Learning To Crawl Before You Walk

Making money online can be a tough business but it can be done with some patience and a map

Before a child can learn to walk, they must learn to crawl. I have heard it a dozen times. It seems silly to bring up when talking about money, but then again, is it?

I am sure the first time I tried to make money online was in 2014 or 2015. I remember deciding I was going to open up an Etsy shop selling arts and crafts. Back then, Etsy was still pretty new, and there were not many people talking about how to make it work.

Over the years since then, I have made a decent income online, not with that first attempt or even the second or third. It took me five years, off and on, to get it figured out. But still, to this day, my income is not steady, nor do I make enough to brag about.

I plan on changing that. I realized my focus was wrong and it hindered my growth.

Last year I set out on a mission to become a full-time writer and editor. I signed up for an online graduate writing program through a university, although I wasn’t sure which writing program I should be in; at that point, it did not matter. Learning to write better was a good place to start.

When I first started to apply it to working online, I did well. I even made a couple of thousand dollars last summer writing here on this platform. I was ambitious and had some things I could share that was useful. But the problem was my knowledge of the topic that was doing well was limited. So that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow vanished almost as quickly as it showed up.

Walking before crawling

I realize now that the metaphor “walk before you crawl” makes a lot of sense. Why? Because instead of taking the time to learn some basics about writing — or editing — I tried to jump in like I knew what I was doing.

Despite my college education, I wasn’t sure what to do next. I froze, which is where my income disappeared, or to go along with our analogy here — I fell on my butt.

I think falling is just part of the process, though, right? How many babies have you heard of who took their first steps and instantly became Olympic runners?

That is easy to answer — Never.

It takes falling a few times while building muscles before you can make it even across a room without falling or tripping over your own feet.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and life coaching. I already know this stuff, and I have come so close, but I keep miss stepping. I blame fear. But I am tired of being afraid — aren’t you?

I want to share a logical map to get from here to where you want to be. I am writing this for you, and I am writing this for me. We can do this!

Evaluate

No matter what you are hoping to do, it is essential to know what you are trying to accomplish. Not knowing has been a big part of my failure. Setting vague goals isn’t going to get either one of us anywhere. I want to be a full-time writer — that is my crawling. I will know when I am walking when I am a paid editor.

Once you have that much figured out, you can move on to ask yourself some questions like:

What do you already know that will help you?

I have taken a year of writing courses at the graduate level. I am not scooting across the floor on my back anymore. What education or life experience do you have that can help you on your mission?

If your goals are something brand new to you, that is ok! It is just important that you know where you are on your journey so you can gauge where you need to start.

No one knows everything, so what do you need to learn? Maybe you want to open an online store, but have no clue how to do bookkeeping. Or perhaps you want to teach English to foreign language students online, but need a certification? For me, I have had to painstakingly learn to become with English grammar.

The next step is to figure out how can you obtain the knowledge/skill. I just so happen to write an article on where to find courses to help kickstart your dream career. Most of the sites I list are ones I have used personally.

Some things you might want or need to know can be found through professionals or organizations. I had a wonderful experience learning how to be a proofreader through a specific company that focused specifically on teaching students A-Z of proofreading.

You might ask around or join Facebook groups in the specific area you are trying to be in and see if anyone can point you in the right direction. Working online can be lonely and confusing, so having a network of like-minded people is always a good idea!

Goals and plans

There is a difference between setting goals, making plans, and putting plans into action to achieve your goals. Your evaluation is a good time to set your goals. Be as clear with yourself as possible, although don’t worry if some things are still vague, time usually helps clarify things.

Now that you have your goals, make a plan. You know what you want to do, and you know what you need to do. So plan it out!

Set a date to get started. But remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day (are you loving my cliche metaphors yet?). Be realistic with yourself on how much you can accomplish in a day, week, month, or even a year. It is important because when you start trying to cram too much in a day, that is when you fall on your butt.

You most certainly can make this your full-time thing. Just be realistic with your time. You might not be able to cram a 30-hour training course in a week and actually absorb everything you learned.

Initiate with routine

Dr. Sabrina Stierwalt shared an interesting article about how long it takes to form a habit. I actually thought it was something like 30 days for some reason, but according to her and her findings, it actually takes an average of 66 days to form a habit or for something to become “second nature.”

She also talks about it not being easy for everyone to form new habits, and that missing a day or two here or there is ok. Again, you don’t be an overachiever, just give it your best. This is not a race against humanity; it is you growing as a human from an immobile infant to a walking toddler, then on to an Olympic runner, if you so choose.

I personally fight adult ADD, so I understand the pains of trying to form habits. I actually get addicted to things easily, but sadly, I also find myself easily getting distracted so my habits have been ever-changing over the years.

Thankfully I know that now, so I am able to set myself up for success. It takes a lot of energy for me to keep moving forward, but self-awareness has been my friend. Understanding your existing habits will help you start realizing what it will take to form new ones.

Know when to take the first step

So when do you go from crawling to walking? Repeating evaluations is a great way to see when you are ready. Go back a week, a month, or a year and look at what you have accomplished. Keep regular track of your progress. It can help you know where you were and where you are going. It is also a great confidence booster to see how far you have come!

Another thing you should do is keep an eye on how you feel about what you are doing. After a year are you still taking courses full time but not applying what you are learning? Are you in an entry-level position, getting bored because you have grown so much?

These are signs you are outgrowing your current status. Roll with it and set some new goals and put them into action.

Rinse and repeat. Before you know it, you will be walking!

Never stop learning

Education comes in many forms. You can learn from books, videos, courses, university, night classes, etc. Whatever works for you is the perfect way to learn. I can say for sure that learning has changed my life and I hope to never stop learning.

The more you know, the more you grow. And that is what this article is all about right? Your brain is a muscle and when you use it, you get stronger. Just like a baby learning to crawl and then learning to walk; muscles have to be used to stand up and then take any amount of steps across the room.

Eventually, those muscles are strong enough to have you out running around, climbing trees, riding bikes, or even becoming an Olympic medalist.

But not without building and continuing to work those muscles!

Final Thoughts

I hope that I have given you some food for thought here. Earning money online is a big dream. Seeing your dreams come to reality is manageable when you evaluate, set goals, and put your plan into action. It is much easier for most to just stay where they are because it can be painful. But just like becoming an Olympic runner — no pain, no gain.

Growth is hard, it hurts sometimes. You fall on your butt and want to cry. But I am here to cheer you on. Wipe those tears, enjoy the journey, crawl a bit and get accustomed to the view from this perspective before you jump up and walk. You might find obstacles you wouldn’t have seen otherwise that you can be prepared for when you do set off on foot.

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