Outcome vs Doing?

I'm not much for self-improvement. Same goes for following the latest in health. I figure most of that stuff is common sense. I think it was Frank Kern who once said the entire weight loss niche can be summed up with "put the fork down and move around a little." That's pretty much my health regime. I'm not kidding. Quoting Frank Kern dates me in this biz. He was a huge influence within the internet marketing industry 10 years ago. So big that he would issue a popular annual "State of the Internet" address. ​[Watch his 2012 State of the Internet address here](=). Self Improvement makes an appearance once again Despite my apathy toward self-improvement, I once in a while delve into it in these newsletters and will do so again today. 60 minutes ago I was sitting thinking about what I felt like doing next. That thought was followed by what do I like doing. That was followed by what do I REALLY like doing as in what part of this online publishing business do I like above all else? And that's when it hit me, and it's not the first time this has occurred to me, and that is there is a big difference between liking the outcome and liking the actual doing. Outcome vs Doing I suspect some folks choose a career, a business or pursuit based on the outcome instead of the actual "day-to-day" work involved. Take law as an example. Being a lawyer looks pretty good on paper. Decent income. Wear fancy clothes (some do). A certain level of prestige. Exciting trials. Pursuing justice. Helping people and hard-done-by mega corporations. The reality is it can be stressful, long hours, unhappy clients (especially when they get the bill) and tidal waves of paperwork. If you don't like paperwork, reading and writing, you would loathe law despite the perceived benefits as a career. It's no surprise to me that what I chose to do after wondering what I felt like doing is writing this email. I enjoy writing these emails. In fact, of all the various tasks I do to run this publishing business, my favorite is writing. Writing is what got the ball rolling. I wrote everything for years in the beginning. I did not have a budget to hire people. I was able to write and write and write because I liked it. It's true I was gunning hard to build up a small online publishing company that would earn a living but it sure helped that I liked the day-to-day task of writing that got me there. Had I not enjoyed writing as much as I did, I wouldn't have achieved the "earn a living" outcome. These days I don't write as much as I used to. My little publishing business is more a business than solo me writing a blog. Despite that I enjoy writing above all else. Specifically, I prefer writing on only some topics above all else. This is key. My favorite topics are topics I have personal experience with. More specifically, experiences I enjoy. How can you tell you like a topic? I can't speak for you but I'll speak for me. I know I like writing on a topic when I don't rush it; when I want to put the time into creating something good. I care about it. Often these articles take much longer than I expected when starting out. They evolve into something good and once in a while great. I guess some would call it flow. There's a self-improvement term for ya. This is interesting because I've jumped into niches based on what I thought I would enjoy or wanted to enjoy. In other words, I would learn about something for the niche site, not the pursuit itself. While some of those sites do okay, they aren't stellar. And it's true that you could begin a pursuit to serve a niche site and end up loving it. When I jump into niches that don't excite me, I end up hiring writers to carry on. This is a common progression but it's not the only progression. Since I like writing and manage to pen decent stuff when I'm interested in the topic, it makes sense I write some of it myself. I'm not knocking hiring writers. That would be ludicrous. In fact, being a publisher who hires writers instead of being the lone writer is a more likely approach to a 7-figure site. Should you pursue it as a business or a lifestyle or both? Some folks talk about pursuing blogging purely as a business. It's sound advice. Choose a niche based on potential revenue. This makes sense. If you're going to put in a Herculean effort to earn, you might as well earn as much as possible. While that works for some, it doesn't work so well for me. I don't get around to doing things I don't like doing when there are things I could do that I enjoy more even if it earns less. Fat Stacks is a good example. I know I could do so much more to build the FS but I don't because there are certain tasks I prefer doing. The only consistent with Fat Stacks is this email newsletter and evolving my course. Even then, I'm not exactly Mr. Consistent with the emails. The emails and the course are my preferred tasks. That sums up the business. The debate will rage endlessly... should you make decisions based on interests or money? Once in a while the two align but more often not. There are people who are really into personal finance or weight loss or writing about hosting services... three notoriously high-paying niches. For me, I fall on the interest side of decision-making just because I'm more inclined to see it through than if I go purely for the money. This biz is a long, hard slog to make gains. I prefer to enjoy as much of it as possible along the way. The only pressing issue for me now is what do I feel like doing next? Jon Fatstacksblog.com ​ [Unsubscribe]( | [Update your profile]( | 2016 Hill Drive, North Vancouver, British Columbia V7H 2N5