I've Got This.

For various reasons, I've been on rather a long extended break from WA.

With the recent retrenchment of my wife from her job and the level of my online success being where it was at, I needed to return to work.

Side note: I'm not sure what the familiar term for retrenchment is for you, but it just means my wife lost her job - another company merger meant that numerous staff were laid off - my wife was one of them. I also suffered the same demise previously.

AND WHEN YOU'RE NORTH OF 50...

Unfortunately, it seems that when your 'number' is north of 50, you're deemed to be incapable of performing a job to any degree of competency, particularly when you've been out of the work force for a few years (as I had been), and so you end up taking what you can find in order to get back into the work force.

For me, it meant taking a role that entailed using public transport - an hour and 40 minute train trip - working to a work roster that left me extremely time poor and pretty exhausted.

It felt a little like being on a road to nowhere, wondering through the wilderness, feeling a little lost.

I wanted to follow Bo's group to get back on track with my WA journey but that soon fell away. I don't like making excuses, but I was struggling in many ways.

I went through a very dark patch where I honestly did not see any light at the end of the tunnel. It was a very low period for me. I wasn't happy at work; I wasn't happy with the work I was doing; I wasn't happy with the travel and the hours I was working. I wasn't happy!!!
I also wasn't happy that I had this fantastic membership that I had paid for and not utilizing it but the problem I had was that in my state of unhappiness, I was also very confused as to which direction to follow in my WA journey. I had started so many websites trying to find my way, but I just wasn't getting any traction at all.

I was frustrated.

I have ideas, but I don't know where I am going with them, so I end up stopping.

I know that I love being here and I do enjoy doing this. I enjoy the community. I love the support. Everything is pretty amazing. So why am I not making it? Well, it's probably why there are a whole lot of others who might say "this doesn't work! I give up!!"

It's because I haven't been consistent ... at one thing ... like my life depended on it! I've been all over the place.

I started with my dog jerseys site - based on Jay's snack helmets site. I put a lot of effort into it but it was my first and I had no idea what I was doing. I just followed Jay's training and put together a site about dog jerseys while I followed the NFL season. Except, it really didn't have anything to do with dog jerseys, per se. A lot about football; Not much about [dog] jerseys. So it didn't work i.e. no sales ... nudda.

I thought I would start a WA kinda site i.e. a la bootcamp. I had quite a bit to write about here but of course ... I stopped.

Then I thought I would start something up about beekeeping. Why? Well, it's something I have wanted to do for a long time and planned to make a start at beekeeping and then track my journey from startup to ... well, buzzing along :) Then we had to move house so it didn't make sense to start anything until that was all behind us. I started a site, researched, read books like beekeeping for dummies ... and that was it. Stopped again!

Previously I had thought about a coffee site - I love coffee, I have a coffee machine at home (barrista style - grind my own beans, tamp, pour, steam/froth my milk), have at least 1 coffee daily and make my wife a chai latte (she doesn't to coffee????). That one didn't make it beyond 1st base. Stopped again!

I started a site about pets (dogs) which was more at the insistence of my wife - she loves our 2 little poodles beyond belief. Not that they don't mean anyting to me, but she's totally passionate about them. Yes, the idea was for her to run with it - that didn't happen and I just didn't know where to take it to myself, so I, wait for it ... I stopped that one.

So as you can see, with all the start/stopping, it's little wonder that nothing has worked. I own that but for those who may be in the same boat - please know that this [affiliate/on-line marketing] does work. We have to work at it and be totally committed and consistent AT ONE THING until it works. Then branch out to the next and as the saying goes - rinse and repeat.

So I'm back and things have changed for me ... I'm still in the same job but I now have a computer - my old apple computer is fixed after surviving a REALLY swollen battery - that I am able to use on the train trip. I don't have a network for the entire journey, but that's okay. I can at least do something on the train and make better use that time I have.

I am a little worried about the membership renewal coming up in November ... yes, I took advantage of the sale last year and took out an annual membership but I don't have the funds for the next renewal. So what next?

1. I need to select 1 niche and stay with it until it works! Any suggestions from the above welcomed :)
   
2. I may possibly need to change back to monthly membership. I have written a number of books which will probably cover the monthly membership fee. Pity, because the annual membership is such a bargain and to have a year paid in advance is amazing. C'est la vie!
3. Work at this like my life depends on it and start setting goals e.g. earn enough to cover membership; then enough to cover membership and rent; then all that plus the bills; then all expenses and I am then home free because all that I earn, covers all expenses. After that we start working on the extras.

"A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step" ~ Lao Tzu.

So, I am back again, continuing on this journey that I started. I've got this!

Thanks for reading my musings.

Take care all ~ Gary