question So...How Committed Are You??

[DanBingham]

We all start somewhere, and how successful we want to be is down to how committed we are.

Those who have the drive, determination and who put in the hard work will be successful. It takes time, but then comes the experience you pick up along the way.

As a Domain Name Investor, how committed to this industry are you?

 

[namelancer]

The definition of an "amateur" is someone that does something without getting paid.

But that's also the definition of a hobby - an activity that usually costs money in order to be sustained In fact, it's possible to be an amateur - on the level of the degree of skills - but still be able to generate income, just as it is possible for a professional to be on a constant money-losing streak.

 

[namelancer]

How can you be unskilful or inept if you make better sales than the pros?

It goes by different names such as being a natural talent, having a predisposition or the sixth sense for naming

 

[cooljub]

Amateur: adjective - inept or unskillful.

 

[namelancer]

If you have natural talent you are not inept.

I used it as an explanation of why it is possible for someone without acquired knowledge (as per one of the sub-divisions of a definition of ' amateur') to make more money than the pros.Obviously, having natural talent implies the presence of informal knowledge, intimations or intuitions, but not the kind that belongs to the proper, layered knowledge that stems from accumulated from years of domaining.

If you do stuff as a hobby your goal is to enjoy yourself. You can make money while doing it. It does not mess with the definition of a hobby. Which really has nothing to do with the term amateur.

The hobby is defined as pursuit of activity outside regular occupation primarily for relaxation. By and large hobbies liberated from the burden of making income, but when they do, it's as the cases of exceptions to the general rule. When a hobby starts bringing income it transforms into de facto side job/gig at least and into a full-time job at most, essentially ceasing its existence as a hobby. .

Since you have defined 'amateur' exclusively in terms of payment-free activity (see definition earlier in a thread), 'hobby' and 'amateur' do share something in common, namely, non-attribution of funds, as the point where the paths of 'hobby' and 'amateur' overlap.

If you do stuff as an amateur you want to eventually be good enough to make money from it. To become a pro.

Once you make money from it. You are a pro.

But what about the elite football players who, at the same time, chose to remain in an amateur, thus non-paying, or non-professional league ? Their level of skills can not be called into question being that they are adept at their game and, therefore, could simultaneously be considered both pro (with regards to the skills) and non-pro (with respect to not playing for money) ?

Here you would encounter a paradox: such a football player would be both an amateur (when it comes to pay) and a pro (non-amateur in terms of having skills above an 'amateur' defined as an unskillful person).

 

[namelancer]

Amateur:
a person who engages in a pursuit, especially a sport, on an unpaid basis.

Adjective: amateur
engaging or engaged in without payment; non-professional.

So if they make anything they cease to be amateurs.

Yes, but only respect to receiving pay, and not concerning the level of skill they possess. There are plenty of examples of professionals doing sub-par paid-for jobs for which they exhibit an amateur level of skills

 

[EmotiveDomains]

I'm usually most committed just after making a big sale.

 

[bobbarato]

Not very. I was just a hobby domain collector until I got swept up in the great 4L.com buy out of ~2008(?)
All I have to say is THANK YOU ChiPs! I'm on the verge of selling off my last "investment" domains and going back to just for fun and keeping the collection to 100 domains max.

 

[Keukatodd]

Having an absolute BLAST!

 

[Willox Perez]

Unfortunately success doesn't follow comittment. There seems to be quite a few amateurs who make a lot more than many who dedicate their lives to losing money through domain name speculation. I think application and aptitude are more important.

I agree it is a combination of being committed and working both smart and hard. You need to make sure you have a plan but you also have to make sure you check if your plan works and you are on the right path. Imagine being committed to buying crappy names, this means you will lose consistently.

In my case in the beginning I was committed and addicted to buying crappy names but that quickly changed once I started to learn more about the industry. I decided to commit first to my education and knowledge on the industry and then apply my new found knowledge into a well constructed plan. After that just came down to pure hustle knowing I was taking the right action.

- Will

 

[domainer111]

For me, working smart not hard is the most important thing. Health is a limiting factor.

There is only so much time you can spend on the computer without either hands or eyes giving in.

Sitting down too much is also very bad for your health.

 

[maxtorz]

B.O.B.A .....Be Obsessed or Be Average.
I am obsessed with domain name investing!

 

[poweredbyme]

Unfortunately success doesn't follow comittment. There seems to be quite a few amateurs who make a lot more than many who dedicate their lives to losing money through domain name speculation. I think application and aptitude are more important.

Sustainable success needs commitment. Lucky amateurs can make unsustainable surprises. Aptitude alone doesn't help without commitment. If you don't use your talents, a person with no talent but with commitment can outperform a person with talent without commitment. Aptitude is similar to knowledge, experience or IQ. If you don't use your talents your talents can't help you and talents usually aren't used frequently by their owners, so people with commitment become successful Competition in life works in a weird, interesting balance

For me, working smart not hard is the most important thing. Health is a limiting factor.

There is only so much time you can spend on the computer without either hands or eyes giving in.

Sitting down too much is also very bad for your health.

Thanks for reminding it. It's very important. If I don't forget I try to walk for a few minutes every 1-2 hours.

 

[domainer111]

Thanks for reminding it. It's very important. If I don't forget I try to walk for a few minutes every 1-2 hours.

No problem, another very good solution is to get a "standing" work-station, a lot of cafes have them now, sitting down too much will be the "smoking" for Gen. X, Y et al soon, according to some people.

 

[lock]

Kuffy is spot on. Commitment right now for me is culling if it isn't a direct type in bringing in traffic or a long brand it won't be renewed. Culling will be my commitment and buying less frequently as I seek another level of quality.
gTLD's has changed the game. My mediocre 3 word names don't cut it anymore.

 

[Kuffy]

Most people work too hard to make money. Churning out numerous cookie-cutter landing pages for mediocre names can be construed as commitment, but not be profitable. I think that domaining needs aptitude, and a good working knowledge of your chosen language. You only need to look through the recent registrations, and recent drops to realise how many domainers are saturating the sales lists with names that are really difficult to sell. Is that commitment?

 

[Kate]

Until you are paying taxes on your 'work', commitment is just that... commitment

 

[namelancer]

Churning out numerous cookie-cutter landing pages for mediocre names can be construed as commitment, but not be profitable.

Nobody puts my baby Landing Pages in a corner, not even you, Kuffy !

 

[poweredbyme]

Most people work too hard to make money. Churning out numerous cookie-cutter landing pages for mediocre names can be construed as commitment, but not be profitable. I think that domaining needs aptitude, and a good working knowledge of your chosen language. You only need to look through the recent registrations, and recent drops to realise how many domainers are saturating the sales lists with names that are really difficult to sell. Is that commitment?

No it's not commitment. Of course, commitment doesn't mean doing wrong things daily. I didn't underestimate the importance of skill and am agree on most of the things you pointed. I agree if you say aptitude is more important than most things including hard working. I just don't agree if you say aptitude is enough. It's very important but not enough.
As a debian user I remembered "apt" when you say "aptitude".

We must
"apt-get install commitment"

This is just a joke, no offense was intended

I truly believe skill is more important than most things, including hard working or commitment. But if you don't work in a discipline aptitude can't help. You must use your skills+knowledge+IQ every day systematically to succeed. It's called as "work". This is a very serious problem. Most people don't use their skills, knowledge and IQ for more than a couple of times or peridocally-systemically. Why? Because we, human, are lazy We don't like to work, repeat the same things every day. We like to complain but we don't want to work. We dream our skills will make us rich without doing boring repetitive daily works. This rarely happens. We may have original unique ideas or skills. If we don't follow up our dreams they will not be realized miraculously. Skilled people need to be a bit hard worker. But most of them including me, are soooooo lazy. Sometimes I don't even want to touch my computer for half the day. Commitment is an important thing. But I am lazy. I like to complain but don't like to work. I like to work only when I want

 

[imadoer]

How committed am I?? hmm. I am married to domaining! Until death do us part! But if I hit the lottery I will be like any smart man #divorce

 

[frank-germany]

I work about 26 hours / day on domaining but
thats not commitment , right?