It's Just another brick in the wall.- Sara's wisdom part three.
You know when you have those days, weeks, months, or lives where it just feels like really hard work, a struggle. You feel like you always fighting. That is what this week has felt like. To quote Alanis Morrisette 'Isn't it ironic'! I should be celebrating, jumping around like a crazy happy person, but this week I have had to really dig deep.
Yesterday I made top 50 in WA!!, I also made the decision to upgrade my booth and hire one of those shiny annual booths with the good view! I have discovered my happy place, and have fixed my position in it, for the next year. So why am I not feeling amazing?
I guess it is because I have reached the 'wall' part of the journey. Do you ever find that? When you are merrily and happily skipping through life and then you run into the wall, and it knocks you flat on your butt, and as you get up you see a high wall and it stretches as far as your eyes can see.
I am sure many of you have got to the point I am at now. You have joined WA and made your website, it has been exciting, motivating and inspiring. Discovering you true calling, whether that be a love of marketing, website design or writing. You jump out of bed motivated to sit at your laptop and take another step on this journey. Your heart and soul and dancing with joy, YES! you love it, you want to do this full time!, then the wall appears.
The realisation that this is not going to provide an instant haul of gold necessary to quit everything and live a life of true purpose and love and joy, because for a while you have still got to do the day/night job(s). You have still got to pay those bills, feed the kids, and your passion just isn't going to do that for a while. This is the point the wall appears.
There I was yesterday standing in front of my wall, getting ready to do one of my day jobs. This job is as a class teacher, where I go into nurseries or care homes and sing, dance and tell stories. This week I am playing the part of a clown who has lost her nose!
If a story or a song that I am teaching is particularly complicated or long, I often write notes on the back of my hand, like a mini script, and yesterday, (whilst standing in front of my wall) I wrote:
- Juggle
- Balance
- Ride
- Laugh
- Dance
At that moment it all made sense, as I looked at the back of my hand with my mini script, I had discovered my script for life and WA. I have found the answer to getting past the 'Wall stage' of my journey. I would like to share my realisation with you:
1) Juggle
In life you have already mastered how to juggle a million and one things, WA and your website and business are just new balls that have been added to the juggle, and it is going to take time to get a rhythm. You can't go from juggling 3 balls, to 6 and expect to keep them all in the air immediately.
The key to getting through the juggling wall is to realise, If you drop the ball, that is OK, and is exactly what was meant to happen. Just pick that ball up, smile and start juggling again. As time goes on, you may be able to reduce the amount of balls you are juggling and eventually, you will just be back to juggling 3, 2 or if you are lucky sometimes you will be able to put them all down.
2) Balance
For a while this journey is going to feel like you are wobbling on a tight rope, desperately trying to stay on even when you are carrying heavy loads across. You now have WA and a website to slot into an already very busy life. Time becomes tight and your focus and energy are spread across many things. Sometimes the wall will be right across the middle of that rope.
The key to conquering the tightrope wall is balance. Dedicating too much time to one thing or another will make your wobble and lose balance, and sometimes causing you to fall. It may take time to find the right balance but when you do, the wall will disappear and you will be able to merrily walk across your tight rope to the other side.
3) Ride
Just like life, your journey here at WA may feel like a roller coaster. When you start there is a big scary climb, you are unsure whether you are going to like it, you have a nervous adrenaline building, a mix of fear and excitement and then when you get to the top of that first climb, you see a view that takes your breath away, and within a second you drop.
There are days when your roller coaster is going round and you are loving it, the excitement and adrenaline are pumping and it is sheer joy. Then you will get some days when the wall comes and you are left upside down hanging in fear or frustration, for someone to come and fix the roller coaster.
The key to conquering the stuck roller coaster wall, is to just enjoy the ride and hold on for dear life. Scream, laugh and cry through it all and if you get stuck, you will figure it out or the maintenance person will come along and fix the issue and your roller coaster can go on. You have to experience the moments at the wall stuck upside down, to really appreciate the view at the top.
4) Laugh
I have a favourite jumper and on it is says ' Laugh More'. When I went to Buddhist retreat a monk came up to me and said 'Ah you have the wisdom'. I didn't know what he meant until now.
When you hit your wall, sometimes the best thing to do is laugh, because the alternative is crying. You may have to go away and watch a funny movie, enjoy the company of others, or just go to where you feel joy and smile. When you laugh the wall will just crumble and dissapear right in front of your eyes, so go on, I give you permission to 'Laugh More'!
5) Dance
They say that 'dance is the hidden language of the soul'. When your wall comes I advise you to put on your favourite song and dance like a crazy person. This is what I did last night, in my kitchen. The dance doesn't have to be a professional affair, you can just lightly tap your to the rhythm that life is throwing at you. Or maybe while you sit in front of your wall, you could close your eyes, and dance inside.
Life (or WA and affiliate marketing) may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we should dance.
In affiliate marketing, just as in life, you are going to come across many walls, some walls you are going to have to strategically figure out how to get round, others you are going to need to call for help. Other times you may just need to pull up a chair in front of your wall and wait patiently
I truly hope that my little words of wisdom from 'the clown who lost her nose' have helped you when you hit the wall. Remember that doors will appear in your wall, you have just got to see them and have the courage to open them!
Much Love
Sara
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Recent Comments
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Sara,
Thrice congrats, first on the Top 50 which is a meteoric trajectory, second for going annual here at WA and third for this great and wisdom filled post, Buddhist monk qualified or WA qualified.
The wall part of the story also appears in ClickFunnels' breakdown of basic elements which are part of the overall direct response marketing (DRM).
I can really say that your post resonates with me and that there is a common set of emotions one goes through when reaching the Top 100 ranking and beyond it.
That roller coaster analogy is truly spot on, once the ride begins you have somewhat limited ability to control it and those raw emotions manifest themselves in response to it.
On a more basic human level, we salute your teaching the next generation and know that you will be able to transfer some of your wisdom and abilities to your students,
Prof Dr Twack and I noted the writing on your hands as we played in the now world-famous Centurion Club Poker and we attributed it to some illegal, unsanctioned cheating strategy.
Only that now, we know, the rest of the story.
Pink Floyd"s "The Wall" album sales have just skyrocketed.
Alanis Morisette wakes up in some retirement home in Florida and decided to go on tour again.
All because of you, your wisdom and this blog post.
For those who may call these comments of mines crazy, please consider Sara's points hidden in my babble:
Juggle (the various achievements she had)
Balance (the praise and the post's content analysis)
Ride (the same wave of emotions on a similar WA ranking)
Laugh (the Centurion Club poker saga)
Dance (Prof Twack and I skipped out on that one but will provide clips of Sara's "trampoline dance battles")
All of those elements are each one individually, just another brick in the wall.
Blessings!
BOOM!
Dr Prof Twack would be so proud of that double negative "The Wall" verse, which by implication then becomes a positive, hidden in plain sight from those who sing it under the false assumption.
Blessings!
BOOM!
Prof Twack is still A.W.O.L (note the spelling). Although he has submitted his note saying he 'had to go to town'. I told him we missed him, he told me 'he missed us too'! and off he drove into the sunshine in his Jag lol
Happy to report photos on all social media are now returned! Thank you for putting my mind at rest that I had not broke the internet : )
We don't need no thought control
BOOM!
BOOM!
4th of July and Stephen Larsen's sound of fireworks.
I do agree that Prof Twack drove off in his Jag, but come on, you said into the sunshine?
Is there even such a thing there on them bis isles, ever?
Blessings!
BOOM!
It is actually glorious sunshine here today! hard to believe I know.
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
BOOM!
BOOM!
I may submit a plea to Prof Twack to arbitrate between us.
Didn't you say "we don't need no force control"???
So how come that my "dark sarcasm: is not allowed in class?
We will appear in front of a panel headed by Prod Dr " I Drive A Jag" Twack and the mediation or arbitration will be held at the Royal British Navy Observatory Academy of Supreme Justice where we can each plead our case.
I may call to the stand the members of Pink Floyd to decipher for the panel the original intent of their lyrics in "The Wall".
As an alternate resolution, you can add BOOM! to the trampoline dance battles as a form of penance.
Better to resolve it between us than to submit to Jason Statham wanna be stunt double Dr Prof Twack who is currently missing in action, perhaps in the Royal British Naval Observatory Witness Relocation Program, or simply staking the newest Jason Statham movie set in his Jag.
Blessings
BOOM!
Prof (Jason Statham) Twack, returned for but a moment, but then disappeared as quick as he came. The B.N.O.W.R.P have done their job well.
Sometimes the actual courage is going through the door Sara. The unknown on the other side can be frightening, to say the least.
Derek
As usual superb post. However if I may, for many years I did part time as a magician, still do the odd private function for friends, so I would add the word Magic to your list as in my opinion being here is Magic.
Also had a light bulb moment last night when the wall finally came crashing down, found my product to promote, so just a load of vry hard work now. lol. :)
As always
Stuart
Ok - now you're just showing off lol
Not 1 inspiration, but 5 - and in the same day?! ;)
I'm doing good with 1 or 2 a week.
I think the wall can also be equated to stress. We all need a certain amount of stress, as it gives us drive, motivation, and even inspires creativity.
It's when the stress gets to the point of overload where we find ourselves crashing into the wall.
But when we pick ourselves up (along with the balls that have fallen) we find a way to destress - maybe through laughter, and carry on.
Great post (as always) Sara, and look forward to more Clown Chronicles :)
Hugs,
Tom
hahaha why thank you kind sir. This clown now, needs to go and find her nose once more lol. you comment has made me smile and is a great start to my day, of juggling, balancing, riding, laughing and dancing!
Going to jump that brick wall like a Navy seal in training!
Have a wonderful day : )
Wow thank you! and thank you for reading and taking time to comment : ) Have a wonderful day
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Thank you Sara for sharing your wisdom. Your article is really inspiring.
Thank you so much, I am pleased you got something from it : )