When "Failing" is not an option...

12 replies
Hi Warriors,

For the past 3 months I've spent almost every waking hour (I am literally talking about 85+ hours/week) trying to make this affiliate marketing business working for me. I started with no real previous knowledge and was eager to learn. At first I did well resisting the shiny objects as good as I could and focusing on one thing only.

But after a few weeks with no real results doubts started to come up and I began to run right into the newbie trap...
How could I not do that? After all I still had no idea what I was supposed to be doing and I started to become desperate for just some results. Well, turns out that didn't work out either.

Now I am at that point in time where in the past I'd give up. I'd quit and think that all internet marketing really is is just another pyramid scam that's feeding on desperate sorry people like myself (and, let's be honest, a part of the industry is aimed at just that...).

But, I've promised myself that I would not give up, that I would not quit, no matter what happens. I would make this work for me.

To be honest I am still lost and don't know what the heck I am supposed to do in detail. And If I wouldn't be broke I'd get myself a coach that would help me out here. But unless there is anyone here who wants to mentor me for free that's not really going to work right now.

Why did I start this thread? Maybe to tell some newbies that this whole thing is not as easy as it seems, and that I does take a lot of hard work and patience. Maybe to refocus myself to get back to the basics and work from there. Maybe in hope that someone will be able to send me in the right direction.
But mostly just to motivate myself and to remember...



To everyone who hasn't made it yet. Don't give up - but stop.
Refocus on where it is you want to go. Figure out what the next one step is to getting there and take that step today.

At least that's what I'll be doing...
#failing #option
  • Profile picture of the author RogozRazvan
    You're making the most common mistake in the book.

    I've seen this mostly with people who want to start to exercise. Their plan is something like this ...

    "OK, so I'll start pumping iron tomorrow. At 07:00 I'll wake up and run for ten miles. Then I'll do some squats, do some weight training and eat healthy.".

    And guess what? They do this. The first day. Maybe 2 - 3 days. Then it comes a bad, rainy day. It comes a day where their body is aching. A day when they want to give up.

    This is a marathon, not a sprint. It is not so much about investing 85 hours per week into something. I'm not saying that it is not a good idea, good for you for trying it. But you are better off investing 20 hours per week and staying consistent each and every week than investing 85 hours per week for a few weeks and then burning out.

    High levels of performance and hard to sustain when you are just starting out. And the "fuel" that gives your performance needs renewal too. For example, I could work 15 hours straight now but I wouldn't be able to do this the second too. Why? Because I need to socialize, I need to eat, I need to sleep, I need to exercise. I need to take care of the golden goose too, not just the golden eggs.

    Plus, to be honest, your mindset sucks. "If there would be someone here to coach me for free ..." says a lot about you. I know that you haven't asked anyone in particular to do this but this kind of thinking won't lead you far. If you would have shown what you've done for the last three months and said something like "I will work for free, for you, just to learn how to do it properly" you would have received offers from major players in this field. And since they know the value of hard work, they would have paid you for it too.

    But in this manner, it sounds like it is more important for you to have excuses than actual methods to get from A to B.

    Razvan

    PS: You are better off working 25 hours and playing video games for another 25 hours, from a results point of view. Why? Because movement doesn't equal productivity. In those 25 hours where you take your mind elsewhere, you'll see and understand patterns and things that you've missed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Odahh
    maybe you mindset is off because you think you are not working for anyone else ..
    te
    as an affiliate marketer ..you are working for the people who's products you are selling as an affiliate ..and for the people you are selling these products to ..

    and you might be better off actually getting a job ..then go and build your business in your spare time


    in the internet marketing field .. the coaching programs are in the m,arketing funnel.. you get sold the 49 dollar product .. then chose between a few upsell or not to get them.. and if you actually do anything ..you go for coaching ,,

    they do not make as much money off the base product .. it's the upsells and the coach programs..the weekly power calls the daily 15 minute mass training calls.. the industry has 14 years plus of figure how to make a crap load of money off of people..

    and you make most of you money off people with money not ..the broke guys ..who can't won't spend more than 50 $ a shot
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  • Profile picture of the author JenniferGiacoppo
    Dear Alex,
    these questions I will ask, however it may sit right with you and maybe it won't.

    Perhaps you have put too much pressure on yourself?

    Are you enjoying your work?

    If you feel you have been working too hard, maybe it's time you had some fun with it. Try and enjoy it ,

    because if there is no passion in your work it will suck.

    If you can find yourself a programme that offers affordable coaching and great affiliates then that may

    help you.

    If that is no good for you at this time, I would suggest you look at what you have done so far and look

    at how far you have come.

    Just because you are not raking it in doesn't mean you are not successful.

    In the beginning you will need to be successful at perservering and doing the work-but like I said

    find a way to enjoy it-everytime.-That is true success.

    Try to look at how far you have come, that will be the inspiration that will carry you to the next.

    Give up the struggle, but don't just give up-hope this helps. Jennifer
    Signature

    "Attitude is everything. Your mind-set is your attitude. It is the difference between success and the lack of it!"http://www.jennifergiacoppo.com

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    • Profile picture of the author Alex II
      Originally Posted by JenniferGiacoppo View Post

      Dear Alex,
      these questions I will ask, however it may sit right with you and maybe it won't.

      Perhaps you have put too much pressure on yourself?

      Are you enjoying your work?

      If you feel you have been working too hard, maybe it's time you had some fun with it. Try and enjoy it ,

      because if there is no passion in your work it will suck.

      If you can find yourself a programme that offers affordable coaching and great affiliates then that may

      help you.

      If that is no good for you at this time, I would suggest you look at what you have done so far and look

      at how far you have come.

      Just because you are not raking it in doesn't mean you are not successful.

      In the beginning you will need to be successful at perservering and doing the work-but like I said

      find a way to enjoy it-everytime.-That is true success.

      Try to look at how far you have come, that will be the inspiration that will carry you to the next.

      Give up the struggle, but don't just give up-hope this helps. Jennifer
      Hello Jennifer,

      It is true that I've put too much pressure and too high expectations upon myself. I also lost track on the "bigger goal" on the way.

      What I realized in the past few days was that actually my main blog is not about making money with it. I'd still do it even if I never made money off of it directly. My "other" reasons are bigger, like keeping myself focused on my bigger goal, sharing my thoughts and things I've learned on my way etc.

      The problem is/was that I actually made another blog that was taking up most of my time and was purely based upon making money. Wrong choice.

      But hey, I'm still in it so I guess for me it's a lesson learned and I am ready to move forward.
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  • Profile picture of the author RogozRazvan
    Alex,

    I know that you haven't asked for this. I've mentioned this above. It was about the mindset itself.

    Here is something to give you some food for thought. Every single time I try to work based on a hourly metric (as invest 40 hours in a week), I get poor results. It works but it is exhausting and the results are sub-par.

    Every single time I create priorities and I ask myself "what can I do today to get the highest possible ROI" and I limit myself to three tasks a day, I get spectacular results.

    Life is counter-intuitive. Stopping work at 17:00 so you can relax, taking time to exercise, taking time to plan your goals and your time will actually bring you better results than working all the time. Brute force works sometimes but most of the time, 20% of those 80 hours actually matter. So just decide what is that 20%, do that 20% and do something else in the rest of your time.

    Try it. You'll be surprised at how well it works.
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  • Profile picture of the author luminhquang
    Thank you for sharing your experience and encouragement! If we don't give up, we will get there, no matter how long it takes
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeff Schuman
      I have a cousin who owns a successful offline business in Dallas. He told me once he goes to work at 8:30 and leaves at 2:30, but in those 6 hours he really works hard and gets a lot done. Good advice for any business offline or online.

      John Wooden once said, "don't mistake activity for achievement"....

      I think a lot of internet marketers think they are working hard when in reality what they are doing is not accomplishing anything. Better to step back and focus on quality work time as opposed to quantity.
      Signature
      Jeff Schuman - SEO Blog Writer For Hire! Buy affordable, SEO, quality, MMO niche blog articles. Fast turnaround.
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      • Profile picture of the author Alex II
        Razvan & Jeff...

        I feel stupid... Because I already knew that and usually work that way. Heck, I have a fully functioning GTD system that works so good for me, but somehow I lost track and focus when it came to IM.

        That's how I fell into the trap. I didn't have a clear plan and was just running around like a headless chicken. Being busy, but at the end of the day not having done much at all.

        I already started planning this whole thing out in much more detail and always ask myself: what's the next most important step I need to make right now/tomorrow in order to advance.
        This helps me to keep focused on the prize.
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  • Profile picture of the author RogozRazvan
    Been there. Done that.

    And spend five days and over $400 in creating my perfect GTD system.

    You know how my life works? I usually have a wall in front of me. And I take a big sledgehammer and I hit and hit and hit and hit. I make a hole in it and I start again. After I'm halfway through, I realize that I have a door on my right. So I just walk through the door.

    If the metaphor was not clear, it usually takes a lot of mindless work in order to see that there was a quick, easy and efficient way to get it done. It is like in dating. You obsess and you think about what to say and you create mental movies when it is enough sometimes to say "Hello, do you want to have coffee this evening?".

    So in the last months or so, I've told myself "step back, look at things in perspective, take the ******* door". There is no honor in working hard. There is honor in actually getting that thing done, no matter if it takes 2 hours or 200.

    Oh, one more thing. I was OCDed on time management system. Tried them all. GTD. Robbin's OPM. Simple to-dos. Covey's 4Q. Using a calendar. Using virtually every possible to-do list on AppStore. Using paper, using whiteboards, etc.

    You know what I'm doing now?

    I have a simple, actually, very simple system.

    There are seven "acts" into my system. Think of them as chapters of a book.

    The first act is my morning routine.

    The second act is working in a 50 - 10 - 50 - 30 manner on my top MITs for the day.

    The third act is to review my day.

    The fourth act is to educate myself.

    The fifth act is to determine three priorities for LEISURE. Yes, I may be the first in the world who suggest that you set priorities and you plan your fun time just like you do with your work time. Why? Because otherwise you'll just surf YouTube all day.

    The sixth one is to unwind and prepare for sleep.

    So I just follow them. It is a structure, a framework. I have time to work, I have time to play, I have time to do everything. I only work on what's important and urgent and I don't include anything else. I don't even have email on my list. I reply to emails usually while in transit from my phone.

    So create yourself a framework.

    You NEED to provide yourself fuel on an emotional, mental, physical and spiritual basis. Otherwise, you'll burn-out. Create the systems, create the structures that renew yourself and remember, one hour of full, real, engaged focus is better than ten hours of "I hate my life but I must do this" work.
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  • Profile picture of the author allanrsm
    Excellent contribution! This is a state of progress and success where we all find ourselves at one point in time...we have made the decision, we have taken action,we have started to move but the results are not coming our way!

    However Persistence is the key difference between trying and winning!

    Keeping at it no matter how long it takes, no matter how many people knock or doubt us...keep moving towards the goal.
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  • Thanks for creating this thread. I think a lot of people starting out with IM like me can relate to you Alex, and appreciate the many words of wisdom and brute honesty from knowledgeable marketers like RogozRazvan.
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