What’s your attitude to your life right now? Are you living the life you want to live, or the life you have to live?

I was 30 years old and had spent the last ten years working on the Canadian oilfield — and I was absolutely miserable. As much as I hated my life, change just seemed impossible. But I finally broke free, and then built a million-dollar online business. And I want to teach you how.

Stepping into uncharted territory and trying to reinvent yourself is intimidating. I get it. Having only worked on the oilfield, checking emails was the extent of my expertise online. I bet you feel just as unqualified and inadequate as I did.

I have four words for you: smash your limiting beliefs.

Ever heard of the “Imposter Syndrome”? It’s that voice of doubt always creeping into your mind. Don’t worry, it’s actually your survival mechanism trying to keep you safe. Our ancestors were naturally wired to be cautious and risk-averse, otherwise they’d be mauled to death by animals. But while your environment has changed — starting a new career is different to hunting for food — your mind still gets crippled with the same fear.

How do you smash your limiting beliefs and go from self-doubt to, “Holy crap! I can build any kind of business in the world”?

By taking action!

Every time you take action, the imposter syndrome gets silenced, and you become more confident. Here’s another important point — you need to take recalibrating action. That means having a flexible business plan, and focusing on the next immediate step. Often, you’ll hear people emphasize having a detailed business plan before you launch. The problem is, you’re not God, and you can’t predict the future, so spending hours creating stage-8 of your business plan is foolish when your business suddenly changes direction at stage-2.

So with that in mind, here are the five solids steps you to get started on your dream business:

1. Research your niche

If there are people, there is possibility. Almost every interest can be turned into a viable business, you just need to find that existing community, or create that community around people who are interested. I literally googled “how to make money online.” Over the next couple of weeks I digested every piece of information that I could get my hands on.

Identify what you are passionate about — what will your product be? And then identify your avatar — describe your ideal customer; what’s their age, gender, interests, life-stage. Identify their “pain-point” and how you will meet their need.

2. Create a connection point

Where will people find you and your business? You can create a landing page or set up a website with a domain name and hosting for less than $30 with Bluehost. Find yourself a free WordPress theme online.

Don’t be overwhelmed if you get lost with any technological jargon. You can get incredibly cheap rates and find good technical support by outsourcing your work. I recommend using fiverr.com.

For as little as $5 a service, you can have almost anything outsourced:

• Build a logo
• Have a website coded or customized
• Design a business card
• Translate text
• Perform video editing
• Write blog posts
• Create presentations
• Photo editing
• Have someone read your script as Arnold Schwarzenegger. Seriously, check it out: Here

Make sure you outline your brand and create an online presence; a place where people can connect with you.

3. Find a mentor

Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson all had mentors. And even now they continue to pick the brains of people they respect. Knowledge is power. You become just like the people you spend most of your time with. Think of being at a campfire — nobody leaves without smelling like smoke.

I signed up for several courses and was able learn how to create products and outsource the work to overseas employees. I learned about affiliate marketing, and combined all my skills together to not only create but to sell.

Find people in your niche who are a few steps ahead of you, follow them on social media, try and connect with them, learn from them.

4. Remove yourself from your current environment

As the adage goes: if nothing changes, nothing changes. One of the most powerful steps you can take to change your life is to change your environment. Especially if you’re surrounded with negative people.

I quit my job, sold my truck and moved to Poland. I put myself in a position that was well outside my comfort zone and was forced to either be successful or go back home as a failure and resume the unsatisfying lifestyle that I left behind. It’s interesting to see what you’re made of when your back is against the wall.

If you’re serious about change, raise the stakes, get outside your comfort zone, and force yourself to do what needs to be done.

5. Don’t Quit!

Being successful in business requires you to fail many times. There will be a lot of difficult times ahead. The one thing that separates those who make it and those who don’t is persistence. Don’t be that gold-miner who stops digging a few inches away from striking gold.

There was a point 2 years ago where all of my credit cards were maxed out, my credit rating was destroyed and I was down to $50 sitting in a small apartment in Poland. I was literally on the brink of defeat. Later that same year our small company did over a million in revenue.

In psychology, it’s called having a pre-commitment; mentally acknowledging that it will be difficult, but making the promise to yourself that you will not quit until you succeed.

Remember this quote:

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”