My Authentic WA Journey - Part One - The first three days!

Being authentic is not always easy. What is easy is saying "I am well" when someone asks how we're doing, even if inside we are feeling lousy. What is also easy is to say "Everything is wonderful in my Wealthy Affiliate experience" when in reality there might be hurdles in our way at that time.

Well, after three full days in WA, (hope you don't mind me shortening it in this manner), I would love to say it has been a rose garden experience devoid of thorns, but that would be a lie. I'd rather be authentic, it might help others who sometimes struggle, or those who face challenges and disappointments along their way.

Welcome to the first post in an ongoing, occasional blog series in which I will share my WA journey with those who care to read it. While I hope it will be a "successful journey" by every definition, I am also very much aware of the following truth.

Every journey has both highs and lows, victories and struggles. And the journey of learning, growing, and experiencing WA is no exception to that rule.

But this is also true... If one learns from the challenges, there are really no unsuccessful experiences.

So let's get started, as I share the true story of my first three full days in WA, warts and all!

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This time last week, I don't think I'd ever heard of WA. I was acutely aware of my need to learn more about online marketing, so I was searching for solutions, and coming across numerous courses promising to impart their unique brand of commercial wisdom to me.

I watched a lot of sales videos, read a lot of hyped-up promises, and was about to pull out my VISA to hand over "imaginary cash" to one particular guru, when I decided at the last minute to Google his name. Somewhere in the resulting tidal wave of links, I came across a suggestion that one should also look at something called "Wealthy Affiliate" as a viable alternative.

I started to read up on this WA thingy, but was careful not to follow any links that might lead to the portal of any specific affiliate. I wanted to learn about it before I took any action that might link me to someone else.

I also watched a lot of YouTube videos, and was generally impressed with what I was seeing. However, I was not yet convinced. But, when I learned about the free trial, that's what pushed me into action. Surely the best way to learn about WA would be from the inside out, rather than the other way around. I made the decision to sign up through the link of the YouTube presenter whom I'd found the most helpful.

Almost immediately after signing up, I received an auto generated message from one of the owners. I read it and was impressed by his sincerity, so I fired off a reply to him. I said that even though I knew his message had been auto generated, it was none-the-less appreciated.

About an hour later, I received a personal correspondence from the man. We talked about WA, and even the cold spell we've been having in Central Canada. His willingness to reach out to a free member impressed the heck out of me. It was a hint that something was very different here.

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The next morning, as the sun rose on my first full day as a WA member, I decided to immerse myself in the platform. Half way through the day I went Premium, and then started binge-watching the first round of training videos. I figured if I was going to do something with it, I may as well jump in with both feet.

I was feeling pretty good about this, and had all sorts of plans to share excerpts from my inspirational book in my blog. And that was when the first disappointment arose. It turned out that such an action would be considered too promotional. To be honest I felt deflated, disappointed, after all we're all here to advance our own interests in one way or another, through the lessons, or opportunity, or connections, etc.

It was an interesting experience wrestling with early excitement as well as early disappointment on the first day! It felt like there was a little chink in the armour.

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On my second full day in WA I spent 14 hours on the platform. It was great for gaining knowledge, but a mistake in terms of what it did to my attitude. I'd not slept well the night before, and the longer I pushed myself the more exhausted I got.

A few challenges started happening with my new website. Things were not saving as they should. Being tired, I became grumpy and irritated. I vented off at my coach and started wondering if the WA system was buggy. I should have noticed the impending lesson sooner... "By all means push yer self Kerr, but know when to call it a night!"

I reached out to support for help. And, after finding some answers, I thanked them in a blog post. I went to bed feeling good about WA. The tech challenge had been handled, and I had managed to make it through the frustration that accompanied it.

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And so to today (the 20th of January as I write this) - Day THREE.

I woke up with the intention of working on my new website. You see, I have been creating WordPress websites for about ten years, and have always used their own internal hosting service. So, being thus experienced, I figured I'd finish off the first ten videos, and then roll up my sleeves and have my first WA-hosted WordPress site done by sundown.

NOT....

After going through the lesson on menus and widgets, I turned my hand to adding the two most important widgets I have consistently employed over the last decade in my earlier WordPress sites. Namely, the Facebook widget that links direct into my Facebook account, and a "subscribe now" widget for people to agree to follow my blog, while also opting in to receive updates by email.

I went into my admin section, opened up the widgets option, and....

OOOPS... Those two widgets are nowhere to be seen.

To be honest it was a very tough moment. It felt as if I was using an inferior hosting service. Suddenly all my plans to create myriad websites on the WA platform seemed to dissolve into a pipe dream. I even wondered if this thing would be worth paying for, and thought I may as well just stay with WordPress and their own hosting service.

I asked about the missing widgets in the live chat, and some of the answers I received were less than helpful. One very well-intentioned soul did not seem to understand what I was trying to say, so I felt their advice did not apply.

I wrote to support, and was dismayed when they told me this was outside of their scope. While they'd help with technical issues regarding websites, they would not help with web design factors.

I was so very frustrated. This felt more like a permanent roadblock than it did a temporary hurdle.

I grabbed a coffee, played with my dog, and eventually slowed my racing mind down a bit. And remember what I said about learning lessons even in disappointment? I began to see things in a different light.

First... I had harbored preexisting expectations of the capabilities of the site based on my experience of another site. This set me up for defeat before I even started. I had to remind myself to be willing to learn something new on its own merits. Not easy!

Second... I had to take responsibility for not clearly communicating my situation in the live chat. If the communication is not crystal clear, then one is open to receiving answers that may not apply.

Third... I had to live with the limitations of the support team's scope. With as many members as WA has, they cannot be expected to address every issue. This is a learning platform, and that meant I had to be willing to do some learning too.

As it turned out, support put me onto a WordPress article, and after a short while I was able to add the Facebook widget to my site. But I am still struggling with the blog subscription issue. If you can point me to something I might have missed, feel free to respond!

And so, day three has not been characterized by smooth sailing. There have been rough seas, and at times I have not exemplified my higher self. This bald head used to be covered with red hair, and I think a few strands were trying to re-grow today!

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And now it is almost midnight. I must put this blog post (and myself) to bed as it were. So what am I trying to say in all this?

While the folks that have been around WA for years may be happy to share their success stories, for those of us who are new WA is actually still on trial. We do not have the experience-based confidence and familiarity of the longer-tenured members.

As we take our first, faltering, exploratory steps into this new world, we will get the pebbles of disappointment in our shoes, and with them the frustration. Well let's own those feelings people. Let's not imagine it will be an easy ride and an uneventful journey. If we think that way we shall delude ourselves. If we know there will be challenges coming through the gate, we will be better prepared to handle them.

Mine has been a baptism of fire in the first three days. Indeed, someone asked me today to tell them what I liked most about WA, and I had to tell them it was a 50-50 experience of like and dislike so far. That's honest. That's authentic. That is my experience.

So will I quit? Heck no.

I shall continue to bring almost full time effort to the WA platform this first week. The platform deserves it. I deserve it, and if you are new, you deserve to push through the hurdles too. Let us not hide our struggles and frustrations when they arise, we have people who are willing to help, but only if they know what we are going through.

For some people it will be an easy journey. I do not envy you that. A diamond is shaped by pressure. And I want to shine!

I hope you have gained some value from my sharing today.

Will tell you more about my WA journey in about a week, and might begin sharing some motivational posts in the meantime, if you are interested.

Best Regards

- Kenneth James Kerr

PS.. That's not me in the picture at the beginning of the article. Sorry ladies (LOL). This is me.... The authentic baldy. That should be my pen-name. Maybe not!