How I've kept going with WA when life gets in the way
Have you ever had a week that's seemed so overwhelming that you don't know how you're going to get through it?
I've been really struggling with meeting a client project deadline because it seemed that no matter how much progress I made, there was more still to do. The good news is that I'm over the hill now and the end is in sight.
As a result, my participation on Wealthy Affiliate has suffered. That's okay to some degree as one of my goals was to focus more on my niche and new bootcamp websites. Sadly, due to the day-job pressure, I wasn't able to do much on those either.
These are the sort of weeks that attack my motivation to keep going (and it was actually one of these weeks that stopped my progress completely back in 2016). This time was different and I'm still here because I planned for this kind of thing in my back-to-WA gameplan. :)
Here's the three steps that I planned to apply when I hit a tough week that could stop my progress on WA:
1. Stay engaged, no matter how little you can do
I made sure that I didn't stop engaging with the community. Even though I was swamped, I still had five minutes here and there to pop into Live Chat, respond to unanswered questions on the dashboard and also review this month's goals.
By staying engaged, I was able to remember why I joined Wealthy Affiliate and what an awesome community it is.
By staying engaged, my spirits were lifted and I was able to go back to work feeling positive again. :)
One cool side-effect of my limited time this week is that I've discovered how much I can achieve in very small time slots.
2. Keep your eyes on the prize
By reading the blogs posted on WA, encouraging new members and reviewing my own WA goals, I was reminded of my own goal to build a profitable website that will ultimately replace my day job.
That goal was all the more attractive as the pressure to complete the client project built over the week. If I had a website that could replace my current income, I'd be able to limit the number of stressful weeks like this one.
I still love what I do for a day job but I think I enjoy writing quality content more.
3. Do what you can, when you can
One of the biggest dangers to my participation on Wealthy Affiliate is the perception that I don't have time to write the content and complete the training.
To be fair, not every week is like this one but with two pre-school girls to look after on my own, I'm pretty busy every week.
It often feels very easy to believe that I don't have the time for a side business and this is A BIG FAT LIE that I tell myself when times get tough.
We all do this.
When we feel under stress, our brains begin to employ stress-avoidance strategies to try to make us feel better.
One of those sneaky tactics is to place a higher priority on actions that bring us pleasure such as watching television, playing video games, and any other activity that is more fun than what we're doing.
Others have said this before me but the simple truth is, if you have time to watch television, you have time to write a post on your blog. If you have time to play a computer game, you have time to finish another lesson in the training.
In my case, I used my coffee breaks to pop-in on the WA community.
When I got really stressed, I wrote a 1,400 word blog post for my new bootstrap website - giving me the pleasure of crossing off an item on my goal list for the month for an Instant positivity boost. :)
I'm glad I was able to check off the completed items on my goal list. In a week that has challenged my belief that I can keep going with WA, seeing that I've made tangible progress has really helped.
I've still got a tough day ahead as I finish up the outstanding tasks on my client project but I feel really good that I've still been able to progress with my WA journey in the face of such obstacles.
Each step you take brings you closer to the goal
I've come to realise that when facing insurmountable challenges, even the smallest step towards your goals can have a huge impact on your continued determination to succeed.
I'm really glad I planned what I would do when facing tough weeks like this so I didn't fail disengage from WA again.
Although I make my hand-written return-to-WA plan sound really clever, in reality, the fail-safe plan for weeks like this just says this:
"When life gets tough just say hello to a member once a day so I stay involved."
It turns out that just saying hello can lead to a whole lot more. :)
A big thank you to the members that helped cheer me up this week. Your positivity and determination to succeed helps to fuel my own!
Recent Comments
22
That was really motivating.
I get it, especially when you are working a day job and trying to be as active as possible on wealthy affiliate. But it can be done, there is no doubt in that, at times I guess we are just too lazy and tired..
Thanks Shobhana!
I think many people are lazy because they lack the willpower or motivation to do something so instead they do nothing.
I've seen some amazing changes take place in lazy people that find something that lights a fire within them.
Sadly, it's so tempting to just slack off because our minds tell us it's more fun than trying to do something that takes effort! :D
You are doing an amazing job!!! I am sending your two girls an extra-special hug so they'll be extra-specially angelic for you. :-)
Thanks for the great motivational article. I struggle with the technical part of WA and sometimes I don't know enough to be able to ask for help! LOL!!! but I'm hanging in there and will overcome these technical difficulties!
Cora
Hello Cora. Nice to meet you. Apparently we are not the only
low tech people in WA. So we will keep on keeping on and someday we will get it. I am following you for a while.
Many years ago I had an aunt (CORA). My fathers sister.
She was fun to visit.
Thanks and best wishes for you.
James
Thanks Cora.
I think we all find points that challenge us here at WA.
For me, it's getting my head around the way SEO and ranking works.
A very motivational post.
Having a full time job , I need to meet deadlines of the projects I handle. But I try to engage in the community during my free time.
Thanks Dan!
Often, we need to focus our attention on the day job before we can work on our side business. :)
Totally agree with you Phil - having health problems means motivation can wane at times but just checking in here at WA does help.
Also just doing 15 minutes of work at a time several times a day can all add up. I do this when I am very fatigued and it keeps me ticking over until I am up and running again.
We all have to find what works for us to keep going but I think keeping in contact with this community is always important.
Best Wishes
Hazel
Absolutely Hazel.
We all find a balance that fits around out lives and in some ways that's what makes this community so wonderful - everyone is different with such varied lifestyles, careers and experience.
Hi Kettei.
Thank you for writing that post. Every line of it is super.
I have been in a funk about 2 weeks. My determination
had morphed into frustration. I do not have a job to keep up
with. I have time, time. and more time to do the WA
thing. I have read many replies. Watched videos and
tried to get thru the boot camp training. I have family
members I could get help from but they are not very close .
When I read things like blogs, plugins , platforms and websites
and many other instruction comments I just get more frustrated.
My brain just goes, HUH ,what does that mean. I feel as if I have two brains. One is named dumb and the other is dumber.
Not so much toward WA more toward the computer. I have never
received any formal computer training. Just learned to do
simple stuff and ignored the tuff things. If you were to sit
right beside me and say do this, not that, within 10 minutes
I would be ready to give up. WA and the computer. I just feel
as if I will never understand how to put all the info into the
proper slots.
And that is the reason I very much appreciate what you and many others have written about doing to keep a more positive
mind set alive.
I am sorry for writing so much about myself. Once more
I will say Thank You very much for posting that message
James
Hi James -
One of the wonderful things about the WA community is that we're all different ages. from different countries, cultures and our life situations are so utterly different.
You struggle with the technical understanding of some of the terms used and others (like me) struggle with finding the time.
I'm confident that with patience, we will both overcome these obstacles to our success.
I've been amazed at how well-on in years some of our more successful members are! I'm guessing they probably went through what you're going through now.
Perhaps it might be worth asking them for help? The problem with those of us that spend our lives surrounded by technology is that we can't remember what it's like not to understand it!
You can do this James! :)
Brilliant brilliant brilliant blog thank you so much being a single guy without children I can't even lay claim to being overwhelmed compared but I do work for myself and I have a adult friend that really needs my attention because she has no one else in her life and she depends on my friendship that life gets overwhelming for me and I do physical work during the day blah blah blah thank you very much for putting in perspective on this and today I had a day where I checked in on comments and responded and was able to even get some feedback on my website because I racked up some credit and I'm only a week into this and I'm about to write my first blog for my website cheers to determination and baby steps!!!!
Thanks for your comment Sheldon!
I don't think you have to have kids to face similar pressures. It sounds like you have an emotional dependent that places great demands upon your time and attention.
Blogging on WA is a fantastic way of staying focused and being a part of the amazing WA community so go for it, get that first post written!
Best wishes for your continued determination and every increasing steps. :)
Hello Sheldon,
I have to say thank you for the response reply . Just
want to say that you are really above and beyond
most men that I know.
Even my own sons. They are all hard working guys
and good providers. They just know what they know
and laugh about trying something such as WA. They work
hard and play hard. No drugs, some beer and grilling
is about it. Go to drag racing Saturday and church on Sunday.
Couldn't be upset about that.
Thanks again and I do believe good happenings are
coming to you. Just a feeling.
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Sound advice!