pat has a ton of info and has created a huge following all based around helping people create passive income. Check out his site and his free ebook!
  7. ThinkTraffic.net. Corbett Barr is another guy I’m a huge fan of. His free ebook is equally as awesome as Pat’s. If you haven’t been to Corbett’s site or his Think Traffic site, you are living under a rock. Check him out right now! (I wish I had the money to join his Traffic School course! I know it’s going to be epic for all those enrolled!)
  8. Toshiba laptop. It’s been about a month, and this laptop has really proven itself. I’m using the Toshiba L655-S5150 and I highly recommend it. It does everything I need it to, and more. Being able to write posts anywhere is perfect for me.
  9. Eating healthier. It’s been over 6 months since I started counting calories and it’s been one of the greatest things I’ve ever done. I have to give credit to my girlfriend for turning me on to it. I can’t even tell you how great I feel everyday compared to my old lifestyle of eating 3+ fast food meals almost everyday, not to mention the case of beer every week, or more.
  10. Taking action. Yes, education is nothing without action. I got a degree in graphic design, but I didn’t know shit until I got my first real job, then I really learned graphic design. It’s like learning the theory behind something without experiencing the practicality of it. How will you really know what something is like without doing it or seeing the results firsthand?

That last one is important. You could subscribe to every blog, read every ebook, buy every course, and more, but without taking action, you’ll never get anywhere. Buying products to improve yourself and/or your business without taking any action or making any changes is considered spending. If you are overspending, you are going into debt and increasing nothing but your debt to income ratio. Not good.

I’m already seeing results from taking the smallest of actions. True, I had to invest some money to better understand what I was doing and to make my job easier, but I know those purchases will pay for themselves many times over. And when I see some positive results coming from the smallest of actions, what do you think will happen when I put some real time into focusing on my business? The results will be astronomical! And on a side note, surround yourself with positive and successful people. It’s amazing what that will do for you. Find out what works for them, then do what they do, but add your own creative touch to it which will differentiate you from the crowd. Be different in a good way!

Sometimes I just start writing these posts with a vision of where I want it to go, then I start to get off topic, so I’m sorry if I seem to jump all over the place. My mind is constantly racing with a ton of ideas and thoughts that need to be typed out. I hope you understand where I was going with this 1,300+ word rant. In the shortest of terms, stop wasting all your money on things you don’t need or that won’t benefit you down the road and won’t help you get to where you want to be. I’ve wasted so much money and time in the past and I’m slowly finding new ways to improve myself as a person. Not to mention learning ways to scale up my business in more exciting and profitable ways.

Can you relate to the message I’ve preached throughout this post? Have you decreased your spending? Are you investing more? What ways are you improving yourself and/or your business? Any new products you recommend to increase productivity, any software or services that help increase traffic or conversions, or just anything you can think of that helps make you more successful? Please share anything and everything you can. All the readers and myself would greatly appreciate it.

I look forward to writing the next one, and until then, have a great day everyone! Keep on working towards the life you want!

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