Your value to the forces of society depends on what you contribute to their agenda.

In the past, when rulers needed masses of people, you were valuable if you could do the work they needed or fire the guns they manufactured. Today you are valuable, if you can take care of yourself.

That may sound harsh, but perhaps for the first time in history there is no need for masses of people who can settle lands, farm fields or move widgets in factories.

What is needed are people who can think, innovate, analyze and create, especially for those who are falling behind the rise of technology and the transformation to the digital age.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, looking at online business opportunities, you have to move right now to deliver solutions to your potential dream customers.  Based on a gap you see in the global marketplace, you probably have a business idea in your head for a product or service that could be valuable to a community you create. 

And if you don’t have an idea, you probably are interested in the opportunities of the global online platforms, and are ready to do the work needed to create your next source of income.

In that case, you are ready not just for the future, but also for the present where relying on yourself, changing your thinking, retooling and managing your approach to your own skills is the most important work you can be doing right now.

What does relying on yourself mean?

Relying on yourself means taking a look at your personal resources, the community where you live, and your internal drive to make change. First, you must recognize that no one is going to help you. There is no point in waiting for a handout or a directive to get you the life you want. You have to design the life you want or settle for the one that is handed to you.

If you do not want to settle, you must be proactive and decisive about relying on yourself to get what you really want.

To begin, start thinking only about the life you want. You will be responsible for your health, wealth and happiness. You will have to be ready to act on the opportunities that come your way.  You will also have to manage setbacks, as learning experiences.  Pull out the best outcomes and forget the rest as you reset to try again.

Also forget about the negativity and those petty fights, real and imagined, that you have with people who you really do not like.

Instead focus on striving for 1000% happiness in all the slices of the circle of life.

Decide exactly how you want:

• Your personal life – select the friends, colleagues and acquaintances you want around you
• Your family life – join with a partner who is aligned with you to build the personal home life of your dreams
• Your business or professional life – do the work you want to do and contribute your value with those who are interested in the same goals
• Your finances – manage your money, learn how to earn, grow, and keep the income you have to cover your expenses, and to secure a cushion for your life and beyond
• Your health – be happy to look in the mirror, eat food that you enjoy, address aliments immediately, get enough sleep and wake up strong, fit and ready to thrive
• Your future – know that you and the people you love, have everything they need today and after you are gone, and that you have so much to look forward to every day.

Build this vision. Now implement it.

How to Make Changes

Envisioning the life you want is the easy part, many people do that every day, but then take no action to make change.  If you are finding that’s you, you have to understand why you make the choice to do nothing. There could be many complex reasons, but most begin with ‘fear.’

Many people are afraid to go after what they really want in life because they believe they will fail, and then those around them will laugh or say ‘I told you so.’  Many believe that their dreams are too difficult to realize, or they do not have something – enough time or money, the right friends, the right product or service idea – to do what they really want to do.

Many believe they are too old or too young. Many just do not believe that a person can transform dreams to reality. After all, so many people are taught that you have to be lucky, born in the right place, into the right demographic or get help from the right people.

But none of that is true.

If you study the lives of successful people, you will learn how you can be any demographic, be from anywhere, and know no person of influence, and still fulfill all of your goals.

The common threads that successful people have are desire and persistence. They did the work until they met their goals. It did not matter when, how long, who was around, what the external environment was like, what the news of the day was, the weather, the economy…none of it matter.

They set the goals and worked to achieve them with a focus only on their actions, not on the noise around them.

Set Goals and Make a Plan

To achieve the life you want, you must set your goals and have a plan to achieve them. When you are young, it’s interesting that unless you play sports, you have little exposure to achieving goals. Yet everything we do should be set around goals. After all, we are playing the game of life and there is little point to a game with no goals and no way to measure victory.

Once you have your goals, you need a plan. And history has shown the most effective plan for your career, finances and lifestyle is entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is a path you control. You do the work, deliver the value, reap the rewards. While you may rely on others to work with you, you are still the boss with the vision.

As an entrepreneur today, you are also at an extraordinary time in history with the Internet and access to the global marketplace providing you with the technology and communication platforms to go far beyond your local community to find your potential dream customers.

You will quickly realize that if you have an idea for a solution, there are no doubt others somewhere in the world who have the need for your product or service, and they are looking for you.

How does online entrepreneurship help?

The fastest, broadest way to find your dream customers is online.  You can create an online business in a day and begin marketing worldwide immediately. You will probably get your first ‘look’ from a potential customer on the same day and will quickly find out if anyone is interested in what you have to offer.

Online entrepreneurship is open to any type of person. If you like to write, you can start a blog. If talking is your preference, you can podcast.  If you want to be on camera, there are multiple platforms where you can show your face.  You only need to understand the platforms and how you can set up and get started.

How do you make the transfer to online entrepreneurship?

Before starting your entrepreneurial journey to self-sufficiency, you should get prepared. Too many people jump in to start a business without accounting for the factors that lead to success – confidence, time, money, value, action and lifestyle.

And there are several foundational activities to take that transform your vision to action by getting started by building your workspace and schedule to suit the vision you have established.

Start today where you are.  Take 15 minutes and dedicate the time to doing your first research for your business. If you do not have an idea, start anyway by brainstorming what you like to do and where you might add value. Look at entrepreneurs you admire and see if there is information in their story that you can model to create yours.

When do you get started?

Deciding to prepare first to become an online entrepreneur allows you to start immediately.

Some worry about starting in the spring versus the summer, or on a Monday versus a Friday, or after vacation versus during a busy work week, the real time to start is right now. Many successful businesses were started during historically bad times. Closed doors in one place lead to open doors somewhere else.

The reality to understand is that every human wants health, wealth and happiness, at all times, in all places. If you have a business idea in your head, and you can identify how it addresses one of the core human needs, then you have an opening to start right away. There is no need to wait, especially if you think help is coming.

The only help you’ll have is from your own mind and your own actions.

You just have to get started.