Why Premium Yearly Membership is the Way to Go

Hello Dear Reader,

I wanted to share that today I made a decision to upgrade my premium monthly membership to yearly. Maybe for some of you that was a no-brainer. But it was a decision I struggled with and I'll tell you why. I discovered that I had a bit of a mindset problem.

Instant Success Mindset

But, if you asked me whether I had expected to have instant success, I would tell you no. On one level I fully understand that success takes time and a committment to taking consistent action. That's a "brain" level answer. But yet, I came to realize had a different "heart" level response because I was reluctant to invest the yearly cost of $359.

Let me back up a bit and tell you more about how I came to this "fork in the road" so to speak. I came upon Wealthy Affiliate by accident. I was looking for ways to make money online at home. The reason I was looking was to find some extra money to throw at my mortgage. I have a big hairy goal of paying it off early.

Side Hustle Dilema

But, I also have a full time job, a family with two kids, and a budget that is maxed to the limit. So, I was brainstorming and researching "side hustles". One of the mental tricks I did to get going on my mortgage payoff goal was tell myself that I just needed to start even if it was only enough to round my mortgage payment up to the next $100. I started out with surveys and mystery shopping and you know what? It was working. I wasn't making alot of income but it was enough to meet my initial goal.

While researching a survey company, I ran across Wealthy Affiliate and I was intrigued by the prospect of owning my own business on the side. I signed up for the free starter membership. Eagerly went through the training and loved the community. I saw the immense value in what Wealthy Affiliate offers. At the end of my starter membership, it was an easy to upgrade to premium but I chose to go monthly because the first month is discounted and the monthly amount is a bargain at $49 for what you get in exchange.

But on some level I expected to be able to build my business organically. Meaning, I thought that I would be able to use the money I earned from my other side hustles and from my online business through Wealthy Affiliate to pay for the membership. After all, I was trying to make money in the end to reach a goal, not spend money and take money out of my household budget, right?

Short-term Thinking Trap

There it was, staring me in the face. Despite the fact that I understood success is a marathon and not a sprint, I had fallen for a short term thinking trap. In my effort to grow my business organically, I had planted a seed of expectation to make money at roughly 45 days. That may happen for some, I'm not saying it won't/can't happen but I wouldn't want to grow any seeds of disappointment if it doesn't.

I've accomplished alot in my short time with Wealthy Affiliate, more than I thought possible in the beginning I have a website that I've worked hard on and am proud of. One that I know will get better as I continue the Online Training program, learning, and growing. I've set goals for the upcoming year that I'm excited and motivated to reach. But I came to the conclusion in my short term thinking, I was also charting a path to pay more in the long term. $49 for 12 months works out to $588 versus $359 to go yearly. I strongly encourage you if you're struggling with the decision, to take the leap.

Invest in Yourself and Think Long-term

If you're here reading this, I already know that you are doing alot of things right. You do see the value of investing in yourself and you do have a future mindset. Otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this. But as I have learned sometimes things are complicated. We can know things and not always act accordingly.

Next time you face a decision, whether it be to join Wealthy Affiliate, go premium, go with a yearly membership, or any other decision in life, I seriously encourage you to:

• Invest in yourself
  
• Think long term
  

It might be a hard decision but if you give the most weight to making the choice which represents making an investment in yourself, you'll get the greatest rate of return. And if you give most weight to making the choice that's best in the long term, you'll make the wisest decision possible. You'll mitigate stinking thinking remnants that we all have and battle from time to time.

Best Wishes,

Nicole