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Let me ask you:

* Do you pay for information and training to help your business?

* Do you use the information you paid for?

I hope you do and you're not one of the 90 - 95% of those who don't.

If you are in the 90 - 95% or are sometimes overwhelmed by all the information you are trying to learn then here are some tips to help you overcome your information overload:

1. Don't focus on what you don't know. No one knows everything and we all had to start from scratch at some time in our lives. If you keep focusing on what you don't know it will just hold you back.

2. Do focus on what you do know. You probably know more than you think you do and you knew enough to get more information to help you. So, start with the positive and move forward.

3. Don't try to learn everything from even one product or training session the first time through. Unless you already have a lot of experience in what you are trying to learn there will be too much information. So instead of trying to learn everything all at once, learn those things that come easily and won't be too hard for you to work on.

4. Do take notes. Take those notes for the things you want to work on but also make a note about those things that you want to learn about later. If possible, include a reference point like a title and page number so that you will be able to find the information again when you are ready to learn more about it.

5. Take the first step and get started while you are still learning and feeling unsure of yourself. If you wait until you know all there is to know about your business you will never start it. Sure, you have to know some of the basics to start but you don't have to be an expert on every aspect of your business.

6. Don't feel bad if you make a mistake. Everyone, including those who have been doing online marketing for years, make mistakes. As long as your mistakes aren't breaking any laws then you have nothing to worry about. (I won't even tell you all the mistakes I made when I first started doing this newsletter, but believe me, I made quite a few then and still make mistakes now.)

7. After you have started and have somewhat mastered what you learned, you can now learn something new. So, go back to your notes, reread your book, listen to your tape or watch your video again. Learn about a new topic or some of the fine points for a topic you already know about.

The bottom line is:

Information overload comes when you are trying to learn too much too fast.

So:

* Learn your business just like you learned to walk - a little at a time.

* Take that first step even when you are a little wobbly and don't worry if you fall down. Just get back up and try it again.

* Keep learning and practicing and soon you'll be out there running.

Susan Carroll is the owner of http://www.friendswhocare.us and has formed a global community of online business people through her weekly newsletter.

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