Is there a time to give up? To say STOP ?

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My "Now" Reality

I'm stuck. Really stuck, and so stuck that I almost fear the next step.

Its debilitating. It saps my energy, my strength, my motivation. I want to curl up and cry.

I feel powerless, frustrated, and finding it very difficult to think straight.

My Situation

I have been with WA for almost 4 years as a Premium member. I have not yet earned one penny in commissions, or affiliate income. I acknowledge that I only have myself to blame as admittedly, I stopped working through the training 18 months ago when I found it diifficult to write any articles for my chosen niche. That's crazy isn't it?

But all this time, it has been at the forefront of my mind while I did other jobs, working for someone else, building their dreams. I kept thinking and hoping that I would return to my training and site-building with enthusiasm and renewed gusto.

Well, I have returned with enthusiasm but I think one of my priorities is that I need to reassess if my chosen niche is viable or should I simply knock this one on the head, and select something different?

What was the niche?

My chosen niche site is called evacuationladders.com . Before this domain I had evacuationladdersdirect.com which I cancelled because I thought it was less catchy. I find it difficult to write articles to the point of paralysis. Maybe that means its the wrong niche. Maybe I am following the wrong horse.

You see, 25 years ago I moved into my 3 storey townhouse, and from day 1, have always thought about escaping from a window in an emergency. And so I thought it was a great product idea for all my neighbours too. And my brother lives in a flat so I thought he and other flat dwellers would be interested in this product. I considered buying and holding stock of these emergency ladders too - but if I cannot sell something for a commission, I am likely to be stuck with quantities of stock.

So I need some advice please...

I'm inclined to cancel this domain, forget about my failure to make it work, acknowledge the lessons that have been learned; and find a new niche. Or otherwise I have to quickly learn how to write additional related articles for this topic, which can be monetised.

I previously got stuck in the training after Level 2 when I had to write a new article and I couldn't think of a suitable topic. Days led to weeks and months. I moved to Level 3 and some other assorted training, but have always been mindful of my incomplete writing and training. And if I don't have the niche product or the website, then I cannot continue the training effectively.

I hate giving up because by acknowledging defeat, I feel somewhat useless. Yet, I cannot go on for the next 4 years or 20 years doing the same thing, hoping that one day, I am going to be overcome by a blinding light and suddenly become all creative, visionary and productive.

There is so much information available within Wealthy Affiliate and lots of motivational stuff too. But I guess I am looking for advice on making this make or break decision and then some specific tips or shortcut to choosing a new niche that I can get started in.

The Reality

Everyone is looking for that money-making niche that will bring riches. I have a few other niche ideas too but I'm also stuck with turning THEM into money spinners because I don't manufacture anything and would need to be an agent or affiliate for those products too.

Any advice will be gratefully received. Thank you to every one that has already given me a lot support and motivation.

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Recent Comments

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Michael, Here are some useful trainings that you could study to help you with choosing a niche and writing good content:

Thank you for your suggestions. I am reviewing those links and will make a decision shortly on a new domain that has a wider focus - which should in turn make it easier to write about a variety of topics.

What did you decide Max?
Also please also consider YouTube content in tour new niche. It doesn’t always have to be only writing.
Jay has some good training on getting started with YouTube.

BTW, a niche you’ve lost passion/interest in is exactly that - just time to move on. No need to fret about it.
Keep moving forward, John

Hi John,
I have decided to widen my niche by changing by domain name. I was too focused on a narrow niche which I could never find inspiration to write for. So by widening it, I will be able to write about other related topics and occasionally the products I want.
I feel re-energised now that the decision has been made.
Thanks

That is awesome Max!
This is a lesson in keeping your domain name broader and we can always do narrower - niche specific content within a broader domain name.
I am so pleased you have got your energy back, and now are empowered to go out and help people with your content.
Good luck!, John

Maximillion, I am glad you found your answers yourself. I am thinking of ditching one of my websites to start another anew. It happens all the time on this platform.
I think you are a fine writer. The problem with wiitind is you get better with each writing, so the more you write, the better you get. Writing does not come naturally. You may need to force yourself to write but the more you do this, the better and easier it becomes. Get into a deliberate practice of writing in a journal everydayand then you can transfer to the WA blog.
Hope this piece of advice helps.

Thanks for the advice. And I agree with that. Time to let this one go, and find something that I can write about all day every day.

Way to go, Max!

I think you got some good answers, Michael. It's not that you are not capable of doing this but you haven't found the right niche. I live in a 3 story townhome as well and I see the need for one of these ladders. However, once I found one, I might also look for other home safety items. As I'm thinking about this, how about alarms systems too, ladders that people can use in the house, outside lighting....you see where I'm going. Expand your line. You might have the change the domain name but that's easy enough. A domain isn't a big money investment. Just a thought.

~Debbi

Thanks Debbi for the advice. Yes, I have been hung up on keeping my specific domain for so long, which has led to paralysis. I can see somewhat more clearly now. Writing my issue down and the comments here has been a catharsis.

Good!!! It's what the community was created for....to support each other.

I feel that giving up will only happen for me when I am dead, Michael! That is a decision that only you can make, my friend!

Jeff

Thank you Jeffrey. Writing about it for public, was like explaining it aloud to someone. So I'm not giving up on WA and I have so much more learning to do.
But I now have clarity which I had been avoiding.
So have now made the decision to throw this domain back into the sea, and find another, where I will be able to write often and with passion.

I'm glad you figured it out, Michael!

Jeff

I can feel your frustration It's no fun at all.

So let's see what would I do. First of all. You are capable of doing this and I would hate to see you quit.

1) I looked for your keyword phrase in Jaaxy, the search count is really low and there is not much potential. I believe your niche is too narrow.

So here's what I would do.
!) Do you have Google Analytics and Google Search Console (webmaster tools installed? If yes, make copy of the query words your current site is ranking for. This will give you some idea if you content has keywords that have been indexed. Also note what your page rank is in Search Console.

2) If you have query words appearing in #1, do NOT cancel your website before copying the pages. Do you have a free .siterubix website available? Ask SIte support to COPY NOT MOVE the content to a .siterubix site. That way you won't loose all of the posts and pages you created.

3) Find out when your http://evacuationladders.com . domain name expires (needs to be renewed.) Let's hope you have some time.

4) Think about your niche. Do you still have a passion for the ladders? I think they are a great idea. So what other products can you add to ladders for home protection? Or home safety? Are you interested in any of this? Jay, the live webinar instructor, thought Home Safety was a great niche and bought the domain name "http://homesafetylabs.com".

5) If #4 interests you buy a new domain,

6) Depending upon how your prior posts, pages are ranking you could have site support Move the site (you should leave about 3 months for google to process the move. Site Support does the entire thing - posts, images and everything. What this does is redirect search engines and visitors to your new site name. You will not loose ranking this way.

7) Once moved you will want to redo your home page because it will now cover more ideas. Same goes for the About, Contact and Primacy policy page. Make sure you use some nice images. They are inviting and important.

8) Then you can start blogging in your new niche.

Before and after the move, type your niche idea in google. Look at the People Also Ask section (make note of what comes up), Check Jaaxy and do the same process. http://Answerthepublic.com also provides ideas for questions people have.. Make sure you feel you have enough you can write at least 100 more new posts.

9) Sorry I just checked your current site now. You have some great ideas. But your content posts are too short. I only looked at one though. See if you can get at least 1000-1500 words. Jay from WA talked about writing reviews in his latest webinar. You can also check out his website standingworkplace .com

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/classes/writing-rad-looking-round-up-reviews

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Thank you for such a long and comprehensive reply. I think my narrow niche made writing difficult. And after opening up and writing about the issue, I can see that I was too hung up on the domain.
So I will incorporate some of your advice and find a new niche that lends itself to more and better writing, and that can be monetized better. I know I can do it, and this block seems so silly now - but it has literally kept me frozen in my online development.
I am going to go through your email in more detail now. Thanks again.

Your blog is not silly. Your blog was the right thing to do because now you are moving forward and no longer stuck. It is important that share with the community when you get stuck and ask for help. This is what make a community helpful and stronger.

We wish you much success as you proceed.

Thank you so much for saying that. I appreciate it.
Michael

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