I picture myself in a clear and definite situation. This way I'd see myself working with people I enjoy and who appreciate me and what I do for them. I would see myself spending quality time with my girlfriend at a fine restaurant. I'd see myself enjoying, tasting and living my life without any income, debt and work worries. I do this every single day.

Once I stop I'd give myself 15 minutes everyday to write everything down, what I saw and what I dreamed of.

I write all this in a positive and accountable manner. To give you an example of what your life could be let me show what a goal would be for someone who answered yes to my first example.

"I want to quit that job I don't like"

would become:

"I want to start my own business in fishing industry. Fishing is my primary hobby for 10 years and I know a great deal about it. Many will be interested in what I have to offer. And I want this business to provide me a comfortable living by 30th of September 2000."

"I want to stop working from 9 to 5, five or six days a week."

Would become:

"I want to spend most of my time enjoying myself and playing with my kids and for that matter I want to dedicate no more than 4 to 5 hours a day 4 days a week with that fishing business."

I guess you get point.

What you write must be:

1. Affirmative. You must write it in a clear positive manner.

2. Goal oriented. Your statements must define what you are expecting from life. You must make them clear on what you want and when you want it.

Once you start doing this exercise on a regular basis, your goals becomes clear and it acts as a motivation for your business.

This is not a flimsy psych up, it is a deep introspection on what you are really expecting from life and on what is truly important to you. Once you start seeing that movie on blank wall you not only define what you want. You live it! It will become so true that you'll want to live that every day for a full day. And this time you'll want to live it for real.

Do this exercise for next three days. Take one hour a day to imagine and discover what you really want and how you want it to be. Write it down as I showed you. Then you are ready to develop your business further.

More information on how to develop this type of business, please go to http://www.cjsmpublishingltd.com

Spy Routinely

Tracking your competition on Web is so much easier than it is offline, it's a wonder everyone isn't doing it. Doing so will give you a distinct advantage over all who do not.

Use Alexa which is free. Among other things, it reports visits to a site by other Alexa users. While likely not representative of all visitors, counts reported can be compared over time and changes noted. Clearly a surge in counts suggests an aggressive company is doing something right, and you need to discover what it is.

Track Link Popularity

Visit MarketLeap.Com Enter your URL and that of your competitors. You will see at a glance how many inbound links there are to each one. As above, an abrupt jump in links suggests company is doing something you ought to know about.

Take a giant step forward by checking sites linked to your competitors and arrange a link swap with them as possible. If need be, create a directory of links as a *service* to your visitors. Note emphasis here on benefiting your visitors, rather than your profits. (For further info about how to get this done, send any email to mailto:buildlinks@sitetipsandtricks.com )

Put A Magnifying Glass On Their Sites

A casual look at a competitors site is of little value. The better plan is to visit weekly and examine it closely, seeking to detect all changes. Even something minor can give you an important clue of benefit.

Be Imaginative

The whole of this topic was not covered above. For example, subscribe to your competitor's newsletters. Visit their forums regularly. There are a vast number of things you can check on.

Buy a product now and again. Or ask a friend to do so, if you've worn out your welcome. And somewhere in all this, get a handle on how they are handling complaints and returns. And their general level of customer support.

Continue to explore in every way possible. In increasingly hyper-competitive web world, big fish swallow up little fish at an ever increasing rate. You must be "biggest" to survive. Not biggest company, just best at what you do. Size matters hardly at all.