Today I’d like to share a little story with you which I hope will help anyone who is struggling to build their online business. It’s funny how sometimes out of blue something happens that can have a really positive effect on other aspects of your life.

Sometimes these little “surprises” are just what we need to help us to take a step back, reassess what we’re doing and see where we can improve.

Several months ago I had one of these moments and I’d like to share with you how it helped me kickstart my online ventures and make a lot of progress in a very small period of time.

I have a pretty regular routine: I get up, hit the gym, go to work and return home in the evenings. Due to this I like to get up around 6.30am (early I know…) and get a head-start on the day. This usually involves having a good workout before I begin work. As you can imagine the gym is very quite at this time of the day with very few people around. Only a couple of old retired guys in for their morning walk are there to keep me company.

Small talk is often exchanged, usually the same conversation over and over again. It usually centers around the weather we are having and ends soon after… I never really gave any of this much thought, it was just part of my daily routine and didn’t cause me much concern.

This is how my online business was operating at this time. Everything was moving along fine, but progress was slow to come by. I didn’t feel a need to change anything, I just figured it was the same for everybody else and I should just continue to meander along and success would come my way – someday soon.

What did Einstein say again, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result” Looking back I must have been insane if I really believed what I was doing was the best thing for my business. I was oblivious to any problems and was happy to meander along slowly and hope that everything would work out for the best…eventually.

But all this changed one day…. I had taken a week of annual leave from work and was catching up with some tasks around the house which I’d been putting off. Naturally I decided to give the 6.30am starts a wide berth for a few days and enjoyed every minute of my lazy lie-ins.

lawThis gave me the opportunity to do what I wanted with my day and so my much maligned schedule went out the window. I didn’t make it to the gym until 3pm, never had I been so late getting there – it almost felt like I was breaking some law by deviating from the routine!

Ya, that’s right I was almost institutionalized by the 9 – 5 Rat Race, so much so that it was still playing on my mind even on my week off.

So halfway through my session all was going well, I had loads of energy and felt really great. I was doing some Barbell Rows over in the weight area when in the mirror I saw somebody come into room. For a second I didn’t take any notice and thought to myself it was just one of the guys in for their daily run…but, no, I was wrong…

As I turned around I noticed it wasn’t one of the old retired guys standing before me but one of the hottest girls I’d ever seen. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. You see the gym that I use is fairly small and is on the outskirts of a small town, so generally is not very busy. I like it because its right on the beach and is a really beautiful spot on a nice summers day.

Back to the story… I wasn’t shocked to see a Hot Girl per se, but in nearly two years that I’ve been going to this gym I have never, ever seen one. This is a “guys” gym and because I religiously went at the same time every morning I only ever saw and spoke to the same people i.e. the old retired guys in for their morning constitutional.

All of a sudden the Old Retired Dude had been replaced by the Hot Blonde.

But what does this have to do with my online business?
You see like with my business when I went to gym every morning at the same time, I did the same workout, spoke to same people. Everything was the same, I never really tried anything different – it was part of my schedule, the system which had become my daily routine.

I never dared to stray from it, not out of fear but laziness. It was just so much easier to keep doing the same thing than to re-organize my day and try to do something a little wild, like working-out after work.

You see if I never changed my routine I would never have met the Hot Blonde at the gym, I would have just seen the same old retired guys every morning and would have been oblivious to what I was missing.

This got me thinking, if by doing the same thing over and over again in my real-life was holding me back from new things could the same be true for my business? You bet it could. Instantly I knew I had to take a step back, take a timeout and assess what I was doing and where I was going…

This was a pretty scary process but I’m so happy I forced myself to do it. Finally I could see where I was going wrong, sure I was doing “ok” for myself but was “ok” really good enough. Hell no it wasn’t…

I wanted to be successful enough to one day be able to way goodbye to the Rat Race and live a more relaxed, fun lifestyle. I wanted to be able to do that sooner rather than later and while I was young enough to be able to enjoy it all.

So what did I do?invest-in-a-mentor

I knew that if I wanted to my Business to be successful I would have to get some help. This lead me to invest in a mentor, somebody who had been there before, done that and bought the t-shirt. Sure I was skeptical at first but I’m delighted I made that decision.

It’s so refreshing to be able to get the advice off someone who has achieved what you aim to achieve – to be able to make enough money from their online business and be able to kill off their day job.

Now I’m not saying that you need to run out there and invest in some tuition to help you get to the next level, but I am saying that it could be well worth your while to take a step back from your business and look at it objectively and see where you are – and more importantly where you are going….

You may have an “aha…” moment where you see how one little change could speed up your progress ten fold. Sometimes they say “a Change is as good as a Rest” and by simply taking a breather and assessing where you and your business are at present you could be doing yourself a very big favor.

And who knows? You may just find your very own Hot Blonde at the gym!

So have any of you had any similar stories to mine – something that hit you and made you take a step back and reassess where you were going? I’d love to hear about them so leave a comment below…

P.S. I have a pretty big announcement I hope to be able to make very soon so keep checking back so you don’t miss out. Also, I will be posting Part 2 in our Traffic Series shortly so I hope you are busy implementing Part 1 and will be ready to rock it when I share the next stage with you.

All the Best,

Noel.


Noel
Noel

Easy going guy and founder of CunMark.com who enjoys traveling, live music and good coffee - as well as sharing tips and strategies on this blog to help others navigate the world of online marketing!

    37 replies to "How a Hot Girl at the Gym Saved My Online Business"

    • Miggy Arriola

      Hi Noel!
      So good to hear food news from you. And, yes, it’s insanity to hope a different result will happen with the same process. That’s why I always encourage innovation. It’s good to keep your eye on the prize and have the drive to get to it as fast and white hat as possible.

      You got yourself a mentor? I’m hoping to hear this BIG ANNOUNCEMENT of yours. 🙂

      I’m also progressing so much with my chosen business model. 🙂 Hope everyone has these feelings of progress, and the AHA moments keep coming!

      • Noel

        Hi Miggy,
        Thanks for another great contribution – I’m glad you business is doing well. It’s nice to hear about peoples progress & long may it last!
        Cheers,
        Noel.

    • Paul Conway

      Hey Noel

      Interesting analogy, I was expecting you to tell us that you married her 🙂

      I wonder what the Big announcement is my friend. Could it be a IC thingy I wonder 😉

      Keep up the great work
      Paul

      • Noel

        Hi Paul,
        Ya, I thought I’d try something this week and just ran with that story (which is true by the way..)
        Unfortunately no I didn’t marry, although it wasn’t for a want of trying 🙂 🙂
        As for the big announcement – you’ll just have to wait and see my friend…

        Cheers,
        Noel.

      • Dee Kumar

        Haha now that would be an interesting ending.. or maybe that is the big announcement!

        So true Noel that you often cannot expect better results with the same old habits. Change is hard, but it is great for you.

        It lets you pull back a little and look at the big picture. You get to see new things and allow you mind to work in different ways all of which help creativity and create opportunities.

        Great to hear you got a mentor too, I’m a massive advocate of having a mentor and I believe far more people should be open to them too.

        • Noel

          Ha haaa I wish that was the Big Announcement – but you’ll just have to wait and see!
          Thanks for adding your thoughts Dee, I always enjoy reading your comments and I know my other readers get a lot of good value from them too..
          Best,
          Noel.

    • […] Hi All, Good job setting up this site… I’d appreciate any comments on https://cunmark.com/hot-girl-saved-my-online-business/ […]

    • Rocky Rasakith

      Hey Noel,

      Great article. I’ve found that I tend to do the same things as you. I don’t like change, as a matter of fact, I hate it.

      It takes a humble person to admit when they’re wrong. I’m not a humble person because I hate being told my way of doing things are wrong. Lol, But I’m working on it…

      Can’t wait to hear about your big announcement. I’ll check out the rest of your posts.

      • Noel

        Thanks Rocky!
        Ya, I think change can be a scary thing – especially for us guys… It’s amazing the kind of stuff it takes to get our attention and make us mend our ways i.e. a hot girl in the gym 🙂

        All the best,
        Noel.

    • Sylvia

      Hi Noel,
      Great post as always. The Einstein quote is something I live by in situations in my life….and when it comes to IM you just gotta stop and evaluate. It sounds like your break was just what you needed…sometimes the best thing for a situation is just to give it a break so you can gain perspective to the situation.
      Looking forward to your big announcement.
      :)Sylvia

      • Noel

        Hi Sylvia,
        Ya, sometimes a break from the normal routine is just what the doctor ordered! Its always good to step back and have a look at the wider picture – and as you say give some perspective to the situation.
        Have a Good Weekend!
        – Noel.

    • Kevin

      Beautiful women, the beach, talk of quitting your day job, and money. Almost a perfect post. I’d say the only thing it’s missing is a nice cold beer. I definitely enjoyed the story/analogy.

      My aha moment came when I was in Mexico with my family. My younger brothers were throwing money around without a care in the world, and I barely had a few dollars to my name. I resolved to never be poor again. 3 months later I no longer feel the burden of having to live paycheck to paycheck. Sometimes it takes something drastic to make a change.

      • Noel

        Hi Kevin,

        Glad you enjoyed the post! Your correct, the only thing I was missing was a cold beer but don’t worry, that came later in the evening 😉 😉
        Good to hear about your success and that things are going well for you, keep up the good work!

        All the Best,
        Noel.

    • Kevin

      Noel,
      Thank You , great analogy (I’m Guilty!)
      Havn’t made my first dime yet.
      I look forward to hearing from you .
      Thanks Again,
      Kevin

      • Noel

        Hi Kevin,
        Good to hear from you! Ya, I thought the guys would enjoy that story (sorry ladies, it’s just the way we’re programmed!)
        Don’t stress about making money, just concentrate on giving value, doing something that you enjoy and the sales will come. Once you get the first sale onboard you’ll be even more motivated and your success will snowball from there:)
        Thanks for dropping by,
        Noel.

    • Daniel Carton

      Hey Noel,

      Cool story, I am glad that you are out of the rat race, it can be a horrid place to be.

      Although I have never experienced the rat race personally, my dad had a nervous break down and suffered from chronic depression for years from working 9 till 5 more or less his whole life.

      Glad you’ve broken the routine 🙂

      To your success,
      Daniel Carton

      • Noel

        Hi Daniel,
        Sorry to hear that about your dad, hope things are better with him now but you highlight an important point – being stuck in the rat race, doing something you loathe can really impact your life in a very negative way… I know it’s easily said but it’s very important for people to be happy & content with themselves and if their current job is putting them under pressure maybe it’s time to start planning an escape route.
        Hope all is good with you,
        Noel.

        • Daniel Carton

          Thanks Noel,

          He is more or less over it now. It wasn’t just the work that triggered the breakdown but a whole lot of stuff happening at the time.

          Good post, looking out for your next one, 🙂

          -Daniel Carton

          • Noel

            No worries Daniel, that’s good to hear!
            Cheers – Noel.

    • Christine Brady

      Hi Noel,

      First, what a great headline! Eye catching and intriguing!

      Looking forward to what’s up next with you…

      Breaking out of the mold is a wonderful thing!

      ~Christine

      • Noel

        Hey Christine,
        Cheers, I’ve been learning about writing better posts and I’ve been told the headline plays a Big part in everything so I’ve played about with it a little this week…I thought I’d have a little fun with and that’s the result 🙂
        Have a Great Weekend,
        Noel.

    • Karl Dieterich

      Hi Noel,

      Great headline and story!
      As a new member to MWA I’ve been enjoying the training and reading other members posts. I’m working on my speed reading skills LOL!

      Hope you get a chance to read my first blog post. It has an interesting, but very scary twist…
      -Karl

      • Noel

        Hey Karl,
        Welcome aboard – hope your enjoying MWA!
        I’ll call over to your blog now and have a look around.
        Cheers for stopping by;)
        Noel.

    • Muhsin

      Hi Noel,

      I got to say, your headline really caught my eyes. 🙂
      I always take a step back when I start to feel too
      comfortable.

      Because to me, when I feel too comfortable, it also
      means I am stagnant. And stagnant is very dangerous
      when it comes to running a business.

      What do you think Noel?

      • Noel

        Hi Muhsin,
        Cheers – I’m going to try and have a little fun with my headlines from now on;) People seem to be enjoying it!
        Oh, I bet – running the risk of standing still could be very dangerous because as I’m sure you know “if your not moving forwards – your going backwards”
        Especially if your competitors are working hard to pass you out then you could be in trouble. Hopefully we’ll stay ahead of the curve on this one;)
        Thanks,
        Noel.

    • Ade

      Yes, great headline…..it defies people not to open it. I tell myself to try to get out of my comfort zone once a day but it’s hard to do on a consistent basis…you have to balance getting things done and scaring yourself a little. I find you need routine to power through work but new experiences to learn. Too much new will tinker with your systems and processes. Finding the balance is probably a personal thing and depends on what you are trying to achieve I guess.

      • Noel

        “you need routine to power through work but new experiences to learn” – that is a great piece of advice. I might quote you on that sometime Ade, think it sums up the situation very well.
        Thanks.

    • Chuck Lloyd

      Hello Noel,

      Thanks for stopping by my blog the other day. Your story about the gym reminded me of when I use to travel across town to work. I use to try new routes to break up the monotony. For the last 10 years I have been working from home. I get up in the morning and walk across the yard to my office. I find that it is really easy to fall into the same old routine and my business probably suffers as a result. You have made me realize that I need to get creative again and look at ways to do things differently.

      Chuck

      • Noel

        Hi Chuck,
        No worries, your blog is coming along nicely – was glad to stop by and check it out!
        That awesome about your job, at the moment I have a 70 minute drive each morning and then again in the evening.. Hopefully one day soon I’ll be able to have that “walk across the yard to my office”
        Nice work,
        Noel.

    • Darryl Smith

      How your story resonates with me.

      This is why I want to kick the 9 to 5 which has now become the very insanity that Einstein spoke about!

      “Success can be achieved, but it is the way it is done”

      Darryl

      • Noel

        Nice quote Darryl, couldn’t agree more… Breaking free from the 9-5 is a scary thing for most but totally worthwhile if you really want to achieve some out of the ordinary 🙂
        Thanks,
        Noel.

    • […] How a Hot Girl at the Gym Saved My Online Business […]

    • Clare @ Help Pay Bills

      Hey Noel,

      LOL, love the analogy – but let’s get back to the important stuff – did you talk to her?! Are you now mates, or more?! LOL?! You can’t just leave us hanging?!! hahahaha!

      Haha, I have the opposite problem to you, I change too much and get excited about everything, I want to do everything rather than stick in a routine! I wouldn’t have it any other way though, now I am getting my head fully round stuff and taking some really strategic action, that’s what counts and the results are starting to happen!

      Best wishes with it all! Clare x

      • Noel

        Ha haa would you believe we’re married with 3 kids – lol only joking!! 🙂

        “strategic action…” I like that turn of phrase Clare, think you nailed it. Taking action is one thing but taking action on something that will move your business forward is something completely different. Good thinking….

        – Noel.

    • Michael Gorman

      Noel, I can totally relate to your central theme; I have been traversing the online marketing realm all this year, made the usual silly gaffs, setting up a fiverr clone-type site-dreadful, rushing ahead trying to re-invent the wheel, the fact that I am “I.T” savvy made matters worse-made me cocky. It is not untill i have found some quality help, advice and guidance that i am only now starting to get the idea,
      Great blog you have here by the way, best of good fortune to you!

      • Noel

        Thanks Michael, appreciate that mate!

        Hope everything goes well for you too!

        – Noel.

    • […] How a Hot Girl at the Gym Saved My Online Business […]

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