Stay Focussed & Avoid Shiny Objects - Unlike Me!

byAlex 1959

625 followers

5 years ago

This post is a bit therapeutic in some ways but equally it's an an embarrassing admission of past failings.

Why am I posting this? Well I hope it can be of help to newbies, and especially those who are thinking of quitting or even worse are being attracted by a "shiny new object".

When addicts seek help they go to a self help group and introduce themselves as "Hi I'm (Name) and I'm a...............(whatever their addiction is).

My intro would be........"Hi I'm Alex and I'm a Commission Junkie Addict!"

Yes that's sounds horrible but I was easily seduced by promises of easy commissions and I signed up for most of what I was pitched.

My story starts back in 2008 when I joined Wealthy Affiliate and since then I think I have left and re-joined at least 5 times. The reason I kept doing this was distraction. I kept seeing something I always thought was better usually in the MLM field where tales of fast easy money and enormous wealth are everywhere.

I thought I could accomplish my income and lifestyle goals quicker and easier. Yes I did have limited success. The key word here is limited. I had some very good weeks and months but it was never sustainable as the company either folded or my upline and team members joined yet another business. I usually followed.

The crazy thing was that my heart was never in MLM, I just felt that as people I had come to know were appearing to have success, I could as well and if I didn't join in I would miss out. It was classic FOMO.

My list of network marketing companies that I joined is pretty exhaustive. At least 5 in health and wellness! Then there was one in gold, travel, cashback, at least 3 in cryptocurrency, and several rev share businesses as well. There are even more but let's stop there!

Affiliate marketing was a concept I got and genuinely liked (unlike MLM) and can only put down my "biz hopping" ways to some sort of addiction to doing something new. I think I'm being kind to myself.......the real reason was probably greed. I wanted to make big bucks fast and easy. The MLM shiny objects and my sweet talking upline at these companies found me easy prey.

If you're thinking I'm embarking on an anti-MLM rant I'm not. I'm just highlighting where I have gone wrong these past 10 years so if you are in a network marketing business please don't take offence.

I blame no one but myself, I had the choices, nobody forced me, and I made bad decisions consistently.

It suddenly dawned on me over the Christmas period that I first started looking to work online back in 2008 when I joined Wealthy Affiliate. I reflected on the disjointed route I had taken, where it had got me (nowhere), how much it had cost me financially (an astronomical amount) and the fact it had been 10 years!

It's now 2019 and time for a fresh start (yes another one lol).

This year has begun with me re-joining WA.....that makes my 6th re-appearance I think? It could well be more! Something has to change to break this cycle and I am determined to make a success of affiliate marketing via WA and the help of this amazing community.

So in signing off I hope that anyone who is being distracted by a shiny object or is thinking of quitting has had a re-think after reading this post. My advice for what it's worth is to stick with it, stay the course and you will be rewarded. Chopping and changing as I have done brings you nothing but frustration, regret, and an empty wallet!

To everyone who has just joined WA I wish you every success, to those who have and are reaping the rewards and benefits, many congratulations. Long may that continue!

Finally, this post may have come across as a bit self indulgent but I needed to write it as some sort of confession and make myself accountable. I believe I can build something for the future and really need to focus and not stray from the path this time.

To everyone's success.

Alex