There is work to be done! (and some more advice for newbies)

bySaraPoyner

1.7K followers

Updated 4 years ago

Good Morning Wealthy Affiliate!!

After some very difficult roads, I find myself back here at the beautiful destination of Wealthy affiliate. It is eight months since I started my affiliate marketing journey, on a quest for freedom of time, energy and money. Much of the path has been one of difficulty and retreat, where my last posts 3 months ago, found me saying goodbye for a while to WA.

In my quest for freedom and the chance to finally live an inspired life, I discovered that freedom and inspiration were not in the places I expected. Having gone self-employed I found myself working more hours for much less money and having the need to take a second employed job to survive financially. So there I was trying to build a website whilst working seven days a week.

I followed my usual pattern of working more and working harder, until my poor body and mind got to breaking point again. Leaving me to make some very tough decisions the first was to take a break from this wonderful network. The second was to leave my self-employed job.

After a twelve-week notice period, I am finally back and feel free and inspired to once again start to building my affiliate marketing business. And so, as my title states, there is work to be done. With a major overhaul of my original website and a dedication to start blogging to it at least weekly. I am also going to begin building my passion project website, which I am sure I will be motivated and inspired to write on daily. This new project will also be the catalyst for a new youtube channel.

I am therefore very excited for 2020. My original website has been getting me about 10 sales a month, with no work on it for 4 months, so I am hoping this will continue to grow and become a great success, and the 'passion project'. Will be just that. If it makes money great, but there is no pressure, just a desire for an outlet.

Advice for Newbies

My eight month experience here, has given me the ability to offer some advice to those of you who are new here. (although to many, I could still be considered a newbie). So here are my humble words of wisdom.

1) Fuel your Passion. Try to choose a subject you are passionate about for your first website. You are going to be researching and writing about it daily, so make it something that you are passionate about and lights your fire of curiosity and interest.

2) Don't be afraid to start again.If along the way you find your first website is really not floating your boat, don't be afraid to listen to your intuition and change it or start a new one. Nothing is wasted, all working and training is new knowledge and experience. Sometimes things not working or going wrong are the greatest teachers.

3) Be careful of burnout. Many who come in search of freedom, are doing so because their lives are busy with little time. Therefore, be realistic about how much time you can dedicate to building your new business without jeopardising balance with family, partners and work.

4) It is not all or nothing! many of us are here in search of the holy grail, that laptop lifestyle and the passive income. However, that takes time, and often the reality is that you will have to maintain employment for a while, maybe a long while, before your websites produce sufficient income to support the lifestyle you dream of. However building your website(s) may mean that, the freedom and lifestyle can come in stages. Allowing you to eventually give up second jobs (like me) or scaling back on hours or days of work. You never know this journey may also lead you in many directions and paths, to a whole different idea of your holy grail.

5) Don't be afraid to take a break. I have actually found that it has helped me find perspective and my website has matured and is organically growing.

6) Ask for help. There is a wealth of experience and knowledge here within our wonderful network and family at Wealthy Affiliate. If you have hit a wall or have a problem, there is normally someone who has hit that wall, or had that problem too. The platform has been set up so that you can stand on the shoulders of the giants who have gone before us. take advantage of those big shoulders to lean on.

7) Follow your bliss. What is it your soul is yearning to do. You have been guided here for a reason, don't make it another 'job' or thing on your ever-increasing 'to do list'. If you are following, and researching and writing about your bliss, this will radiate out to your readers and attract so much more success and take you exactly where you are meant to be.

8) Enjoy the journey, even the struggle. When climbing a mountain, you don't just float to the summit to enjoy the view. You have to start the climb, it takes physical labour and mental strength. Sometimes you stop half-way. There is normally a point where you just feel you can't carry on and you have to dig deep to put one foot in front of the other. This journey to freedom is all about enjoying the small steps and struggles, and enjoying the view at each and every point of the path. It makes getting to the summit and finding that holy grail so much more worthwhile. You may even discover that the holy grail of freedom had been with you all the way, even right at the beginning.

So I continue my journey. I am packing up my campsite in the valley and I am beginning the climb again with a cup of 'good' coffee and a backpack filled with dreams, passion, inspiration, and determination. It is so good to be back!

Much Love

Sara

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