Drinking From a Firehose - Confessions of a Newbie
I'm truly enjoying my time here at WA, and I'm eager to keep learning and building an online business. There is so much here to absorb, from the training modules to Jay's training, to all the videos from helpful members in this fantastic community.
I want to know everything, but trying to consume all this knowledge is akin to trying to drink from a fire hose. If I'm not careful, I could drown in the attempt! Yet, how can I possibly decide which pieces of this puzzle are the most important, or the most urgent?
So, here I am, trying to take everything in because I don't want to miss anything.
No, I am not suffering from "information overload", and I am definitely not suffering from burnout, even though I've been devoting well over forty hours each week to WA. In fact, I have the opposite problem - I don't want to stop at day's end!
But my conscience, A.K.A. "Boss", "Master", "Sweetie" reminds me that I've been on this computer all day, and it's time to pay some attention to her! I don't dare tell her "no", that's for sure! Men, you know WHY.
I've had all the "married man's dinners" I want. You guys out there know the menu. There are only two courses, hot tongue and cold shoulder. Neither are very appetizing, and are often followed by a sleepless night on the couch!
My problem, delightful as it is to me, is that there are so many different lessons to be learned, and they are all not only useful and necessary, but interesting as well.
I feel like that poor puppy that accidentally startles a nest of baby rabbits. Those babies scatter in every direction, and the puppy just doesn't know which one to chase, so it's paralyzed with indecision.
No, I won't become paralyzed by indecision. I'll just have to follow each little path, no matter how long it takes. But, which ones do I opt to follow this time?
I am truly grateful for having found and joined WA. The WA community has been such a wonderful, unexpected bonus. There are so many friendly, helpful members!
The training itself is unbelievably comprehensive, although I must admit that sometimes I feel really ignorant! SEO, CSS, RSS, Long Tail Key Words.......Huh? Yet, step by step, brick by brick, the lessons help me lay the foundation for my new online business, just as surely as if it were a brick and mortar creation.
In that analogy, while the WA training (Thank you Kyle, Carson, and Jay!) provides the bricks, the WA community provides the mortar to hold it all together. It works well, to say the least! I'd give a "shout out" to the ones that have helped me the most, but the list would be just too darned long!
It feels as though it's taking me too long to complete the training. I just completed Certification Course 2, and it took two months to do so. I don't know if that's fast, slow, or average, relative to anyone else in training. While that seems slow to me, the reality is that it doesn't matter how long it takes, as long as I get it right the first time.
WA training isn't a race, and even if it were, I would be the tortoise, not the hare. But I will get there, sucking up every last bit of knowledge I can find along the way.
My resolution for 2018 (I know it's late, but I never make New Year's resolutions anyway!) is to continue the training, attempt to become more selective in the side trips I take, yet still keep moving ahead.
To sum it up, I need to repeat over and over "Idle down, Sparky" and drink without drowning. That should be easy enough to do, right?
Uh-oh!................
I wonder if I can work up an appetite for a "married man's dinner"?
Frank
Recent Comments
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Hello Frank, i know exactly how you feel. When I first started here, I knew nothing about computers or affiliate marketing or social media. I felt like it was taking me forever. I want to learn as much as I can on this site before I start the next one. At least by then, I might be able to answer a few questions. This isn't a get rich quick scam. It requires a lot of time and effort. I have a two year plan so I'm giving it whatever time it takes for me to learn this. Take what time you need and remember, we don't have to watch every video now, we can watch a few of them later. See you at the top.
Don
Frank, you are a natural writer, you made me read write until the end. There are two many good points you raise for me to answer.
Maintain the balance and keep her indoors happy as well.
You are working at your own pace and I think that's the way forward.
I look forward to future updates and posts.
Wayne
I enjoyed reading your post Frank!
I think the most important point you raise is that this is not a race.
It's a journey and we are all moving at our respective speeds.
I guess the most important thing is to stick with the journey and enjoy it as you go.
~Mark
Awwe! Awesome post! I think you are destined for a fabulous husband's dinner! and in due time (soon enough) you will be taking the wife for fabulous lunch and dinner nights in your travels wherever the two of you choose!
Getting it right is the key not how long it takes ya!
Fabulous read. I can totally relate to this. I would say that you took the words right-out-of-my-mouth but I am positive that I could not have said this quite the 'perfect' way that you have! So, I'll just say that you have read-my-mind exactly. "Drink without drowning" = perfect! We'll get this!
Sounds like your drive to learn is at war with your having a balanced life. Sometimes its good to take a break and disconnect and spend time making memories, while other times its good to drive on and learn.
I enjoyed reading this and you put a lot of thought and passion into this post. Thank you for sharing and maybe just maybe you will have a "married man's feast" in the near future. :)
I love your title, as that's the same way I describe attending your first Affiliate Summit conference - like drinking from a firehose.
If it helps, I've been in this industry since 1999 and I'm always still learning new things because this is an active industry rather than a static one - there are new technologies, new strategies being developed all the time. You just have to accept that you'll never know it all, that sometimes you must consult others who are experts in one area or another. Accepting that can also help you make some wonderful friends in the industry too!
As you are tackling the whole thing, think of it more this way -
How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
Happy munching.
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Hi Frank,
Yes there is a lot to learn all at once, so I'm with you there in being pretty slow. At least we can have a chat & a giggle from time to time.
Cheers Jae
Yes, I agree. This community is the icing on the cake that is WA. I might add that "licking the Icing" off that cake, aka reading and responding to the posts here is part of the firehose. But I simply can not resist, even if it slows my progress through the lessons.
Lovin' every minute of it!
Frank