Do You Have the Will to Succeed Online?

Do you have the will to succeed online?

Are you answering honestly?

I'm a blogger. I haven't monetized my website yet but I'm focused on building an audience. My website is my legacy so I'm not writing content simply to promote products and services. So far, it's been difficult to consistently write great content but I've gotten great feedback from my audience, other bloggers and from Wealthy Affiliates! :)

I've only written two blog posts in the past two weeks on my website because many of my drafts are in revision. They simply didn't make the cut because they weren't good enough. I'd rather have quality than quantity. I understand this affects SEO, especially in the beginning, but eventually I'll have a lot of content that will provide value to my audience.

If there's one thing I've learned, more than anything else, I NEED MORE TIME!

Since I work a full-time job (which pays well and is great by the way) and have a young, growing family, my time is my most precious commodity.

To be successful, I've made time by giving up:

1. Watching TV

In the U.S., people watched 2.73 hours of TV per day. That's 83 hours per month or the equivalent of a part-time job. I watch no more than 3 hours of TV with my family per month.

I love sports. Now that my Chicago Cubs have won the World Series, I am content to simply follow their progress as well as that of my Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Big 10 College Football, Mixed Martial Arts, etc... once or twice a week on espn.com.

2. Listening to the Radio

Who doesn't love music? I don't think there's a genre I don't like. I think I missed my calling by not singing but I've got YouTube in the future? Just kidding, kind of.

Although I love music, I've devoted all my spare time to listen to informational podcasts and audiobooks when I'm driving to and from work or working out.

3. Reading the News

I feel ignorant some times because I don't keep up with current events but so much news is biased. I despise it. News is a form of entertainment and it's tough to simply get the facts. I've let my peers at work and friends keep me abreast of current events that I need to know.

Now, I spend that time researching new blog posts, commenting on other bloggers' websites, promoting my posts on social media, and learning as much as I can when I'm not spending quality time with my family.

4. Social Media

I've never been too active on social media. For the most part, I've only used Facebook to keep up with friends and family and Linkedin to build my professional network.

This time, I'm even more active on social media. Surprised? I hope not because social media is key to building an audience. I'm learning by engaging with others, posting, and promoting.

5. Wealthy Affiliate Ranking

A few weeks ago, I peaked at 146 (I think). I'm sure glad the ranking system changed because I wasn't active much because I was so focused on my website. Now I'm 482, as of Sep 7, 2017.

My ranking here at Wealthy Affiliate is not important to me.

I didn't join Wealthy Affiliate to promote it and rank high, although I must admit that ranking quickly was nice and very distracting in the beginning. I joined Wealthy Affiliate because it's a great all-in-one web hosting platform, resource, and community.

I'm no longer on training wheels but I'm no rockstar like others. I'm slowly but surely making progress because I'm the tortoise that eventually wins the race.

What are you really willing to do (or not do) to be successful online?