This page is devoted to help you keep your sanity in this demanding and sometimes ungrateful world of internet marketing. I will intentionally post lots of clipart because life should be fun. I know most of you are looking at internet marketing to make a profit and there is nothing wrong with that. The problem arises when you are spending way more money than you are making and getting nowhere.
As people wanting to succeed in internet marketing, we are bombarded with product offers, most of which we do not even need. I am sure, you can relate to buying useless courses that promised you to be as successful as the person who sold it and got nothing out of the course (or worst yet, did not even listen or open the course). The truth of the matter is that you don’t need most internet marketing products and you just need to get started and as you go along, you will clearly see what product or service you really need. Do not get caught up in the vicious cycle of buying products or courses or enrolling in endless teleseminars and not going anywhere in your business. I personally know people who have spent well over 60 000$ in teaching material and do not have a web site up yet!
There will be products and services you will need in the process of developing your internet marketing business, most of them not expensive at all (or even free).
In my opinion, most teleseminars or teaching course are basically people bragging about their personal success and do not result in helping you achieving much in your own business. Too often, you will get all flared up after going to a seminar or listening to a course but end-up not knowing how to reproduce the success you have heard about.
There are a couple of good courses out there showing you the step-by-step way to be successful and I highly encourage you to research them. On the other hand, a product that promises you thousands of dollars with the push of a button just sounds like scam, doesn’t it?
Successful internet marketers are often millionaires and it is easy for them afterwards to promise you: “Do as I say and you too will become a millionaire.” The most frequent consequence of this is that…they become multi-millionaires and you just got caught buying another useless course in hope of getting fast cash.
Another warning I would like to give you is about internet marketing forums. Although some are good, most will just have you waste precious time and can send you in the wrong directions. Most of these forums are not moderated and you can get false advice. Furthermore, you can waste valuable time jumping from one post to the other and not getting anything done.
When you have a specific question about a specific topic, you can ask friends who are in internet marketing or do an internet search. You might end-up on a forum for the answer but at least you will have saved a lot of time. I personally find it a little amusing when people want to post as experts on forums but are not successful. Most very successful internet marketers do not hang out on forums as they are busy growing their businesses. I am always amused when I realize that my “financial advisor” has less money than I do. I should be giving him advices, don’t you think?
Another way to keep your sanity while growing your internet marketing business will be to try to prevent really bad things from happening to you. John Reese said it best when he said: “It’s not a question of if you computer will crash but rather when your computer will crash.” It is very wise to do frequent back-ups of your computer so in case of a crash, it would take you a couple of hours only to recover. You also need to back-up your web sites as you cannot rely on your web hosting company to do that for you. You will save yourself a lot of stress if you back-up your hard work.
Another good way to keep your sanity while growing your internet marketing business is to allow yourself some quality time with your loved ones and family. Often, if you take some time off, your mind will be clearer and you will get more accomplished the next day. We all need a little break once in a while.
Furthermore, if you have children, you need to realize that even though you might be growing your internet marketing business for them you should enjoy their company now. The problem is that while you are working hard, they are growing and when your business is successful, they might not be around to enjoy it with you. It is a good policy to enjoy quality time with your loved ones now while growing your business at the same time.
All right! For those of you rolling their eyes in disbelief saying: “What does she know? Who is she to tell us what to do? My children understand that I am working for them. There will be plenty of time to enjoy life later.” Here are two true stories.
I have a friend who was working very hard, burning the midnight oil often. One day, at the age of 56, he dropped dead of a heart attack on the job. Nothing could be done to save him.
Another one of my colleagues was working very hard to get a good income and pay for all the fancy toys he had bought. One night, he came home but had forgotten his keys. He rang the doorbell and his four year old son answered the door. After opening the door, the little boy turned around and screamed: “Mom, there’s a MAN at the door.”
Make sure your family recognizes you and enjoys quality time with you every occasion you can.
Many people get caught-up in building their internet business and forget about their own well-being. Working at the computer many hours per day will not get you in shape in any way (at the best, you will have two to ten strong fingers). Allow yourself some time during the day to exercise and get your heart pumping. It is a very good idea to exercise as often during those periods, your mind will be clearer and you will get great ideas. I actually have a problem of getting too many ideas and have burned-down two webmasters so far.
It is also a very good habit to get up and walk around for a few minutes every hour or so. This way, you can say “Hi” to your children, move your body around and get a couple of good breaths of fresh air in.
Another good recommendation is to always hydrate yourself well. It is a scientific fact that if you are dehydrated by as little as 10%, your brain functions slows down by 30%. We all know that you need your brain to work efficiently. Having a glass of water next to you while working is a good idea.
It is also recommended to always have a proper ergonomic (working) position. A person engaged in writing a very interesting text tends to slouch over and can get painful back and neck pain. Sounds cocky but working with your shoulders aligned with your pelvis is a good habit.
Determine what you want and need in growing your internet marketing business. It is easy to get caught-up in the trap of wanting more and more money and not having any precise goals.I personally know many millionaires who still think they need more money and are more stressed about money than a person with an average income. I also know many cool millionaires who have a great relationship with money and are not afraid to share and enjoy their money.
By setting your goals, you have to be precise. If you say: I want to be rich, that is too vague and nothing will happen. You also have to be honest with yourself and know what makes you happy.
I personally like to work and will always work. I also know a lot of very successful and rich people who will work until their very last day on earth as it is one of their pleasures. Take a moment now to write down your simple goals:
1) How much money do you want to have?
2) How many hours do you want to work per week (it could be 0)?
3) If you were rich, what would you be doing?
4) Name three things you want to have accomplished in one year, in ten years, before you die?
5) What would really make you happy?
6) Do you need to improve your health?
7) What else do you need right now? How can you get it?
8) If you could, would you spend more time with your family?
HERE IS YOUR CALL TO ACTION:
1) Take a moment to evaluate what you have done so far in growing your internet marketing business.
2) Realize the time and money you have wasted in buying those courses promising you fortune and glory.
3) Sit down with your spouse (if you have one) and determine the best way to grow your business and enjoy your life.
4) Evaluate your physical health and decide to take good care of your body by nourishing it well and exercising regularly.
5) Evaluate your mental health and see if you need a well-deserved break.
6) Realize all that you have done so far and congratulate and reward yourself for a job well done!
See you on the next square!
Nathalie
The Big Internet Marketing Game - Keeping Your Sanity
This page is devoted to help you keep your sanity in this demanding and sometimes ungrateful world of internet marketing. I will intentionally post lots of clipart because life should be fun. I know most of you are looking at internet marketing to make a profit and there is nothing wrong with that. The problem arises when you are spending way more money than you are making and getting nowhere. 
Do not get caught up in the vicious cycle of buying products or courses or enrolling in endless teleseminars and not going anywhere in your business. I personally know people who have spent well over 60 000$ in teaching material and do not have a web site up yet!
In my opinion, most teleseminars or teaching course are basically people bragging about their personal success and do not result in helping you achieving much in your own business. Too often, you will get all flared up after going to a seminar or listening to a course but end-up not knowing how to reproduce the success you have heard about. 
Successful internet marketers are often millionaires and it is easy for them afterwards to promise you: “Do as I say and you too will become a millionaire.” The most frequent consequence of this is that…they become multi-millionaires and you just got caught buying another useless course in hope of getting fast cash.
When you have a specific question about a specific topic, you can ask friends who are in internet marketing or do an internet search. You might end-up on a forum for the answer but at least you will have saved a lot of time. I personally find it a little amusing when people want to post as experts on forums but are not successful. Most very successful internet marketers do not hang out on forums as they are busy growing their businesses. I am always amused when I realize that my “financial advisor” has less money than I do. I should be giving him advices, don’t you think? 
Another way to keep your sanity while growing your internet marketing business will be to try to prevent really bad things from happening to you. John Reese said it best when he said: “It’s not a question of if you computer will crash but rather when your computer will crash.” It is very wise to do frequent back-ups of your computer so in case of a crash, it would take you a couple of hours only to recover. You also need to back-up your web sites as you cannot rely on your web hosting company to do that for you. You will save yourself a lot of stress if you back-up your hard work. 
Another good way to keep your sanity while growing your internet marketing business is to allow yourself some quality time with your loved ones and family. Often, if you take some time off, your mind will be clearer and you will get more accomplished the next day. We all need a little break once in a while.
Furthermore, if you have children, you need to realize that even though you might be growing your internet marketing business for them you should enjoy their company now. The problem is that while you are working hard, they are growing and when your business is successful, they might not be around to enjoy it with you. It is a good policy to enjoy quality time with your loved ones now while growing your business at the same time.
Many people get caught-up in building their internet business and forget about their own well-being. Working at the computer many hours per day will not get you in shape in any way (at the best, you will have two to ten strong fingers). Allow yourself some time during the day to exercise and get your heart pumping. It is a very good idea to exercise as often during those periods, your mind will be clearer and you will get great ideas. I actually have a problem of getting too many ideas and have burned-down two webmasters so far.
I personally know many millionaires who still think they need more money and are more stressed about money than a person with an average income. I also know many cool millionaires who have a great relationship with money and are not afraid to share and enjoy their money. 
4) Name three things you want to have accomplished in one year, in ten years, before you die?
1) Take a moment to evaluate what you have done so far in growing your internet marketing business.