The best decision I've ever made. Six years at WA!

I started writing this post a few months ago after my 6 year anniversary at Wealthy Affiliate, but life kind of got in the way. The important thing is that it's finished now :)

Six. Years. (Plus!)

That's how long I've been an active, happily paying member here at Wealthy Affiliate.

I'll cover the best decision I've ever made in a minute, but I wanted to spend some time and reflect on some of the things that matter most to me.

Family

Of course, my family is number one.

I'm coming up on three years of marriage to Amanda, my life & now business partner. No kids yet, but two cats who demand almost as much attention as children. Being able to spend my days actually seeing and working with my wife has truly been a blessing.

All too often I hear stories from friends of barely being able to see their significant others or family. They work 10 hour days, are home for dinner, have an hour or two to watch TV before they're back in bed to repeat the very next day.

It's depressing to even hear about; I can't imagine living it.

We don't have any children just yet, but when the first one arrives, I'll be more than thankful to be able to spend as much time with the little one as possible. It's insane how little time father's actually get to spend with their newborns. A friend recently had a baby and the father was "granted" 3 whole days of Paternity leave and that's seen as generous by some!

I started my business as a way to have full control over my life and that's the way I intend to keep it.

Travel

Travel is a big part of our lives and we want to see as much of the world as we possibly can. Especially while we're young, healthy, and able.

In the past 12 months, we'll have traveled from Pittsburgh to Ireland, Michigan, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Las Vegas, San Francisco to Los Angeles via the PCH, 2 weeks on Maui, Niagara Falls & Niagara on the Lake, Deep Creek Maryland, Puerto Rico, 7 Nights around the Caribbean, and a few more that I'm probably forgetting about as well.

We're also leaving in 10 days time to visit Yosemite National Park, Reno & Lake Tahoe with maybe a few more trips planned over the next few months :)

Running my own business full-time grants me that freedom. I'm not anxiously awaiting to accrue 5 days of vacation time to spend throughout the year and I don't have to ask permission from anyone to go.

I get to be in control over my own schedule.

Luxury

OK, well right now the whole 'luxury' part of my life is a little slim seeing as almost all of our money goes into a travel fund or a savings account.

The 'luxury' aspect of my life is that money doesn't play the role of constant stressor or nagging feelings at the back of my mind.

I make good money doing what I do, yes, but the future financial security is the real luxury here. No designer goods, no fancy cars, no private helicopters (Alright, I may be saving up for a Porsche but that's a few years away... Maybe for my mid-life crisis!) just the luxury to focus on the important things in life.

Las Vegas

And of course, the Wealthy Affiliate Super Affiliate conference has got to be mentioned.

I've been in attendance three times already and will be making the trip back out there in January. And the year after that, and the year after that etc. etc. :)

I first made the trip out 8 months after i had joined Wealthy Affiliate. I joined in April and qualified just by the end of December. I was invited back in 2014, 2015, and have my bags packed and ready for 2016 as well!

The trip is motivating beyond belief and I always come away with new directions on where to take my business, how to grow my site & income, and more importantly, great relationships & friendships with other Wealthy Affiliate members. And man do I look forward to meeting you there as well.

So the best decision I've ever made...?

I signed up for Premium.

I didn't know what I was getting into before I joined Wealthy Affiliate, but I had a hunch they were doing something different. I had reviewed dozens of opportunities and lost plenty of money to scams before making the jump here.

It's been six years now and I've been paying for my membership ever since. If they had a lifetime option, I'd buy that in a heartbeat. I have no plans to ever leave WA, especially not after all the opportunities I've been able to afford in life. I'm forever grateful to Kyle, Carson, & the Wealthy Affiliate community as a whole.

If you're already a Premium member, let me know in the comments below some of the things you're grateful for in life & what you like most about Wealthy Affiliate.

If you aren't yet a member, well here's the link to change that now:

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/upgrade

Thanks for taking the time to read!

-Steve