An [make money] aha moment (partly based on Ankesh's parable)...

I think what I'm about to (try to) describe, is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) thing that BLOCKS people from making $$.

It is this... "I'm going to ***DO*** [whatever], and that's going to make me $$$."

The "DO" above means "accomplish" or "create" or "provide."

Or, the search for this can be worded like this...

"What can I ***DO*** that will bring me an income?"

And (WORSE still): "Does what I find (or settle on) fit into what I would feel PROUD of accomplishing/creating/providing? Does it fit in with my PERSONALITY?"

So, the goal is not really to make money -- the goal is to make money THROUGH a means I like, or can feel proud of.

THIS IS A BLOCK, people!

This whole way of thinking is based upon an ASSUMPTION that may be FALSE!

The assumption is: there needs to be *something* that you must DO/CREATE/PROVIDE/ACCOMPLISH -- and that something is (located) BETWEEN you, and making money.

So, you THINK your search is to find what that in-between thing is.

I think the lesson in Ankesh's parable is...

Maybe the REAL search should be about ways to see that there DOES NOT *HAVE* TO BE something you must DO/CREATE/PROVIDE/ACCOMPLISH located BETWEEN you and making money.

Maybe there are ways to SKIP that in-between step entirely.

The big block then is the *EGO*!!!

The EGO tells one, "Watch ME -- *I'M* going to be REAL CLEVER -- *I'M* going to find a really *GREAT* (read: wholesome, helpful, clever, innovative -- or whatever your EGO + inner value system tells you) method by which to make MY $$$!!!"

Then your ego takes you on a MERRY TRAIL of finding the right/best in-between thing for you, personally (ie: fits in with your *EGO*).

But MAYBE that entire 'happy trail' is nothing more than an EGO-BASED CANARD!!! (wild goose chase)

Maybe the real happy trail to making money is finding paths that *SKIP* that entire in-between, so-called necessity!

Your EGO may be BLOCKING you!

Blocking you from finding simple + easy ways to go directly to the $$$.

Cheers.

-- TW

PS: Here's another way of looking at this overall concept... Your ego rejects ways to make money that are underhanded -- and that's a GOOD thing! But your ego may also be preventing you from seeing overly easy or overly simple money making methods.

Let's say you were able to just snap your fingers + make a million bux. Would you do it? In other words, there was NOTHING to do/provide/accomplish/create BETWEEN you + the $$$. Would you really do it? If you DID do it, wouldn't it be a "affront" to your ego? I mean, when you tell your friends + family about your new riches, the 1st thing they'll ask is, "HOW'D YOU DO IT?" How will they feel? -- how will YOU feel? -- when you tell them, "(sorry) I really didn't *DO* anything." That's not the way you REALLY want to make a million bux, is it -- really? NO! YOU want to make YOUR million via some cool, clever, helpful, innovative, ENTREPRENEURIAL way, right?

SAYS WHO???

Says YOUR EGO, that's who!

Here's an analogy:
Say you test two headlines -- #1 is the "sensible" headline you are now using. #2 is a CHEESY, SCREAMING, ALL-IN-RED, FORMULA headline that you HATE. You find out through REPEATED testing, that #2 ALWAYS gets a 2,000% better response. The question is, would you use #2? Well, let's put it this way -- the only thing PREVENTING you from using headline #2, is... your EGO. In other words, you don't simply want customers -- you want customers via methods YOU approve of -- methods that get through YOUR filters that YOU (your ego) has placed on the process. Filters also known as LIMITS. Artificially (and arbitrarily) induced, ego-driven FILTERS/LIMITS.