Prerequisite: Ongoing Knowledge Acquisition
During my online adventure spanning the last 15 years I have had some pretty darn aggravating days. Days where things did not work as I expected, scripts throwing errors and applications not working for no apparent reason. It is just those kind of days that I tend to learn the most…
So I understand the frustration of not understanding how things work or not having them work as easily as one would prefer. New environments, new applications, new combinations, new control panels, new technology comes out every day. There will be glitches, there will be new things to learn and there will always be new problems to solve.
Frustration along with learning is part and parcel of participating online. Every day is a new adventure where one has to be open to learning so you can be willing to try and comprehend that what you perceive as a glitch may not be a glitch at all. Or that the application which may not be working as you presumed it should, is not actually broken, but just that you may not yet understand how to utilize it properly.
When you find yourself in these situations, look at it as an opportunity to learn! Then, eliminate anything you did, should not do, didn’t read or didn’t apply before you jump on the “it’s broken” bandwagon. Avoid lamenting to others that something is wrong or not working right while protesting that things are not as easy as you assumed they would be or should be. That approach will most certainly lead to your online business’ demise.
Take a deep breath and start over and go through whatever is challenging you at the moment — slowly with patience — step-by-step. You most likely will find that you overlooked a feature, Submit or Save button or did not follow the instructions necessary to accomplish what you would like.
When faced with overwhelming tasks that require learning new things, make a list and put the things you need and want to learn in order of priority. Then, make a point of tackling each one by one until every item on your list has a big fat check mark next to it (That may not happen because you may find out like I did that I keep adding to my list!). By taking things one step at a time and tackling one issue at a time, it won’t seem so paralyzing and yes, maddening.
Considering the complexity of everything that goes on in the background without the majority of user’s knowledge or requirement of understanding, it really doesn’t get any easier than this. In my view, learning how to use new applications, reading instructions, FAQs and forums in their entirety to resolve the issue du jour is a small price to pay considering the ultimate benefits.
Making the effort necessary to learn what is needed so that you are comfortable in the online business environment is not a choice — it is a prerequisite for those serious about online success.
At your service,
Judith
You may also enjoy:
- Accusations Without Understanding?
- Know What You Don’t Know
- Your Greatest Enemy? Yourself!
- Where is the Online Success Easy Button?!
- “If You Are Not Learning; You Are Falling Behind”
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