Thanks and absolutely! If you are in the US, have a wonderful Thanksgiving :)

Hello Annie,

I'm doing fine.

Well, I have kept an Journal now since 1973, which as you might expect, is massive and I need a search engine to find anything in it, quite literally. Much of what I've written here has been incorporated into that Journal. They actually were the acts of combining writing on here and writing a Journal entry at the same time.

So, many times I wrote here what I would have in my Journal. Some of it was indeed off-topic, but whenever possible I have always tried to make a lesson out of it tied in with marketing and skills with people.

However, writing about things like the time everybody's avatar disappeared on here, which was a world-wide event for whomever had their technologies tied with Amazon's computing services, didn't go over very well with some people and resulted in some backlash, both publicly and in PM.

It was the last time a person came onto that blog protesting the ridiculous things (like that incident) to be polluting the platform, wasting mine and everybody else's time here in the Membership - and as if this is all I did all day with my time.

Someone I looked up to and had great respect for then turned on me and declared he wasn't going to waste anymore time with me.

It happened near the beginning of my membership here when I was given a JV invite, in which I would write an English grammar, but in the process, I over-embellished it and spent too much time compiling it - because I wanted it to be done right - only to have it presented to his so-called marketing team, to be told it was everything it shouldn't have been. A lot of work shot to pieces - and that person, who was very prominent at the time here on WA, suddenly one day, told me to never mention him ever again on anything public I have written.

At the time I was living in horrific conditions and tried to do my best with this in spite. I then suffered an extended period of homelessness because I got kicked out of where I was living - for spending too much time behind my computer with the nonsense I was working on (trying to build an online business.) I had been warned that if I didn't get out from there and spend my time pounding the pavement hunting for a "real" job, I would be kicked off the property, even though I continued to maintain my rent and responsibilities, they would not accept payment. It eventually happened - and more than once.

I actually hit the nail on the head one time on here which resulted in massive sales - a one-time thing for me, but a daily thing for others on here. This is when I got teamed up by another member on here and his sidekicks, which was taken outside of the platform, much like a bar brawl is often taken out into the car park.

This unfortunate event should never be attributed to the character of Wealthy Affiliate itself, but of the few individuals that pursued ruin in the life of someone they didn't like. No platform is totally immune to this sort of thing nor do things always work out in the fairness of all, in spite of good intent. I have never blamed WA for this. It effectively knocked me out of the position I was in at WA, which would be the end of that for me. If that wasn't enough, I went on to trying to be helpful and eventually began writing blogs again.

This was all the results of writing here on the platform. It is important to note that most people did receive what I've written with great respect, giving me many praises for having done so. I felt overall that I was helping out on here, but the few, all of which were heavy hitters on here, thought otherwise.

This last incident, back at the beginning of this year, around the time this blog post was written, made it the last straw for me. However, that wasn't only the situations here in which I found myself, but my very living and being - amassed with great clutter and myriads of unfinished business that I commissioned myself to over the years that have piled up.

This is where I turned my attention to, essentially shutting down my business to clean all this up. Again, that same person in a PM, just could not put his head around what I was doing. Counterproductive it seems to others, this is something I needed to do and realized trying to work a business with all this baggage around me was not working. I'm not one for multitasking very well, nor can I deal very well with pressures. I am on disability because I don't do very well in employment situations and this was the results of extensive testing done by the local vocational rehabilitation I was required to go through, after having been taken around to find jobs that I am best suited for.

Many here in my local area simply did not see any value in me messing around with online business opportunities (as they view them as scammy at best.) However, the vocational rehabilitation program, based on the psychological and neurological tests administered deemed online business to actually be the best thing for me, at which some of those who thought otherwise, respected this professional counsel and now actually support my doing so!

It has taken me quite a long time to clean up the many projects I had volunteered to, but at this time, I have about 80% cleaned it all up, massively removing the clutter from my home and environment, to a much more minimalist existence.

Not that I have ever been any kind of "hoarder" or "packrat," my living spaces have never, in all the years here at WA, been able to accommodate what I had living in much larger spaces. Much of this came with digitization, which, as you may know, is extremely time consuming.

I also cleaned out my WA Space - to the max. This too, took upwards of about six solid consecutive weeks over the course of last summer. Again, when I mentioned this to the one I looked up to so much, it only resulted in him closing the door completely on me. That was very hurtful to me. I could not accept it for some time, and it still bothers me, though it's not the end of the world.

No. I'm not being hard on myself. I'm doing what I'm doing in the way of being able to far more perform much better once back in it. I'm almost at the end of what I felt I needed to do to pave the way for an online business - and this should show how serious I am about it, though some would argue that what I have done was intrepid and totally uncalled for. People don't know who I am, how I am wired nor what my needs are.

I know this was a very long reply, but to show where I stand today and from what I came from. I am hoping to be able to stay here for 2018. I have had five years of unbroken income from here, though it has been very minimal at best over the time I've shut down my business for required maintenance and re-organization.

I recognized what was causing problems and dealt with it. Some don't like what I have done and I'm now in the background here, virtually unknown by most. Trying to push my way into a more honourable position here in the Membership only resulted in the disgrace of being unseated and thrown in the outer edges where I'm am now only rarely seen.

I have had some people, though few but highly-respected and considered experts by most, suggest (and outright demand) that I stop writing on here. I complied and now confine my writing to already established discussions, no longer creating new blogs and training modules, simply because I have never been in a respected position anywhere I've been and I tried to force that here - to a harrowing end. In the back seat I was, in the back seat I am now. There are just too many people that out-do me in that department. I am not qualified to do any of this and simply need to do my business in all quietness and out of the limelight.

The climax of this is: I have lived most of my life in seclusion. I found WA an opportunity to reach out, erroneously thinking I have overcome introversion, only to experience the backlash and that I was out of place. Entrepreneurial? No. Doesn't sound like it here, but entrepreneurs have arisen who were not public figures by any means, but were non the less, entrepreneurs.

I had to be reminded several times before it sunk in that it is not my place to be blogging on here and to stay out of public visibility, thus the pictorial and emotional display above that once tormented me, but that I now accept as reality.

Hi Daniel, just PM'd you.

Thanks Annie, I will check it :)

Nope, this was my last blog, at least until I'm able to show for my reasons to be here in the first place. I have been sharply rebuked too many times over the course of my stay here for putting content on here thought to be worthless and distracting. I have lost my write privileges at one point when I got teamed up on. There are several folks on here who truly have earned the right to speak on the things that matter on here. I tried for years but it was no different to that of crashing brass. I thought it best to mind mine own business, block out what I don't want to see and use WA for the original reason why I joined when I did.

I do have my friends on here and this goes without saying. I was once widely known here when the membership was much smaller than it is today. I held the № 3 position - until one member arrived who deemed I didn't belong there - and worked on it until I gave them what they were looking for and almost immediately thereafter, lost the privileges. It tells me at least ten people were poised with their cursors on that Report Spam button (something I didn't commit) ready to pounce. When I finally gained communications with Kyle my write privileges were immediately re-instated.

In those days I stopped using the chat engine, something I never used again since, but over time, have been called out for trying to game the ranking system - something that has been false from the start. You can look at my stats to this day. It was that I just loved to write on here as much as I have kept a journal now since 1973, and so I write.

The blog above isn't meant to be totally negative, though it may seem thus. Even in the desert there is hope, and I have been in the desert of my life for some time - stagnation and relentless journey through a region of dry, sun-bleached bones and yet a place where hearty life propagates. You've got to be tough to live there and it is very often an unforgiving place where one must make do with deficiency and all the more to compensate for it using what is at hand.

Practically speaking, I have lived in isolation for many years, after a childhood of neglect, ridicule and little support. I initially came here after having seen what was available back then - a truly awesome place at the time for what was here, very small compared to what is here now.

Instead of doing the work, I found the social end of WA and sought to use it for something I was starved from throughout life - something that was not meant to be, for in doing what I thought was coming out of my shell met with critical opposition. I wrote nearly 700 blogs on here, not to mention countless Forum posts when the Forum reigned on here as the platform's hub of interactivity.

All that is gone now. Most of the blogs have been removed. My Forum posts have all gone with the Forum. I did not make my final approach to WA as I had first intended - to get on here, do the lessons, do the work, build websites, campaigns and ultimately a full-time online income using the knowledge and support rather than trying to help others with these things without any of this to back up my endeavours to do so.

There are folks on here who can, without any effort, pull straws of contention over things which ought not be taking place here at WA. They have the charisma, command of respect of others and are loved by all. I learnt the hard way that it is an unwritten law to be silent when you really have nothing to say.

Of the things which take place here, It isn't my place to contend with them. There are others who are doing an astonishing job exposing them. It is my lot on here to pay attention to that which can ultimately help me build my business, mind mine own business and let the successful, popular folks on here do that. All I can do is shield myself from all of this, which I have done to the point that I only see the best of WA by way of removing all but the most productive people from my Buddy List. This may seem strange, mean, and cold, but I'm not here for the popularity contest. I'm a long way from that and should have never used WA for anything remotely resembling that. I have resolved to use WA properly, for that which it was meant to be used.

The ranking/social aspects of WA, I believe, are there for a purpose - both for the benefit of the owners and members alike, but they can be misused and abused. It's the same song and dance. They are there for a purpose. Problem is, they are also a built-in trap for those who lack the drive, commitment and discipline to balance this out properly with their campaigns, which suffer in most instances.

These campaigns die, and these people wind up moving on - the whole thing a wasted effort. There are only a few on here who, in mine own opinion truly have the wherewithal to get up there and teach - because they have demonstrated the absolute right to do so on all measures. But for many others, that is not so. Yes, all have the right to use the platform and the public forums as they do - and I don't contest any of this. However, it comes down to who has truly demonstrated positive changes in their lives through determination, discipline and the tools provided here have truly earned their right to be heard.

As it stands now - I do have the wherewithal to say what I just did. This is why I don't blog on here anymore. It is not being hard on myself, and I do sometimes get involved with already established discussions. It is the happenstance of my life as it is right now, and that I'm still here should prove that, though I have realized my place here, I have not forgotten the real reason why I'm here.

Happy to hear that you are finding comfort within yourself, Daniel. You have a great fire within. I know you can find that flower in the desert of life. Happy Trails, Daniel.

I am so happy to see you that I am having tears. Way back when I first started, you were there helping me, and so many times when the chips were down and I needed someone, you were there. Sometimes I still have my days. I've had some good months of $500, but mostly, especially lately, back down to one or two recurring sales each month.

I am so happy you came here because I am unfollowing a lot of people and only keeping the few who actually publish solid content consistently, who have proven their success and thus filtering out what's not helpful and will be happy with about 25 active members such as Steve, Nathaniell, of course Jay, Kyle, Carson and newer people like jvranjes, Marcus1978 and a few others.. Even if you don't write on here anymore, I'm keeping you on my Buddy List.

Thomas, tell me you are not going to give up with your online business. I'm not going to. I'm doing what I can to make necessary changes to use what I have learnt here and get that full-time income. Once again, you have come and given me the support I needed - that I'm not the only one who has managed to stay in all this time. I'm still here and I hope you will stay here with me.

Slowly I have chipped away at the things that have been holding me down. Jay Gumbs lit a fire under my butt a few weeks ago. I didn't like when he suddenly popped up in one of my blogs, but after awhile, I had to give it some thought, as I do when I get critiqued.

He was absolutely right in what he said. Some of the best people in WA are those that are unseen. I have new friends as well, but it is always a treat when someone from our long time ago appears. I want to thank you for your kind words Thomas. You are awesome and I wish the best of success for you. I too, am going silent but I don't want to lose contact with you my friend :)

Daniel

Hmmm. They just added something new (the @ThomasPaul at the beginning of replies.) I gotta hand it to those guys. It just keeps getting better and better. I kinda miss the old WA because some things have changed the other way as well, though at its core, it's still the place we love.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about shutting everything down. Over the years, the thought about shutting it down and just saving the money has popped into my head periodically. Pretty recently I was seriously considering cancelling all of my subscriptions, letting my domains expire, and just calling it a day.

A lot of these thoughts come from me looking back at how much money I've spent in the past and how little I have to show for it. I think "Well, if I had just saved that money I might be better off financially." This is especially true since, when I first started off, I was one of those people that was buying things left and right, but not implementing any of it. Looking back it just seems like such a waste to buy those courses and not actually apply what was in those courses.

I also become self-critical about how I'll go for months without working on my sites and this is one of the things I have struggled with since I very first became a member. I ponder about what would've happened if I just buckled down and did one post a week consistently for that entire time?

Ultimately, my thoughts turn to what I would do if I did shut everything down. I usually think that I would probably just spend more time studying things to get promoted at work to make more money and be in a better financial position. After I had that settled, then I would probably want to get back into IM and Online Marketing. Once I got back in, I would probably encounter the same difficulties that caused me to leave.

I then come to the conclusion that if I did decide to quit and throw in the towel only to eventually come back to IM/Online Marketing, why would I quit in the first place?

Another thing that keeps me going is realizing that ultimately all I really need to keep trucking on are my domains, web host, and to keep making content whether that content is videos that I post to Youtube or content I write and put on my website. That is a very small investment compared to the tremendous upside IM/online marketing has.

I've decided to make some changes and see if it helps me over come my personal obstacles. I'm going to sit in front of my computer for an hour a day with my websites and WA open.

If all I do during that time is answer questions that members have that I'm capable of answering, that's still a better use of my time than doing other things because I'll be reminded that I still have work to do on my websites. I know more often than not I'll work on my websites if I keep them at the top of my mind.

I think I'll do that for a month or two to try to develop a habit of intentionally setting aside time to work on my websites, instead of just working on them "when I feel like it."

Anyways, I plan on being a member here for the unforeseeable future. However, if for some reason I'm ever not a member here, you can bet I'll still be working on my websites.

I'm very happy to hear about your resolves. I wouldn't be saying anything that you've not already heard nor are they anything new. You have been around the block with this.

Bring your campaigns back to life. If they're not making any money right now, choose the one you think has the most potential and concentrate on that.

Stay off the social end of WA if you have to. Yes, it does take discipline to build out a business. Those that are successful have done this. They also make goals, plan out their strategies and form routines.

None of this is new to you. I'm doing the same thing. Surround yourself with the successful people on here. I don't know who you are following, but of the active ones, choose your teachers wisely. I'm doing just that at this time.

There are some awesome people on here. In the Ambassador list, I have chosen the following, based on extensive reviews on each. These studies are personal but hinge on experience levels, content, attitude, how they use their time and other considerations I came up with a good system that works well, and found the following eleven people passed all or most of the tests and are worthy of my Buddy List...

Kyle
Carson
Loes
magistudios
Ultimateless
docub
MarionBlack
Mike-Writes
Nathaniel
evanevaalexa
jvranjes

I find Loes and MarionBlack are borderline because they do have more than a few off-topic blogs, but they also have mostly helpful ones and have passed most of the tests. I have chosen Mike-Writes and evanevaalexa because, though these two don't specialize in the IM genre, they do in the coaching of personal development I find very helpful. One of these two are quite weak on the tests, but due to the genre they write about, the IM components are less important. What they have to say are extremely important in the way of achieving success that many of the IM writers don't cover.

Of those besides the Ambassador list, I find several great keeps. Some are active and some still use WA but are rarely seen. They're extremely helpful when it comes down to knowing their stuff and have the concrete success to show for it.

It's like finding a needle in a pile of hay in some cases. Marcus1978 tends to dig into more platform-related stuff, but not all of it. I find him a very good writer and puts out downright practical content. I will continue to follow him. Of course, there's Jay Gumbs which I know through direct dealings with him that he makes a good income from WA. I don't get along with DomW very well, but I'm thinking of following him because he too, is highly successful. I am paring my following down, will have much less junk coming into my email notifications and thus optimized my training experience down to the very best that can be found on here.

I believe I have ultimately and optimally squared up my member training in lieu of the established WA training on here. I have far more reason now to pay closer attention to my WA email notifications.

How's your environment? I am trying to work out moving from where I live to a much better environment. Since I moved in here, which is better than what I had previously, has been getting worse with undesirable people replacing the more conservative that were here. I'm seeing some terrible things going on just outside my apartment and last night someone was carefully trying to pick the lock to my apartment to get in. I had to call the police and they got caught. There are a lot of folks around here who consume the rap and hip-hop type music and at all hours, booming bass from their cars. It's time to leave here. Last night was a terrifying experience.

I have gotten rid of the nay-sayers from being around me. That's done. My current income is stablized. That's done.

What do you have around you that distracts you? I can't even begin with what I had around me. First and foremost was clutter. I have cleared most of that out. I have less stuff and much easier to keep my environment clean and less to worry about. Right now I'm living in a studio apartment. There's very little room here and my "office" is crammed into a 3-foot square space.

With you, having to work in an employment situation isn't easy. That's going to draw the lion's share of energy out of you, as well as your time. Yes, I agree that, if you put an hour into your business each day and dedicate that time to this, you will get there, even though you are going to have to make every move and every second count.

This is getting really long so I'm going to cut it here, and hopefully we will stick together and try to help each other. I'm all for that. what I have here are suggestions based on mine own experiences. Some of it may not apply to you, and I strongly believe you know what you need to be doing. Out of all this, first and foremost - choose your teachers wisely. That is the most important thing. Going forward, implement the wisdom of the wise for yourself and pick up what you find is working for them.

Steve (ivetriedthat) is another great one to follow.

Your friend,

Daniel

I had a very long text here. It had the following headings in it:

Am I Able to Write About IM?
Am I Able to Write About My Online Journey?
I Can't Write About Either IM Nor Have Anything for Progress
My Final Thoughts.

That I acknowledged to try to write about IM on here would be like spitting in the faces of folks like Nathaniell, Steve (IveTriedThat) and others.

That I was able to write about my online journey but this doesn't warrant writing a blog every day.

That since I don't have these things to write about, I went to small things that indirectly involves IM, and resorted to personal development topics - all of these some of the most common content found on here and every man and his brother has written, thus in reality, futile to write about.

My final thoughts were very long and I cut them down to a list of questions when I realized the blog had already run its course in just a couple days. Since I could not answer the questions in the affirmative, I could see that I really don't have any business writing on here.

Yesterday I replaced the text with what's there now.

The unusual place is Goldfield, Arizona, not far from Apache Junction. It was a thriving mining town in the Sonoran Desert. In the early 20th century it dried up and most people left. The restaurant (the building on which porch I am pictured standing, has been in operation since the mid 19th century and has survived. Of course, this building has been rebuilt. Some of the others have as well.

In its heyday, this town was more important than Phoenix, which is now, of course, a metropolis.

When this place was revived many of the buildings seen now have been moved there or, as in the case of the Livery, completely built anew and made to look old. You notice the plaster missing from the brick walls was made to look that way. Most of this setting is not authentic or had old buildings moved in. Some of it is original. There was little left here and it is now a tourist attraction, else what you see here would be gone by now. The restaurant is still a saloon as it was during the wild west days. It does however have modern equipment though all of that is out of view. I had a whopper of a burger that day.

On this day I was looking for my brother and walking down the street. A lot of people were gathering, but they were on the other side of the street. Suddenly, some cowboy yelled, "Sir, get out of the street or you will get shot!"

I then realized they were staging a shoot-out and I was in the way, having no idea what was going on. I apologized and they told me to cross the street and go up the boardwalk instead.

The pervading geological formation of the area is Superstition Mountain. That's the mountain shown. My brother and I attempted to go there and go up into the cave that was visible but it was much farther away than we thought and we only made it to its base and had to turn back.

I appreciate you visiting here. You are a very special person to me and we won't lose contact with each other.

Thank you Daniel. It looked like an open air museum. You described it nicely I feel I was there. As a boy I use to read things about the so-called wild west. What a place, and as you say, it was more important than Phoenix.

I'm going to go at this one more year. I should be able to turn things around. That's where the work is.

ONLY one more year? How sad...you deserve to give yourself MORE...it is a PROCESS, Daniel, and process is continuous....NOT static...

I am aware of what a process is. The condition is - I get nowhere, it's over. I go onto something else. A process on top of what has already been built should show definite improvement in a year's time. I'm still making income from work I did three years ago! There's nothing static about any of this. Jay has shown me pages on that website that's still making very good rank, which I didn't even want to look at beforehand. It's not in as bad shape as I thought it to be. It won't take a year to get it going again.

You're one of the first people I would have liked to see come on here. It's folks like you I don't want to lose contact with and there are a number of people on here.

There are some folks on here that care about my success, especially one. He happens to see excessive writing on here as a waste of time. There are many who see it this way but don't admit it.

I'm not going to say that it is a waste of time because of the obvious benefit that we all get from it. It's just that, in spite of the fact that I am unique, it does cause problems, and has many times over the seven years' time.

So, with these two things to take into consideration, I wrote what I did and not give anybody any reason to say, "You're not working on your campaigns."

Too many people think my reasons to write on here are wrong. That's where the problem usually starts and if I write something meant to help, it all goes down the drain when an argument occurs on the thread.

Yes, you are right. We do pay for the privilege, but if a right of mine is causing issues, I'd rather forgo it. This is where I differ with most people. I do think about others, not myself - and is why I wrote this long thing. Perhaps when I can demonstrate the mastery of what's here, and that I have something to show for it, I will be better respected.

I would still comment on here but no more new blogs nor training unless they reflect mastery. If I reach new levels with my campaigns, then yes. I can and will write about it in a blog.

To be here as long as I have and not be making a full-time income, by now able to have nice things and not be living in ghetto-like conditions, but in a modest home in a quiet neighbourhood, is shameful.

This discussion is important to me, but even more is the turning out of a campaign that gives me better healthcare, a home, reliable transportation and the means to pay mine own way in anything that need be.

You are awesome!

it is exactly what it is. You are correct. Thank you Nemira.