I ended the last post with the quote from Napoleon Hill:

We begin to see, therefore, the importance of selecting our environment with the greatest of care, because environment is the mental feeding ground out of which the food that goes into our minds is extracted.

The main reason I and many others choose to avoid the newspapers and news media as much as possible is because we believe in what Napoleon Hill spoke of often, that “what the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

Everything we want to create in our lives starts with us and our internal thoughts and beliefs. True success must be created internally before it is manifested externally. So, you cannot create prosperity when you are focused on lack or worrying about what may happen, or what you may lose.

What goes into your brain really does affect what you manifest in your life, so if you are reading the newspapers at the moment and watching endless news stories, you are going to be focusing on lack, poverty, rising prices, stockmarket crashes, doom, gloom, and problems. You are buying into mass beliefs that are being expounded by the media.

Do you really believe that there is less money in the world, all of a sudden? Do you believe that people are going to stop spending?

Instead of dwelling on the terrible news the media is broadcasting, you can choose to ignore it and create your own vision of abundance. Someone told me that more millionaires were made during the Depression than at any other time in history. I don’t know if that’s true, but certainly during times of economic difficulty people are still looking for solutions to problems. And when life is a bit depressing, we all know that people buy more of what they want to make themselves feel better.

Imagine the possibilities for you as a marketer!

You need to make the choice to control the information that goes into your brain, and start believing in prosperity, focus on your goals and take action. Take responsibility for your own abundance.

Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another. – Napoleon Hill

I have noticed a number of people recommending shutting off from the media, in order to avoid all the current doom and gloom. And I have seen a strong reaction from others who think this is crazy, especially with the US Election building to its climax and issues with the economy.

So, is a media diet tantamount to sticking your fingers in your ears and hoping the bad stuff will go away, or is it vital to your success and peace of mind?

In my opinion this discussion enters the realms of prosperity and abundance, which I promised to talk about on this blog (and so far have not mentioned).

I have been on a media diet for many years. I refuse to read newspapers or watch lengthy news reports. Am I burying my head in the sand?

Absolutely not. There is a big difference between going on a media diet and ignoring the world altogether.

I still listen to the news headlines on the radio or watch them on TV when I need to. I browse my local newspaper’s website to ensure I am up-to-date with what is happening. And I probably hear all the big news first on Twitter (honestly, I hope Reuters is following the Twitter stream)!

I do not read newspapers because I learned a long time ago that (a) they are not impartial and are governed by fewer laws than broadcast media (at least in the UK) and (b) they sell papers by being doom and gloom merchants. Newspapers are packed full of bad news… unless you read the tabloids, in which case they rarely carry news at all and are more focused on sensationalism and gossip.

Even broadcast media offers a slightly skewed view of the world by choosing what is news and what isn’t.

As if this isn’t reason enough to avoid the news, I realised that the two most negative people in my life are avid newspaper readers and TV news watchers. Is that just coincidence? Perhaps. But their negativity often refers back to the news stories they are consuming. If they were reading self-improvement books instead, or watching uplifting movies, would they be as negative? I’d love to find out. Are their lives more enriched by being more up-to-date on the minutiae of news than I am?

But there is more to my media diet than just my negative view of newspapers, I truly believe that the media plays a huge part in our successes and failures.

I’ll discuss this more in my next post, but if you need any hints beyond what I have already said, think on this other quote from Napoleon Hill:

We begin to see, therefore, the importance of selecting our environment with the greatest of care, because environment is the mental feeding ground out of which the food that goes into our minds is extracted.

Donna Fox wrote an excellent blog post last week which prompted some interesting discussions about women in Internet Marketing.

I didn’t blog immediately about it, partly because I wanted to mull things over a little first (i.e. not be reactionary) but also because I made a lot of my feelings known previously in these posts: Where have all the good girls gone? and Celebrate your differences!

But, this topic is slightly different from the focus of those posts, and in light of my new project (Secret Women’s Business Network) with Allison Reynolds and Barb Sabathil, I wanted to highlight one or two things.

As mentioned before, there are simply fewer women in Internet Marketing, although this balance appears to be gradually shifting, especially with so many women choosing to be SAHMs and wanting a career they can pursue from home. The imbalance is reflected in business as a whole – in the UK the latest figures show that the male to female ratio of self-employed workers is 3:1.

Also, many women have a different focus when it comes to their Internet businesses. Their priorities are often dissimilar to men, and hanging out with the top Internet Marketers is not necessarily one of them.

I enjoy male company and most of my closest friends are men (perhaps a throwback to my years in what was a heavily male-dominated career – radio presenting), but I understand that many women prefer to socialise and “hang out” with other women. That’s why SWBN has been created: to offer an environment where women can learn, network and mastermind with other women. This will appeal to some women more than others.

There are all-female business groups throughout the world, established for just this reason, so it’s not fair to suggest that male Internet Marketers shouldn’t have their own mastermind groups and friendships. We are all drawn to socialise with others like us, and we all like to network with people whose company we enjoy. Internet Marketers are no different. This may mean networking with other women, with other men or with a mixed community – wherever is most comfortable.

However, that wasn’t really what Donna Fox was writing about in her blog post. There are women in Internet Marketing who want and deserve to be known for being at the top of their field, and being accepted into the upper echelons of this business is part of that. They have set themselves goals to be the best at what they do. Part of this would naturally include being invited to speak at seminars and be recognised as one of the movers and shakers. And I think that female marketers at all levels need to see that happening – in any career, we need our mentors and role-models.

While I have no problem with the “boys club” within mastermind groups and social networks (none of us has the right to tell others how to pick their friends and associates), at events and programs that are supposed to bring together the cream of online marketers it seems unlikely (and remiss) that this wouldn’t include a number of women.

There may not be as many women at this level as men, but they certainly exist. I set myself the task of naming as many as possible off the top of my head and in just a few minutes came up with 18 (Donna Fox, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, Lynn Terry, Alice Seba, Michelle MacPherson, Rosalind Gardner, Julie Perry, Lee Milteer, Coach Deb, Kelly McCausey, Nancy Andrews, Sylvie Fortin, Sydney Johnson, Mari Smith, Liz Tomey, Mila Sidman, Lisa Preston, Loral Langemeier…). I’m sure if I delved deeper into the recesses of my brain I could name many more.

We all have our personal goals in life and our careers. Probably for most this will not include being recognised at Internet Marketing events. You may simply aim to be good at what you do and live the lifestyle that enticed you to online marketing. But for women whose goals include becoming a seminar speaker, writer and/or teacher in this field, it’s important to be recognised for their skills, not because they are women but because they are good at what they do. It shouldn’t be a question of sex, it should be a matter of talent.

And, before I upset all the men I respect in this business, I am happy to report that I have almost always been treated with respect at marketing conferences and meet-ups (not because I am a woman, but because I am a fellow marketer with as much to offer as anybody else). There are those that have patronised me for being a woman, but thankfully they have been the exception not the rule. Frankly, those that have been patronising are not people I want to hang out with anyway.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Secret Women’s Business Network and finding other women to network and mastermind with (or you simply want to learn more about online marketing in a fun and comfortable environment), please sign up for more information from SWBN.