8k in 8 days

It’s now Day 4, and for the past two days I’ve been dealing with issues that were not to be a part of “8k in 8 days”: technical challenges.

Despite my intentions for a smooth, bump-free 8 days, these technical issues were diverting my attention from my goal. But to ignore them was simply not possible.

Or so I thought.

It started with the new video and graphical skin I had created. It was different than ones I had made in the past. With an underwater scenic of abundant plant life and sea creatures, I wanted the video to almost blend into the setting. No border. No video player controls. No distractions.

I had tested a player that was freely available for personal use, and it worked perfectly. Absolutely perfectly.

For commercial purposes, there was a license to purchase, but instead of reading it carefully, I focused instead on other projects, and put that on the back burner. There were two other programs I could use that included a blank player function, so I wasn’t overly concerned.

When circumstances came into play that forced me to step up my game, I knew one of my assets would have to be used to achieve my objective of 8k in 8 days… my website offering video skins & videos: VideoOptinProfits.com

So I changed out the free video that had been up for some time, and put in place the new “Swim To Success” opt-in graphic/video, even though it was not quite finished. The mantra running through my head at the time was “Focus on completion, not perfection.”

Focus on completion, not perfection.

In the past, my focus was almost constantly on perfection. What I once thought was an attribute–doing the BEST I could with what I had (knowledge, skills, materials, etc.)–may possibly have been what was holding me back from the kind of success I was after.

At least that’s what I was led to believe by many successful, action-oriented people. Even the giants of technology, such as Microsoft itself, put out products that are not really finished. The goal is to get the product out the door and into the hands of paying customers as fast as possible, then fix what is wrong with it after that.

Despite knowing and understanding the logic and reasons behind this thinking, I still have a problem with it.

Perhaps it’s because I’m NOT Microsoft or Apple or Mike Filsaime or any of those companies or individuals who have captured the attention and dollars of millions, or tens of thousands as is the case with Mike. These entities already have a core group of customers who will buy with the knowledge that there may be problems, but that these problems will also be addressed eventually. They have a track record.

For those who are just being introduced to me and visiting my site for the first time, there is no changing their first impression if my work is subpar. There’s little room for error or mistakes at the beginning of our relationship. People make assessments quickly, and offering something that doesn’t work will not have them thinking favorably of me or my business.

It was with this in mind that I realized the files I had uploaded to my site were not going to work properly for the people who downloaded them, as I had neglected to include the javascript file that would get the player to function.

Ironically, this was quite fortunate for me, as I had not taken care of the licensing issue yet. It had slipped my mind when I was setting the site up for the new video/skin.

After reading the details on the license, it became apparent that the “perfect player” would not be playing my video. The terms were such that a fee would have to be paid for every single person who used the player on any one their websites. Far too costly.

So this meant I needed to use one of the other players. And that’s where the technical nightmare began.

In brief, I spent over 12 hours attempting to get at least one of the players to work in the ways that I needed it to. One would work well in one function, but would fail in another. Neither would perform all the tasks, and one would require having two different video skins, something I felt would be confusing for my customers. There were other issues as well, but those were the main ones.

I even paid additional money to upgrade one of the programs, only to find out the solutions I was seeking were not there.

What I had lost sight of, though, while setting out to have my aesthetic vision realized, was that because I was undertaking a time-bound task–8k in 8 days–compromise MUST become one of my tools.

Knowing when to stop and shift gears when something isn’t working, and then finding another way to get the same or similar result, is a trait I’ve been fairly accomplished at in the past.

But my bull-headed determination in this instance to have the video playing in what I considered the optimal setting thwarted my efforts at moving swiftly on to the next step of my 8k/8days agenda.

If early on in the technical shuffling I had stopped and considered all of the options available to me, I would have–albeit reluctantly–gone back to the same player I had used previously in other skins I’d created.

That would have meant changing certain aspects of the graphics to accommodate the larger player, which would have taken time. But it’s what I ended up doing anyway, after resigning myself to having no other choice.

Lesson learned.

Now I have much ground to cover, and not much time to do it in.

But there’s no towel being thrown in the ring.

It’s difficult for me to believe that I’ve been online for as long as I have–over 10 years–and this is my first post on my own personal blog.

Not that I haven’t had personal blogs. I just never wrote on them.

I have a few “blogs” on Blogger, but never published any content. I also installed two blogs on other websites of mine, and again, never wrote anything to be published.

Why did I choose not to write?

There are reasons. But this isn’t the place to mull them over.

Today I am posting on my first real blog for a reason. There is a purpose.

It is about a challenge that I have been wanting to take on for some time. A very visible challenge, so that there will be a different kind of pressure on me than if I had kept it to myself.

I registered the domain 8kin8days.com many months ago with this purpose in mind:

To Make 8 Thousand Dollars in 8 Days!

Interestingly enough, I also registered 80kin80days.com at the same time, and I believe at this moment that accomplishing that goal will be far easier.

Why?

Because while I’ve been wanting to throw down this gauntlet for some time, I have not done any planning to prepare for a challenge that starts today. None.

Except for a few notes I’ve scribbled over the past day and a half, I have no map to take me to my treasure.

A map can be crucial.

With an 80 Day Challenge, there is a tiny bit of time for maneuvering through the minefields and coming up with the map. Not much time, mind you, but a bit more than just 1 week and a day.

But due to a confluence of events, there is no other day to begin than today. Right now.

And so I begin. I will find the right guideposts and lodestars along the way that will lead me to my destination. Of this I have no doubt.

I also have products I’ve created and friends that I’ve made over the years who will assist with my agenda. It will be mutually beneficial, of course, whether it be an influx of cash for them as well as me, or a service I might be able to offer in exchange for their help in some other area.

You might ask, is it really possible to make 8 thousand dollars in 8 days without any lead-in to a product launch, or absent a mid or high-ticket item? And maybe you’ll question whether the challenging economic times will be a factor in whether or not this can happen?

Of course it’s possible, and the economy won’t have a thing to do with it.

It will be about me and the actions I take. Or don’t take. And how focused I am on my goal. It’s been hard for me to focus in the past. But I have some good friends who are helping me with that too.

It will also be about RELATIONSHIPS!

And that may be the most important factor of all.

When you come back to this site over the next few days, you’ll be introduced to a few of these very special people I call my friends. I’ll share how they’re making a difference in the world by helping people like you become more empowered to live lives that are full, and fun, and free from financial worries.

I have nice friends.

So come and join me on my short, but sure-to-be-exciting journey. I’ll let you know what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and the outcome of what I’ve done. Perhaps we’ll both learn a thing or two.

Kathleen