You probably read my headline and thought, wait a minute, isn't that backwards? Isn't it supposed to be "Ready, Aim, Fire?"

Well, a year ago I might have agreed with you. But not anymore. What changed? I did! And boy am I glad I did.

Let me tell you a little story. Up until last year, I was one of those people who planned everything down to the smallest detail. I guess you could say I planned things to death!

Ever heard of "analysis paralysis?"

Well I had it big time! I just was not comfortable doing anything, especially in business, until I had done ALL my research and put all my ducks in a row. As a result, it often took a long time to get up and running with new ideas.

Then I experienced "Ready, Fire, Aim"

Last fall, I was first introduced to the concept of "Ready, Fire, Aim" at a seminar where I was thrown full bore into this way of thinking and acting. Talk about baptism by fire!

Not only did it change me, I learned something. That I could learn more and do more faster if I didn't get caught up in overanalyzing everything. I came home excited about adopting this new approach to my life.

What happened?

Well, my business and I have grown more in the last eight months than either had grown in the past seven years.

I've made some mistakes, but another funny thing happened along the way. I realized the mistakes DIDN'T KILL ME! In fact, I've learned more from my mistakes than from my successes.

I learned mistakes are a GOOD thing!

Suddenly everything I learned in school about NOT making mistakes just didn't fit anymore. Mistakes don't make you a bad person or even an unlucky person. They make you a smarter person!

They say Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he successfully invented the light bulb. I hope we don't have to fail that many times before we find success, but what I do know is every mistake and every failure brings us one step closer to success.

Don't get stuck

You may be wondering why someone who advocates planning (The 10stepmarketing System is ALL about creating a marketing PLAN for your business) is touting the virtues of "Ready, Fire, Aim," the seeming antithesis of planning.

It's because I don't want you to get stuck like I was for so many years.

Get into the game, even if you think you're not ready

Not getting out there and into the game because you're afraid you're not quite ready or might make a mistake, IS the mistake. Don't make it!

My advice? Take the time to create a marketing plan for your business but don't get bogged down if you still have questions or uncertainty about how to market effectively. Just start. Do the best you can and KNOW you will learn more every step of the way.

It's the only way to discover YOUR "magic marketing" formula

The longer you're out there actively marketing and tracking your success and your failures, the closer you'll be to finding your "magic marketing" formula.

Your "magic marketing" formula brings together exactly the right marketing activities with the right marketing message and the right audience in the right place at the right time for YOUR business to result in HUGE success!

While there are some basic marketing principles that will help you get to your magic formula quicker, nothing replaces good old testing and fine-tuning. After 20 years in the business, I still practice it regularly. Because I know there are certain things you can do to set yourself up for success, but at some point you just have to go for it.

Are you stuck?

If you're stuck without a marketing plan or you'd like to learn some simple steps you can take to position your business for marketing success, The 10stepmarketing System can help. This simple system tells you exactly what you need to do, step-by-step, so you can uncover your "magic marketing" formula quicker. Don't get stuck trying to figure it out on your own. Get help at www.10stepmarketing.com.

Learn "Ready, Fire, Aim" the way I did

I can teach you how to market your business more effectively, but sometimes to find true success we also need to change ourselves. If you're committed to being healthier, happier and richer and you're willing to be pushed beyond your comfort zone to accomplish that, I highly recommend T. Harv Eker's Peak Potentials program. It's where I learned to live "Ready, Fire, Aim!" and I know I'll never go back to the way I used to be. You can learn more here.

(C) Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa