Week 2: What am I Doing?

Have you ever asked yourself that question? "What am I doing?" It is natural to ask that after taking a risk. It is week two of my journey on Wealthy Affiliate. What am I doing? I have established a brand, created a logo, secured my domain, wrote my About Me page, completed my Privacy Policy, got started with SEO, got Google Analytics up and running, and now I am working on publishing my first niche article. Wow! That is a lot in one week on top of a full-time job!

I have been writing for a long time. I wrote academically for years as I worked on undergraduate and graduate degrees. I write personally as I journal from time to time. I write professionally for my job. You would think that writing content for a website would be easy. Even with all the tools available to me through the program, I find it difficult to ensure that what I am writing is both what satisfies me and is effective in reaching my target audience.

It's like that dream everyone seems to have where we are having to give a presentation, but we realize we are in our underwear. You are all of a sudden exposed to everyone! Writing for a global audience is like giving a presentation in a room full of strangers. They can either affirm your work, or your work is open to criticism. We never worry about what happens if someone loves our work. We worry about what happens if they don't. What if they don't like it? What if they hate it? What if nobody clicks on anything? What happens if I never make any money? What if this thing doesn't work out? What if... What if... What if...

But that brings me back to my why.

Why do I do this? To help a global audience and to help my wife stay home and raise our children.

The why has to be stronger than your critics. There are always going to be those who don't like what you are doing. There are always going to be those who will try to discourage you. There will always be someone who will make you feel like this path is not worth pursuing. But your why KEEPS YOU GOING!

The seeds of doubt are always trying to plant themselves in your brain. If we are not careful, they will move from our heads to our hearts. But what if we learned to ask new questions? What if I succeed? What if I get more site traffic? What if I get more clicks? What if I get more conversions? What if I get more sales? What if I get more affirmation than criticism? What if I live the life I always wanted?

THAT is called dreaming! The good things in life never come easy. Every time I fail, every time I get discouraged, every time I get a negative outcome, that becomes an opportunity for growth and refinement. Next time I will apply the lessons learned for a greater outcome!

No one ever wakes up and runs a marathon. Marathon runners train themselves for months before the big day. No one walks into a gym and curls 100 lb. dumbbells the first day. They start light and work their way up. The point is to develop disciplines that will take you where you want to go.

I know I can be successful online because I know I can learn the disciplines. I know I can be successful because I know that I don't give up. This week my first niche article will go up. Then it gets real!

Don't quit. Keep pushing. Keep disciplining yourself for success.

God bless.