Before you even get started reading this I’ll say one thing: creating websites has changed my life.
It sounds pretty stupid and ridiculous but I’m dead serious, and it could be something you can benefit from too.
It’s important to find that balance and get some time away from your screen but it’s also worth noting just how much power you have literally at your finger tips.
20 years ago you had to travel, read endless books or seek out experts in person and ask them for what you want to know (still do those things, they still work). You can spend months doing the things above or you could possibly find the answer you want in 5 minutes by typing a search phrase into Google.
It’s quicker, more convenient, and if you’re good at determining if someone has the credentials or experience to pass on the knowledge your read, and knows what they’re on about – you can literally educate yourself to a level that meets or exceeds formal education.
Only you don’t get the piece of paper at the end, you still have to pay for that.
So what if you switch to the other side and deliver the information?
There’s so much that could be said about this, so I covered a few points below. You can make your knowledge base available to anyone in minutes or seconds, so how does that help you? Here’s a quick look:
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If you want to start a blog or website today, see our Start Here page.
Below we cover some written points and a bit more detail.
You Can Learn More… Lot’s more.
Starting a website, updating it with fresh content and trying to get people to read what you have to say has a very addictive nature to it when you’re driven.
As you run out of your initial ideas you start looking for inspiration you want more ideas. You check out your competitors, you research and read and keep learning. When you spend time trying to educate other people and explain things to them in a way they understand you break things down, you get that new information from your research and you start to learn at a ridiculously quick fashion.
My first blog was a fitness website, because I knew a about fitness. Within 6 months my knowledge doubled!
This is because my mind was thinking fitness, I breathed fitness and couldn’t stop learning more because I wanted to offer brilliant information. It lead toward a life of following the Paleo diet, training smarter instead of harder and now I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my entire life.
It all started with a website! Since that first website I’ve learned tremendous amounts about my other interests simply by getting started and trying to spread a bit of my existing knowledge.
You can receive the same benefit by simply starting a website yourself, and trying to spread some knowledge. The rest takes care of itself!
This leads me too…
You can advance your career.
As above, you can learn a hell of a lot about any interest, even if it’s an industry or something related to your career.
Imagine you’re a personal trainer, vet or security guard – you start a blog sharing your techniques and knowledge and people learn about it. It becomes popular and you become an authority…
…imagine applying for your next job or promotion and slapping down that status – ” I run an extremely popular website about this job teach others to advance in it.” Try starting a business and put your face out there with your website and expert/authority status to back it up. People will think “that’s the guy from the website I read! I’m going to him.”
But it doesn’t start simply by enhancing your existing career, you can start a whole new one.
Sure, my knowledge from running certain websites has made me a better Graphic Design and Web Designer (which I was before I started) but take a look at Pat Flynn’s Green Exam Academy – he taught himself how to pass the Leed exam, a notoriously difficult exam by starting a blog, researching and writing up notes and sharing his information. Hell, he combined his knowledge into a book and has since made half a million dollars with it!
Make More Money
Did you read the last point about Pat Flynn? $200k in the first year is what he made when he took his blog posts and compiled them into an E-book. His presence has grown and now he makes millions with affiliate marketing!
This is one extreme that is very possible.
On the other hand you may not hit the home run that quick. I run these websites outside of my Graphic & Web Design career – but I constantly make extra money with my websites every single day. I love jumping onto my computer and finding and extra $100 sitting there, requiring no extra effort – because my website or someone else’s website handled the sale entirely, I just got the commission.
This happens quite often. How much could an extra $100 or $200 a week help you to pay your bills, reduce debt or save up for that car?
You can do this buy selling a service and working more hours online. You can create a product, do the work up front and let it sell via an automatic system that simply sends you the money and handles everything else for you.
You could even just puts ads on your website and get paid that way! The list keeps going, but that is extremely powerful if you’re willing to put in the effort, that’s where the next two points also come in.
It’s good content marketing.
Content marketing is a solid way to grow your business online (and offline actually). I made a video on content marketing below, featuring Optimus Prime ;)
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Meet More People, Expand Your Horizons
This happens when you start trying to promote your website, you meet many different people in a variety of ways.
If someone becomes a fan of what you do – likes your Facebook page, subscribes to your email list, follows you on Twitter, etc – they often contact you or reply to what you have to say. From there you can build a relationship and even friendship. I have friends all over the world who share certain interests with me because we met through these channels.
On top of that, you can gain industry contacts as they contact you or you contact them. Quite often you’ll meet people with similar passions and a level of expertise simply because they too have a website about a similar topic. It’s surprising just how often these people would rather be friends than competition.
Building relationships online is the best way to be successful but it’s also incredibly rewarding and helps you to expand your personal network of friends and bring value to your life, but there’s an even bigger benefit to this…
The biggest benefit? Influencing and helping other people!
This is what it’s all about!
Who reading this has ever wanted to influence people? Motivate them, empower them and bring them happiness? I’m guessing most of you! We all want to feel like we made the world a better place before we leave it.
That’s what a lot of top bloggers out there are doing – look at Leo Babauta of Zen Habits. He’s just a normal guy with 6 kids who helps people every day with tips on improving their lives and finding that state of ‘Zen’.
With your knowledge you can do all of those things by offering good advice that can help people solve their problems. If you become an authority who solves peoples problems, then it’s safe to say that you made an impact in your life by helping others.
Imagine changing someone’s life.
Imagine: you show a person who has been overweight their whole life an approach to become thinner, fit and healthy – and they do exactly that.
Imagine: You show someone who is broke and struggling how to start a business and start making enough money to support themselves – and they start making that money.
As corny as it sounds, imagine influencing someones thoughts with a single blog post and they then go on to make an even bigger difference and change the world – this could be influenced and triggered by your very own words!
The internet is one of the most powerful tools, outside of whats between your ears, that can empower you and spread your message to possibly billions of people at almost no cost.
Whenever you speak up on your website, people all over the world have the ability to access and read what you say. Your words have never been able to travel so far in a such a short time – a matter of seconds, during any other period in history. Take advantage of that.
Get started!
Nothing is holding you back, take the first step – Register a Domain Name, get some hosting and install WordPress. It takes 5 minutes!
Of course, some people may give you some resistance and say you’re wasting your time starting a website to enhance your life. It’s all the rage to be anti-technology and I hear people saying “get off Facebook” quite a bit.
If you’re building a website and an audience for the purpose of improving your life then your time is productive. Ignore anyone who says it’s a stupid idea – when is the last time they built a website and fanbase? Never? Exactly, they have no experience behind their criticism.
I know for certain, it is an empowering experience when the above effects come into place, so attack with it enthusiasm!
Thanks for taking the time to read my post! If you have something to add, please leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you.
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