In general, achieving success in any endeavor is based on setting a goal, committing yourself to achieving it, and then persisting until you achieve it. What is sometimes overlooked, however, especially in the Internet marketing business, is how important it is to set the right goal.

When the going gets tough, it’s often the goal that keeps you going. So if, underneath it all, you don’t really believe in your goal… you may not find the necessary level of desire to persist through the inevitable challenges along your journey.

At this point you may think I’m preaching to the converted - yes, you already know about setting goals, right? But what I see when I consider the many newcomers - and even some ‘old-hands’ - who seem to struggle to build solid Internet marketing businesses is a focus on the wrong goal. Instead of starting Internet businesses for the sake of building great businesses, they are primarily motivated to achieve ‘financial freedom.’

President Barack Obama said, “Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a poverty of ambition. It ask too little of yourself. And, it will leave you unfulfilled.”

While I do not - and you may not - agree with President Obama on a number of issues, I think this quote captures the problem confronting many Internet marketers who fail to build effective businesses. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with wanting financial freedom - I’m all for it! - by focusing on it as the goal over and above the desire to build a great business, you ultimately end up in the same situation as anyone who does anything ‘just’ for the money.

As you may know from your own experiences and observations, when you only do something for an extrinsic reward - e.g. money - you are, by definition, not availing yourself of the opportunity to do something that is intrinsically rewarding or fulfilling. And, when you don’t find the thing you’re doing fulfilling - whether it’s a job or a business - it’s tough to keep going when obstacles appear.

And here’s the thing: unlike a job where you can count on a regular paycheck, a new business takes much more effort to get off the ground. So while you may be able to stick with an unfulfilling job because you know there will be a paycheck at the end of the week, you may not feel so motivated to keep slogging away in a business where no or very few sales are in sight.

As counter-intuitive as it might seem, the wealthiest self-made people did not build their fortunes simply to make money. Sure, they may have desired financial freedom, they may have regarded money as a way of keeping score… but there’s almost little doubt that they enjoyed the journey or game involved in building their fortunes. And it’s only logical - only an enormous amount of intrinsic motivation and momentum is likely to propel someone forward from, in some cases, poverty to multi-millionaire or billionaire status.

So, ultimately, the question is: are you doing what you love? Is your Internet business something you’d do if money wasn’t an issue, or is the hope of money the only reason you’re doing it. Make no mistake - building an Internet business, like any other business, is difficult. You are only setting yourself back even further (given the opportunity cost involved) if you don’t like the cut and thrust of the journey, regardless of the destination.

Anna Johnson publishes Internet marketing newsletter, Kikabink News. Go here to get a FREE subscription to Kikabink News as well as a FREE copy of Anna’s ebook, Killer Internet Marketing Tips, plus four FREE killer 60+ minute audio interviews with top Internet marketers: Killer Internet marketing tips

[tags]financial freedom, goal setting, Internet business[/tags]