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Struggling for motivation

by Ben Armstrong
14 replies
I didn't go into IM looking for a quick buck. I came in with a mindset that I'll need to work hard for years and years. I don't even care about money at this point, I just want to learn.

I've been busy building sites and doing SEO for the past 2 months. I finally got one of my sites ranked on the first page of google for my main keyword.

I log in yesterday to find both of my sites have been hacked. Hopefully hostgator will be able to do a backup but I'll still have lost a bit of work and probably rankings and traffic.

The thought of quitting hasn't even crossed my mind but it's really hard to stay motivated after this. It's just a giant kick in the balls.

I want to hear from other people about their biggest setbacks...

What happened to you?

Did you ever want to give up?

What did you do to stay motivated?
#motivation #struggling
  • Profile picture of the author cashins
    Wow, sorry to hear about that...

    I don't know which episode I would mention. However I do know this: That motivation comes from the answer of WHY! Why do you want to succeed? What kind of emotions will you experience when you achieve the particular goal? Lots of money through the internet while I sleep means more freedom and time to do the things I want to (traveling, working out, social life etc..) to me.

    But, a definite PLAN is critical in order to become motivated. But you need to work out a plan that are working.

    Ask yourself this type of question:
    If I _____________ (do this) and I know it WILL make me $xx,xxx per month, would I do it?

    Or if I ____________ (do this) and I know that I will be able to quit my day job, would I do it?

    If I make 50 normal review sites with the keyword in the domain and a few backlinks, will I be able to quit my day job?

    Shoot me if I'm wrong, but I think the answer is "YES" a long time ago. You might live quite well after less sites than this. It depends on competition and copywriting and searches.

    Make a plan that are almost 100% proven to make you x money.

    If I knew I would hit the #1 spot for the keyword "make money online" by writing this and that and posting/submitting xxxx backlinks would I do it? How would I feel if I made it?
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  • Profile picture of the author robzeeb
    I've stuck an image of where I want to go onto the front of my computer and when I feel like throwing up my hands in despair, I stare at the image, imagine myself nearly there, and then get back to work.
    Best qoute "I have all the energy I need."
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  • Profile picture of the author fusiongenesis
    Originally Posted by MalceskiFan View Post

    What did you do to stay motivated?
    These are the three things I usually think to kept me motivated when something hard came up.

    1. Look back in the past

    A glimpse of the past will definitely let you know what have you achieved lately. And ask yourself, did you achieve the goals that you've set before?

    2. Look forward in the future

    A fast forward to the future will let you know what are the things that you need to achieve if you have already reached some of your goals.

    3. Look at yourself now

    Ask the questions:
    Have you done what you want to do in your past?
    What have you done for the things you want to have in your future.
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    Website: http://www.fusiongenesis.com
    Email:fusiongenesis@gmail.com
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    • Profile picture of the author paulgl
      If you stay in the online business for a long time, eventually you will get some
      type of a hack, downtime, server issue, backup lost, etc.

      It seems that plain html sites have less of a degree of people wanting to hack
      them. Sites that have databases, mysql, php, etc., can be ripe for mass hacks.

      You then learn that you must make backups.

      You get something up as soon as possible.

      You may be given a blank slate. Take that as a gift. Make your sites bigger and
      better.

      Your rankings won't suffer if you get something up.

      I had a membership site hacked. Lost half the membership.

      It taught me to get out of the membership sites.
      I phased it out. Best thing I ever did.

      Sometimes you need to fail. We all fail. It gives you an excuse to
      regroup, start over. Trust me, contrary to popular belief, failing at
      something online is typical and common.

      Paul
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      If you were disappointed in your results today, lower your standards tomorrow.

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  • Profile picture of the author tobyR
    A kick in the balls as you put it will knock you sideways I agree. But you just have to keep soldiering on. I still remember the first few dollars I made, first ebook sale etc its those kind of moments that carry you through. Determination is what its all about to my mind, pretty hard at times but just keep going
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    • Profile picture of the author Ben Armstrong
      Originally Posted by tobyR View Post

      A kick in the balls as you put it will knock you sideways I agree. But you just have to keep soldiering on. I still remember the first few dollars I made, first ebook sale etc its those kind of moments that carry you through. Determination is what its all about to my mind, pretty hard at times but just keep going
      That was probably the most disappointing part for me, the fact that just before it happened, it seemed like the hard work was starting to pay off. I was seeing some traffic and knew it wouldn't be long until that first sale came in. I logged in on Sunday afternoon, full of motivation and enthusiasm, ready to do some work, only to be greeted by a message from some loser bragging about his hacking skills and a promise that he'd be back soon.

      Hostgator support contacted me this morning to tell me they can only restore one file and the rest will need to be restored from a personal backup, which foolishly, I don't have.

      Thanks for all the kind words & advice though, guys. I won't let this stop me and I've learned a valuable lesson about protecting my assets. It sucks, but better I learn it now than when I have 10 or 20 sites under my belt.
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      • Profile picture of the author Odahh
        If you had two sites hacked by one guy .. the only hacking skills the guy had was an ability to get a keylogger or something onto your computes and steal your passwords.

        Unless there was some way the guy knew both sites where your sites . but i come from playing world of warcraft .. where getting hacked is super common and you would be surprised how easy it is to get a bug.

        The common reason someone get hacked on multiple programs is they use the same login and password for several different things. which i have recently go away from doing.
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        • Profile picture of the author Ben Armstrong
          Originally Posted by Odahh View Post

          If you had two sites hacked by one guy .. the only hacking skills the guy had was an ability to get a keylogger or something onto your computes and steal your passwords.

          Unless there was some way the guy knew both sites where your sites . but i come from playing world of warcraft .. where getting hacked is super common and you would be surprised how easy it is to get a bug.

          The common reason someone get hacked on multiple programs is they use the same login and password for several different things. which i have recently go away from doing.
          I think both sites were hacked because they're both subdomains running wordpress. If they gained access to the main directory they could have hacked both sites pretty easily. Could have been a keylogger too I guess.

          I'm no expert
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  • Profile picture of the author neel2re
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author youngworks
      This is the time to bounce back - Success is a bouncing ball- the next bounce you can fly higher.

      Success will inevitable draw you in the limelight, where some will want to drag you down.

      You could see that your site being hacked as a compliment and the need to always take necessary backups. After all, if it wasn't on page 1 it wouldn't have gotten much attention.

      PS . I was hacked three times in a row! I now sigh with relief that I have learnt my lesson.
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  • Profile picture of the author BJ Broen
    I think my motivation has to be who I want to be or what I want to do in life that the internet business will get me that nothing else will.
    Like "I want time freedom that no job will give me" or "enough money to buy what my family needs in the grocery store instead of not picking up something we need because I can't afford it."

    I don't think money in and of itself is a good or moral motivator. Both because in a real sense it doesn't really mean anything. And because if it is a goal in and of itself it just leads to GREED which is not a good thing.

    If greed is all that motivates you, then you will never have enough no matter how much you make!
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    • Profile picture of the author Ben Armstrong
      Originally Posted by BJ Broen View Post

      I think my motivation has to be who I want to be or what I want to do in life that the internet business will get me that nothing else will.
      Like "I want time freedom that no job will give me" or "enough money to buy what my family needs in the grocery store instead of not picking up something we need because I can't afford it."

      I don't think money in and of itself is a good or moral motivator. Both because in a real sense it doesn't really mean anything. And because if it is a goal in and of itself it just leads to GREED which is not a good thing.

      If greed is all that motivates you, then you will never have enough no matter how much you make!
      That's a great post.

      It sounds like we're pretty much in it for the same reasons. I just want the lifestyle it will eventually provide me. I have a secure 9-5 job at the moment so I don't need to make a quick buck. I just want to learn the skills I need and build the business up to a point where I can do it full time.
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  • Profile picture of the author grannywriteswell
    It is really hard to stay motivated sometimes, especially after being hacked. I had a number of subdomains running from the one Hostgator account and had the same problem. Fortunately I just had a lot of corrupt files and unwanted emails to deal with and Hostgator were really good about it.

    I do look at "bad times" as opportunities simply because they do help me see things in a different light. I have never really been able to make it in the IM field, but that makes me appreciate my writing work so much more. I focus on the fact that when I have a bad day I can just go down the beach, or turn my computer off some days and just read a book - that is a while lifetime away from where I was 12 years ago - a battered woman with three kids and nothing but the clothes on our backs.

    Your journey has had a hiccup, and a frustrating one at that, and for that I am sorry - but you did learn about back ups (as i did when it happened to me) and maybe your new content will be more vibrant and will convert for you even better than before.

    Have an awesome day
    Ellen
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    • Profile picture of the author Ben Armstrong
      Originally Posted by grannywriteswell View Post

      It is really hard to stay motivated sometimes, especially after being hacked. I had a number of subdomains running from the one Hostgator account and had the same problem. Fortunately I just had a lot of corrupt files and unwanted emails to deal with and Hostgator were really good about it.

      I do look at "bad times" as opportunities simply because they do help me see things in a different light. I have never really been able to make it in the IM field, but that makes me appreciate my writing work so much more. I focus on the fact that when I have a bad day I can just go down the beach, or turn my computer off some days and just read a book - that is a while lifetime away from where I was 12 years ago - a battered woman with three kids and nothing but the clothes on our backs.

      Your journey has had a hiccup, and a frustrating one at that, and for that I am sorry - but you did learn about back ups (as i did when it happened to me) and maybe your new content will be more vibrant and will convert for you even better than before.

      Have an awesome day
      Ellen
      Thanks Ellen. That's a very motivating story. I always love to read about people who've improved their situation in life. Sometimes it's important to take stock and look at how far you've come, not how far you have to go.

      And you're right... I see it as an opportunity to do things over now and with a bit more knowledge than I would have had otherwise.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brian Kerr
    remember in IM, you work hard, if your working right, you work very hard in a serious of sprints. And then you should have a payoff. If you are constantly sprinting, stop and rethink your steps, are you working in the right direction, get some altitude and work from there.
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