Starting Over
Okay, I think I've finally and officially broken through the "freshman" stage of the affiliate marketing game. You know, like when you're a kid and you can't wait to become a teenager ('cause teenagers are cool and get to do stuff) and then go off to high school ('cause high school is... well... that's where teenagers go) and then you get there and find out that high school is just... SCHOOL!
Well, I've come to a point where I no longer see the hype. I see the reality. A reality that still seems promising. Like I said in a previous post, I love challenges and this is a big one.
I've made a few moves, learned ALOT, but now I feel like it's time to start over from scratch now that I have some real world understanding of how this all works.
In my last entry I shared a little tale that illustrated how people tend to do things without really knowing why. After rereading it I don't think I accurately explained how it applied to what I had been doing the past few weeks, so this may clarify.
As many rookies to affiliate marketing know, when you first jump in you tend to experience a sensory overload, but in a good way. Up until recently, I couldn't get enough of this, so I worked and worked and worked at it in every spare moment I had. Then I began the accreditation course to hyper-drive my learning. I guess it was just a little much for me. I worked to a breaking point and was forced to take time off. When I returned to check my progress I realized that there was none worth mentioning.
I guess I was task driven and not results driven, but I feel you have to understand how to do something before you can do it well. Right? Well I've come to understand that since I'd taken no time off or stopped at any point, I didn't effectively translate what I wanted to in my work because all of the things I'd learned from the beginning were still swirling around in my head all at once. For example, I had a group of keywords and because I was trying to write X amount of articles for X product and/or site with those keywords I mixed some things up. When I returned to my work I realized I didn't even have a specific keyword to search for a particular article that I wrote! I was paying so much attention to the forest that I neglected the tree!
I admit defeat, so I'm starting over from scratch.
--- Edison(or some other famous inventor) discovered 1000 ways NOT to make a light bulb (or some other invention) in order to find the ONE way that works.
--wish I could remember where I heard that
Recent Comments
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Thanks for the encouraging words, DrMarie. I really, really, really needed to hear that. I don't easily get frustrated or upset, but this last campaign shook me a little. Just a little. But this is FAAAAAAR from over. Thanks again. :-)
Greetings Doc: You are correct.Thomas Edison tried over a 1000 times to make the light bulb. Edison replied to a colleague who asked if he felt like a failure, "Not at all. Now I definitely know 1000 ways not to make a light bulb." This is because Edison knew that in order to keep going, you must have a positive attitude and look at things from your own perspective. He did not worry about what others thought of him, only what he thought of himself. And, one more thing. Have you ever heard of Sir Joseph Wilson Swan? Me either, but he actually invented the first light bulb. He understood the theory, but gave up trying to make the light bulb after only 3 tries! So you see, you are NOT defeated. You are in the middle of a learning experience. Now if you quit and never come back, that would be defeat! Write 1000 articles then tell me how none of them worked and I will help you with 1001. :) Best of luck to you.
Hi Dr. Res. Before reading your blog today, I just posted on my blog about having to go back & review the research training material. I guess we are both starting over in a sense. A few weeks ago, I read in the forum of someone completely starting over from scratch, including changing his/her niche. After starting over, that's when s/he found success. You see, it's learning what isn't working that's part of the process. I feel more secure now that I am reviewing, re-reading. I'm not so overwhelmed by information. The information is coming together in my mind. I see order where I saw chaos before. I'm sure it is coming together for you too. You are doing great!