Have you ever wondered why rock bands like U2, Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, or Rolling Stones still keep playing music even when they have amassed more financial wealth than they will ever need in life?

After 25 years they still do the grind of travelling for hours, get on stage in front of the hot lights, and are rarely out of the public spotlight, when they could probably afford to live on a small island somewhere in the South Pacific and do absolutely nothing all day!

The reason they still keep playing music is they love their achievements.
What drives them to keep doing what they do?….They enjoy hearing the roar of the crowd, and hearing people singing their tunes for decades to come, and most of all filling someone’s life with a moment..happiness, tears..emotions.

Before starting any business, online or otherwise, think about the real reason you are doing it.

An online business should never be just about the money. Think this way and it will fail.

Most online businesses fail within a few months because people don’t create a long term plan for their business, or more importantly, a plan for their business life.

Here is a ‘lite’ version of my Ultimate Online Business Plan for Life:

Exercise 1: – Setting your Goals
Every business starts with an idea, but it takes goals to really turn those ideas and dreams into cash.
Write down 5 business plans – a 6 month plan, 12 month plan, 2 year plan, and a 10 year plan, outlining what you want to achieve in that period of time.
Don’t make these goals just about the business and how much money you’d like to make, add in personal goals as well, such as a holiday to somewhere exotic every year, buying a new car, spending time in a luxury resort with the family every few months, taking the kids to theme parks, buying a home overlooking the ocean, etc
If you don’t have any other goal other than just money, once the money starts coming in you will slacken off. Set real goals by cutting pictures out of magazines of your dream house, dream car, places you want to visit, and then stick them somewhere you will see them every single day for the next 10 years, and mark them off as you achieve each goal.

Exercise 2 – Planning your attack
Every business has competition, but like any marathon, there can only be a handful that will cross the line first. It’s not luck, it’s mental mindset, thinking creatively, and knowing your competitors.

Turn your self into a professional ‘web athlete’ – Before any race, an athlete doesn’t just walk up to the start line and run. They train their bodies, but most importantly they train their mind. They don’t look at the see of competitors in front of them at the starting line, they imagine themselves as they hit the finish line in first place.
Knowing their competitors strengths and weaknesses is also the key to winning.

Do some research online and list 5 major competitors, and 5 competitors you think may be a threat to your business, examine their business process, their strategy and what makes them popular. Look at ways you could improve on what they are doing and use this in your own business strategy.

Exercise 3 – Changing your mindset
Now, sit down in front of your webcam, or even a friend, and do a 3 minute Bio about your life…set 5 years in the future.
Talk about your background, where you started, your dream to create your business, your achievements over those 5 years, and your goals for the next 5 years.
These could include the family trip to Africa you took after your third year of online success, the fund you set up for a charity, or buying that dream home you always wanted.
It’s your dream you are creating…the limitations are only set by you. Dream as big as you want!

Now, picture yourself at your funeral.
Talk about how your business achievements changed your life, and how you changed other’s lives.
Did you donate to charity? Did you change the lives of street kids, help others achieve their business goals, give your kids the dream lifestyle that as a child you never had yourself.

If you start on these basic goal and mindset exercises, you will find creating your business becomes easy, and the money will follow!
Start creating your dream life now!

Author: Chris Bourke of Web SEO Coach and Devision Design

Chris is a web developer and successful affiliate marketer from Australia

Follow Chris on Twitter: twitter.com/webseocoach

Create your own six-figure online business today – www.UltimateCashBlog.com