Fate, opportunity, and tiny decisions

by 5buckguy

I woke up this morning realizing how incredibly lucky I’ve been in my life. And for some reason my mind was reminding me why I’ve been so lucky.

I’d like to share some of those thoughts with you, because I think they’re an important lesson on some things.

First, we hear the saying a lot: Opportunity doesn’t knock twice.

Do you believe that? I don’t. It’s constantly pounding on the door with a sledge hammer, but that’s a subject for another day.

Then there’s fate, which is defined in one spot as an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future.

Do you believe that? I don’t, at least not totally.

Which brings me down to the 3rd thing in the title of this post, which is “tiny decisions”.

When looking back on my life, and to what led me to some incredibly “lucky” breaks, I can point in most cases to some tiny decisions that I made before things started happening.

I’ll mention a few of my top stories, I won’t tell the story, unless enough commenters ask for them for later posts, otherwise this post would get miles long.

So some tiny decisions that changed my life…

I decided to sell a few beanie babies in my retail store one day, against the wishes of my wife, and that tiny decision led to my becoming an Internet marketer.

That’s a tough connection to make, isn’t it? It happened.

I made a blog comment once, I think it was the first comment I ever made since I was so shy at the time, but I made the tiny decision to do so that day, and it ended up eventually turning into my book, “5 Bucks a Day”, which has sold over 5,000 copies, plus the things that followed.

A blog comment turned into a book and turned into a 6-figure income? Yep.

I made a tiny decision to purchase a resell rights license for $97 one day, which ended up being a turning point to the formation of Earn1KaDay.

Actually that one was really weird because that day I woke up earlier in the morning than normal, and went over to the Warrior Special Offer section, which I rarely do or did in the morning, and there was the WSO. I made the decision to buy it, and later in the day it had sold out.

Fate? Destiny? Maybe, but it was the tiny decision to click on the buy button that turned it into a life changing event.

Another huge one… In July last year, I decided to open an email (I trash most without reading past the subject line), and in it was an offer to rewrite sales copy for a bargain, though not cheap, price. I made the tiny decision to take the person up on their offer.

I still don’t know why I did that, but I did.

And then during that process, our personalities seemed to click, and a couple short remarks to each other led quickly to the business partnership that I enjoy with Rachel Rofe, a partnership that will most likely last for life.

And a decision she made one day to buy a certain book, to read it, to recommend it to me… that tiny decision of hers, and of mine to read a book I never would have thought of reading, led us to make a commitment to one day soon build a school, or schools, in a disadvantaged country. Which will improve the lives of who knows how many children and families, and generations to come.

What would have happened if I didn’t open that email, if I said no, I don’t need the sales page rewritten or can’t afford it, if, if, if…

We never would be partners, or had a chance to change even a small part of the world.

Or if I had never sold beanie babies, I might never have become an Internet marketer.

Or if I wouldn’t have gotten out of my comfort zone and left a blog comment, I might never have written my eBook, or started Earn1KaDay, or be out of debt, or be writing this post today.

And while a handful of tiny decisions have shaped my life, my career, my income, the scarier part is…

How many tiny decisions did I not make that would have been equally life changing?

That’s an unknown, and a shame.

How are you at making tiny decisions? Can you point to one or more that have shaped your life?

So my advice is, the next time you think of procrastinating about making a decision, of forgetting about ideas, of not improving yourself by reading a book, attending a webinar or a seminar, making a purchase that will certainly help you, walking up to someone and introducing yourself, or otherwise getting out of your comfort zone …

… stop, think, try to see how a tiny decision will benefit you in some way, and if it might…

… think about what the worst that could happen from the decision, and though you won’t know the best that can happen, remember…

One different tiny decision every few years could shape your life in a very positive way.

So don’t be afraid of those decisions. Embrace them. Make them.

All your tiny decisions won’t work out. They don’t have to. Just one or two could shape your life. So…

Get into the habit of making just one tiny decision every day that you might not have made before reading this post, and I guarantee you, in a year’s time, probably much sooner, you’ll be happier, you’ll be more successful, you’ll be more confident. And in the future …

… when you’re my age, I hope you can look back and realize that the tiniest of decisions were the most important of all.

I’m not in any way saying that larger decisions aren’t important, like who to marry, how many children to have, what house in what town to buy, what college to go to, all that…

Those are imporant decisions also.

But the tiny ones, the ones you normally don’t even think about, the ones most people don’t make…

Those can be the most important of all. So start making them. Start making them today.

Please, if you liked this post, I’d love your comment below, or at least click on the “like” button so others will be drawn to this blog and post.

Print Friendly Version of this pagePrint Get a PDF version of this webpagePDF

Facebook comments:

  • http://marketingmorsels.com Debbie

    Dennis,

    Excellent post and so true. Sometimes the decisions we make don’t have immediate ramifications. We only come to know their true significance much later.

    Sometimes we decide based on knowledge, sometimes on a gut feeling. Both are equally important.

    Yes – what we decide, when we decide it, even if it seems like a ridiculously small decision, can have a huge effect on our lives.

    And that’s scary and fun at the same time.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.petiquettedog.com Leila

    Dennis: good post, well written. I completely agree, that small decisions, small events can lead to major life changes. Also sometimes life forces us to make changes and pushes us WAY out of our comfort zone and you have to make a move. It always fascinates me when I struggle fervently against a change but then once I make it and look back it has had a major impact on my life.

    And, sometimes something small like reading an email from Will Matos when I was in a hurry and read it instead of scanned brought me to 1Kaday.

    Everything can be a lesson, an opportunity, a blessing, a curse—depends on what you do with it -)

    [Reply]

  • http://www.shoestringmarketer.com Norene

    Dennis,
    I think it is not only the small decisions that you make, but also the actions that you take based on those decisions. You bought a $97 ebook. It could still be sitting on your hard drive never opened! But you read it and took action. So, I think a lot of ‘luck’ is the decisions that we make, and then how we act on those decisions. Great post, as always! -Norene

    [Reply]

  • Ron

    Great post Dennis,

    I beleive sometimes, little nuggets of gold are found in the tiny things we do. Just
    like free material, Ive found more value in some free resources than I have paid, sometimes. Always keep an open mind on things.

    Thanks,
    Ron Brantley

    [Reply]

  • http://kittyclarkskincare.blogspot.com/ Kitty

    Read your post with my morning coffee and it was a great way to start off my day. Saw a webinar of yours the other day that moved me to make my project list and GET MOVING. Thanks ever so much!

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    You’re right, Debbie, sometimes you won’t know for years how the tiny decision will work out. That’s what makes life so darn interesting.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    That’s a great way of looking at it, Leila, and I hope you’re enjoying Earn1KaDay.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.runfrommoney.com Thomas Northrop

    Hi Dennis

    As I read your post many thoughts crossed my mind about how things happen in life.

    But in the end I just felt thankful.

    Thankful that we live in a country that makes success stories like yours and Rachel’s possible.

    I suppose what brought that on was when I read about you building a school for children in another country.

    My very first thought was “Gee there are so many people in this country that could use some help right now”

    But, upon further reflection I realized that even the poorest person living in the United States lives in luxury compared to so much of the population of the world.

    We are truly a blessed nation of people thanks to the hard work and foresight of those who ran this country before us.

    We should be humbled by the thought of what our lives could have been like if we had been born in one of the third world countries. Countries where getting fresh drinking water is a luxury.

    I for one am thankful to be living in this great country and the chance to enjoy this life.

    And, I am thankful for your blog post which reminded me how lucky I am to be here.

    Thomas Northrop

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Thanks, Norene. Yes, a decision just to buy something and then do nothing really won’t change anyone’s life except maybe the person you bought from. :-)

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Absolutely, Ron, ah ha moments and life changing advice can come from things that cost very little or nothing. I hope this free blog post might be one of those times. :-)

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Awesome, Kitty, thanks for taking action after the webinar, that makes me very happy.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    That’s a great point, Thomas.

    And the thing is, Rachel and I couldn’t build a school in the U.S., could we? First of all, every community has them, I’m sure. And then there would be politics involved. And then it would cost far more than we could earn in a lifetime.

    A budget of around $50,000 could build a school in a disadvantaged area, and make a ton of difference to the children that get to take advantage of it, who otherwise would grow up to adulthood without a proper education.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.comedybirthdaypartymagician.com Douglas

    The decision to not make a decision becomes more critical as we get older. When you are young it seems like you have all the time in the world. You can put reading, learning, doing and experiencing something off until later. But as time moves on and the top of your hour glass empties it becomes more critical. Saving for a rainy day can also mean saving time for later. Making a decision today means you will save the time spent later going over the same ground again. There will be new decisions to make tomorrow. Do we really have time to revisit the same ones again? Decide today and move ahead.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Douglas, it might seem more critical, but when you’re younger, the effects of those early tiny decisions have more time to really bear fruit. Like planting a tree, if you wait until late in life, you won’t have as much of a chance to enjoy the beauty of it.

    So I’d recommend anyone to start getting in the habit of making those tiny decisions now, not put it off.

    [Reply]

  • http://none,yet Jon B

    Dear Dennis, enjoyed your post. I’ve made many tiny decisions in my life-some led to progress, some to my detriment (more often than not, they led to the latter). Consequently, I am very afraid of branching out. I read an email some time ago-think it was Mitro Patrakainen-and it said “learn to hate the comfort zone.” That’s tough. That is the only place I know of that provides any security or self-control of my circumstances-outside of that, I feel like I have absolutely no say in what happens with my life. I don’t like this dilemma. I agree that tiny can lead to greater-after all, each of us started out as two tiny cells that had never met each other before…Maybe it’s time for me to stop wasting away and do something beneficial for myself and others. I’ve never felt comfortable having good things happen for me when there are many others around me that have not much that’s good in their lives to talk about. Just my own obstacle, I guess, but I think that there may be other readers who never learned to value money and success simply because they had no exposure to either while they were growing up. It’s an overlooked problem that educators have not addressed. Still enjoyed your post. Maybe I need a very large shell-cracker:)

    [Reply]

  • Dacia Stuckey

    For the past few years I wanted to make money online but, I would make one excuse after the next. I would convince myself that there’s no way I could start an online business because I’m living on fixed income. I took action by writing a budget and saved a certain amount of money per month to purchase my computer. I reached that goal in less than a year. Then, I read an ebook on how to sell items on ebay. I took action; now I’m an ebay seller. Now my goal is to become an Internet Marketer. After reading one of your recent post I again took action by registering for a Domain Name and a Web Host Account for my upcoming blog. I am really proud of myself because of how far I came from being a “Procrastinator” to an “Action Taker”. I want to thank you for sharing information with myself and other readers that other experts will charge money for. Keep Up The Good Work!

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Wow, Jon. I don’t know what to say.

    But I’ll try.

    Yes, some decisions will lead to pain. But some decisions not made will avoid some tremendous opportunities.

    Let’s take an example from my post.

    When I decided to stock a small number of beanie babies in my retail store, against the wishes of my wife, I could have lost some money if they didn’t sell, and she would have said “I told you so, you never listen to me”.

    That would have been pain, but not huge pain. Only a few hundred dollars and grief from my wife.

    As it was, I made money with them, which is all I expected to do in the beginning, but then I branched out from selling beanie babies, to selling beanie baby tag protectors which the collectors were looking for, to finding eBay (in 1998) and absolutely crushing it on there with the tag protectors (not the beanie babies).

    It also led to adding more products from the same manufacturer as the tag protectors, and we did well with them to this day (though I’m phasing out that business this year).

    The huge eBay fees led me to investigate having my own web site, which I learned how to do, and eventually that led to all those make money guru ideas, which was total failure for me for three years.

    But I didn’t give up, I endured the pain of the failures in IM for 3 years, and eventually it led to success, the 5 Bucks a Day eBook, and all the fame and fortune that followed that.

    A tiny decision to not listen to my wife, and it would have been an easy and safe decision to listen to her, but look what I would have lost.

    And it wasn’t until almost 10 years later that I could trace the path back to that one little decision.

    Life is short. You can be comfortable until the day you die, but what will you have written on your tombstone for that?

    Tough love, I guess, I’m pretty passionate about this subject.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Wow, Dacia, you made my day. Congratulations on your path to today and a better tomorrow.

    I’m proud of you, too, for those actions.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.comedybirthdaypartymagician.com Douglas

    Absolutely. It is a fool’s paradise thinking you have plenty of time when younger to postpone decisions. Make those decisions now and reap the rewards.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.homebusinessmarketinglessons.com Gregory Bey

    Hi Dennis:

    As most marketers do, I sign up for ezines that sound interesting to me. One of the best decisions I have made recently was to sign up for your ezine.

    In the short time that I have been reading what you have to say, I really enjoy what I learn from your insights.

    Greg Bey

    [Reply]

  • http://internetpromotiontrends.com Lary Heller

    So true Dennis! So many little decisions that have paid off. Thank you.

    …If only I….. Sad is the day when you come face to face with your creator and he shows you a recap of your life. Then he shows you a recap of the life you could have had.

    …tiny decisions…

    …When opportunity and preparedness meet….Then is time to take Action.

    For me…I am grateful when I made the right choices.

    Till the next time….

    Take Charge!

    Lary

    [Reply]

  • Akshay Vasudevan

    As usual, great post Dennis. Keep them coming!

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Thanks, Greg. Funny thing is, even when I send out pure content emails like this, I get unsubscribes from people, so you can’t please everyone. I’m just thankful that quite a few people do listen and take action.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    That’s a heck of a way to say it, Lary, you nailed it!

    Just imagine if that really happened and we were able to get a chance to go back and make the really important (tiny or large) decisions over again, what a difference the world would be.

    Well, guess what? We don’t have that chance, so we have to make the decisions the first time around.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Thanks, Akshay, I’ll do my best, the comments certainly encourage me more than anyone knows.

    [Reply]

  • http://ericsangerma.com Eric Sangerma

    Great Post Dennis and right on the button as well. I was talking with a friend the other day about those small decisions can shape your future life. It is also similar to the people you meet. Some connections can alter your life tremendously. Had I not made the decision to go to a seminar encouraging students to go spend a year abroad in China 11 years ago I would not have packed my bag to Shanghai and been staying here since (only 3 of us made the trip that year in my school). I remember clearly I almost did not go to this seminar because my friends were planning to go to the beach that day. What would have happened had I been to the beach, who knows?
    Opportunity can really be around the corner sometimes..

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Eric, that’s a great example of how tiny decisions can change your lives tremendously. That’s why I always encourage people to do two things: get out of their comfort zone, and think outside the box.

    Doing those two things can assist in making life changing decisions, though at the time you make them, you won’t know they’ll be life changing.

    You just have to know that sometime, when least expected, something amazing will shape your life.

    [Reply]

  • Steve Hendricks

    Not that long ago, I came upon a blog where the author was talking about the pending birth of his first child. Interesting moment for me. For some reason I felt compelled to leave a post in a moment of ‘Parenthood Bonding’. After leaving this post (the first post I ever made, anywhere), a door opened, just a little. By making a small emotional investment it was as if the virtual community became somehow more real. Over the coming weeks that door opened more fully and I could see that, among other things, it was possible to achieve some degree of financial security, with the proper training. Several weeks later the newly anointed father, that I mentioned earlier, was starting a “Product Creation Class”. I signed up not realizing that this was the same person that I had posted to several weeks earlier. Now, this class was fast moving. Excellent content, and in its presentation, the instructor showed us just how creative we all could be.
    My great fortune to be a part of this class became apparent during the second week of class. At this point a close friend became severely ill and passed on, as if, in a blink of an eye. So quick. It came upon me to write a brief poem in memory of this beautiful woman. It took the better part of a day as I sifted through the wonderful memories searching for just the write story to tell. As friends and family looked upon her resting, and read those words, I could see that my efforts were not in vain. Light tears, gentle smiles, a gentle passing.
    Without that decision to post to a blog, it is unlikely that I would have been the person to write the words that helped ease a families sorrow, if only for a moment. So… while I began looking on the internet to see what financial opportunities might be available it turned out to be a much more valuable lesson about life, the connection that we all have to each other and a reminder of the significance of “tiny decisions”.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    That’s a very touching and inspiring story, Steve, thanks for sharing it.

    [Reply]

  • http://inmyhomeoffice.com/ Ian McConnell

    Great post Dennis… I have had many of those little decisions that I have acted on and had some amazing results. However, I see friends who hesitate making those small decisions and life has made the decision for them. I wonder how different their lives would have been if they had taken control and made the decisions.

    I always tell my teenagers to make their own choices or life will make them for them. That advice has always served me well…

    Cheers
    Ian McConnell
    Western Australia

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Good advice to your children, Ian.

    As a further note, not to you directly, Ian, but most parents make their advice in negative ways: Don’t do this, don’t do that, if you do that, your face will be frozen that way, etc. That’s sort of telling children to be fearful of doing things, which isn’t good.

    Not that it’s bad advice, but phrased in a positive way, such as “you look much more beautiful if you don’t frown” or something.

    [Reply]

  • http://www.runfrommoney.com Thomas Northrop

    Hmmm

    By your reply I guess you somehow missed the point I was making, no big deal.

    I enjoy the fact that you do, and did reply.

    Just finished reading your “IM Success Secret Just Write It Report” and I must say that I really enjoyed it and would advise everyone to grab a copy and give it a read.

    The Internet is changing and heading in a direction in which in order to succeed you are going to have to know how to write. And, you are going to have to do it on a regular if not daily basis.

    Personally I welcome the change, and intend to take full advantage of it.

    Great job Dennis

    [Reply]

  • http://ghostwritingdirect.com/ Wendy

    Dennis – thank you for this wonderful post. I find this is so true in my life. Sometimes the tiny decisions don’t work out, but even when they don’t they still shape my life – usually in a positive way because I learn something from them. Thanks again!

    [Reply]

  • http://www.5bucksaday.com 5buckguy

    Thanks, Wendy. I hope I helped you maybe decide to make more decisions.

    [Reply]

Previous post:

Next post: