Baby Steps…

It was a little over four years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday! It was such an important day and what made it even more special is I didn’t even know it was going to happen.

My second oldest son invited my wife and I over to his home to see his one-year-old baby, my first grandson. This happens on a regular basis, but I did not realize that this day was special. Any time that happens, my wife and I pretty much drop whatever we’re doing and rush right over. We adore this little family.

As my grandson was getting older, he was getting pretty good at crawling and even pulling himself up on the furniture and scooting around. But he still had not walked. None of us were worried as we knew that this child was a prodigy.  Brilliant. Dare I say genius. No, I’m not biased or anything, am I? 😊 He would walk in his own time at his own pace.

Well, when we arrived at their house, we said our greetings, gave our hugs and quickly pushed the parents aside so that we could see our wonderful bundle of joy. For some reason, my son grabbed his child and got down on our level and pointed his boy towards me. He then said, “Go Get Pop!”

To my amazement and sheer joy that baby took three or four steps on his own and then three or four more running steps before he fell into my arms. My little guy had just walked and then ran into my arms.

Now I must admit that since I have become a grandparent I have started to get a little more emotional. I’ve always been a sentimental guy, but when this child came into our lives it’s like the floodgates of joy will open up at any time.

This time was no exception. I got pretty weepy eyed and it wasn’t because there was dust in the air or someone was cutting onions. My baby grandson ran into my arms and then giggled as I squeezed him and tickled him with beaming pride. Yes, I was right, the kid was a prodigy!!!

Now if I can be perfectly honest, I had been waiting for this day for a very long time. It seemed like forever before the kid was going to walk. But he did finally walk.  And when he did, it was worth the wait. I had forgotten about it all those times when I was asking “When is the kid going to walk? When do you think he’s going to run so that we can play tag, or play frisbee, or play baseball and football?”

But all those memories of me hoping that he would walk soon vanished. They did not matter. He was walking now. And not only walking, he was walking to me, his Pop!

It no longer mattered that he had not walked up until this point. The kid had literally stepped into his future when he took those first steps.

But, Ohh, there’s a lot that led up to that point. A lot of rolling around, then learning to crawl, then using a baby walker and a lot of prompting. In other words, there was a lot of work that went up to this moment. And, all that work was worth it because the end result landed in my arms. Just thinking about this event makes me a little bit glassy eyed again.

Now that boy is a five-year-old running phenomenon. I can’t slow him down! And, I get to do all those things that I dreamed about in his backyard or at my home or in a park. We run, we play tag, we play baseball, frisbee and football. And usually after we are both tired out, he ends up in my arms like he did that very first time he took his steps.

Since that day, my wife and I have been blessed with more grandchildren. And, we have been fortunate to be around for many first steps. It never gets old to see those you love succeed after working so hard to realize their potential.

Just yesterday, I was at my son’s home, and my youngest granddaughter heard me come through the door. She’s already walking and keeping up with her brothers like nobody’s business. When she saw me, she ran to me, smiled and put her arms up for me to pick her up. That feeling I get of pure joy will never get old as I watch my people succeed in life.

Every time I see my grandchildren walk or run, I am reminded of how they started and how far they’ve come in getting around to do whatever it is they want to do.

So, what does this have to do with running an online business? Well, I’m glad you asked!

When I first started this venture, I could barely “walk.” Check that, I couldn’t even crawl.  I was so lost in this business that I didn’t know where to start or what to do. But I was determined to learn and become successful. Then, I read a book called The Iceberg Effect that changed everything for me.

After I read this book, the fun began! I won’t go into the detail of all the WINS in this blog as that would take volumes, but here are a few things that I learned and successes I’ve achieved along the way that helped me get to a point where I could crawl.

I learned that before I even started I needed to get in the right mindset and understand why I was doing this business and where to go to get help. I had to learn that if I wanted to be successful I needed to trust a proven process and follow certain steps in order to get to a good place before I could even begin to set things up.

After my mind was in the right place, I had to learn about marketing, setting up a website, protecting it and keeping it safe from outside influences, and generally rethink everything I thought I knew about systems.

I had to really learn about emails and other forms of follow up. I had to learn stuff that I already thought I knew but in reality, I was clueless.

I had to learn about payments and invoices and setting up a business legally to protect me personally and financially.

I had to learn how to combine several systems in order for the back end of my business to run smooth and relatively effortlessly.

I had to learn about organic and paid marketing. I decided to do both so I had to learn how to set up and write a blog organically and then choose a Social Media marketing platform which is a paid option.

These are just a few of the things that I had to learn while I was just discovering how to crawl and pull myself up before I could walk.

I quickly realized that I would need a lot of support and training before I could do any of these things and progress further. There were still many processes which required learning.

I was so fortunate to receive this training, but the outstanding coaching and mentorship I also received was unexpected and a valuable bonus.

And to top it off, I formed relationships with others in the same business.  We share knowledge, lift each other up and even talk socially.  We realized how much we had in common even though we were so different.

And then it happened! I looked in my account and there it was… someone had purchased a product that I was promoting!

I closed out that tab on my computer and reopened it just to make sure I was not seeing things. I wasn’t, I had finally made some money online.

Now, to be honest, it was not a lot of money. But to me, any amount of money was priceless. I was so excited that I printed the sheet from my account and framed it and placed it on my wall.

Where I’m from, small businesses will often proudly display the first dollar that they made. Since my business primarily deals with online sales and funds coming in digitally, I don’t have an actual dollar to post so I just framed and hung the statement on my wall. I look at it every day as a reminder of what is possible.

That first dollar symbolized my very first step. I was now walking. Since that day, I have made more sales and am on my way to doing more than just walking but actually taking many steps toward reaching my goals.

And one day, I’m going to be running.

My mentors, coaches and peer support colleagues/friends were very excited for me and celebrated with me on my way to becoming successful.

Yep, I’ve taken my first steps and I look forward to many, many, many more!!!

If you’re just starting out or looking to build your online business, The Iceberg Effect book is a fantastic resource. It’s FREE (you just cover the reasonable shipping cost) and filled with the essential guidance that helped me get started. Grab your copy here and start building your business the right way!

Now, I’m off to go visit my grandchildren and watch them walk and even run!  And, I’ll always be here to catch them when they choose to run in my arms!

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

And of course, a few VERY BAD Dad jokes:

Why was the baby so calm about walking for the first time? They knew they had a “step-by-step” plan!

How do babies celebrate taking their first steps? They throw a “feet-stival” of joy!

 Until next time, STAY FRESH, Friends!

 

 

 

**If you are curious about this process and wish to know more about an affiliate marketing business, please subscribe to my newsletter here to learn more.  And please continue following my blog.  My hope is not only to create the freedom I so long for but pass on what I have learned to others who have similar aspirations.