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I am the first child of my family, and fit the stereotype of the kid who wanted to do things the right way, followed the rules, and had a tendency to be a perfectionist. I also developed a bad habit of procrastination, which has carried into adulthood. I recently learned that procrastination can actually be a coping mechanism borne out of anxiety as well as from boredom.
Because I am worried about doing things right and afraid to fail, I put off doing anything that I do not think I could master easily. I will spend hours researching a topic or solution to a problem I am facing, join message boards to ask questions from others who have experience under similar circumstances, and watch video upon video on YouTube trying to learn from others. Now while I do not want to discount the value of doing this research, there is simply no substitute for rolling up your sleeves and actually making an attempt at a solution.
I know this truth – I mean, there is no way we human beings can learn how to walk, swim, ride a bike, drive a car, etc. from just reading about it! At some point, we have to do real-life practice and MAKE MISTAKES. Fall down (repeatedly). Scuff a knee. Knock off a side-view mirror (whoops! Been there, done that)
Parenting is a prime example of learning on the job, amiright??
What we have to remember is that this failure is necessary for us to grow and master a new skill. The key is to persist.
It sounds crazy, but you fail enough times, eventually you DON’T! The action, repeated over time, builds a habit. Builds consistency. Builds mastery. At some point, we go from crawling, to cruising, to walking, to running… as a mother, watching my own boys develop these skills has been utterly fascinating to me.
Now as adults, I fully understand the responsibility we have to pay the bills and provide for our families, so we have to take calculated risks. It’s harder to throw financial caution to the wind when we have tiny humans or trusting partners depending on us. Fortunately, with an online affiliate-marketing business, it is completely possible to get started with little money upfront and maintain control over how much money we put into it as we learn the skills required.
It’s possible because many others have done it. I am doing it RIGHT NOW. What you are witnessing here, in REAL TIME, is me – taking action, putting in the work, and learning this business. And I hope by sharing what I am doing and learning that I can help you do it too.
Let’s fail, together! Pick ourselves back up, fail some more, learn every day, and keep sucking at it until we finally don’t. I’m determined to make that first dollar online in 2024. Will you join me?
With love,
Acasha,
Often we refer to ourselves that we are failures if something did not go as planned. The truth is there is no such thing as a failure. failure is not something that defines a person. When someone fails as something it is just a mere steppingstone on their journey that one can learn from and move on.
If it wasn’t for failing then how would we learn to succeed. You can have one without the other.
As you mentioned kids are a great example of this.
Thanks for reminding me, on how we should view the obstacles we face.
CJ
This is so true, failure is just a perspective – and not a REALITY! I think we truly only “fail” when we give up on ourselves, convinced that whatever we are trying to change in our lives is out of our control. I, for one, am taking my fear my the horns this year and will no longer let that “bull” stop me from moving forward.
Thanks for visiting and good luck!
AK
Hi Acasha,
That fear is big and your right we make decisions to avoid the doing and it’s in the doing that we reach success.
I love the way you ended, let’s fail together…keep sucking until we don’t!
😆That’s great!
Im glad to be in such good company! LoL
Thanks for your comment. I wish you luck, friend!
AK
I can relate to what you said about procrastination. I have been a serial procrastinator for many years.
I think the root cause of procrastination is fear. At least, that is true for me.
In fact, procrastination can also lead to shiny object syndrome. People buy shiny objects in order to avoid what they know they need to do. I have been guilty of that myself.
Yes! I think you’re right. We meet resistance and then convince ourselves that the reason we didn’t make progress is because we just chose the wrong product or path, and this NEW THING is certainly going to make all the difference – when really we just need to take a good long look in the mirror, haha.
Good luck to you this year in your business!
AK
I’m in! I’m really good for making mistakes! Mistakes are just another way to learn and make progress. We have to get rid of the fears that stop us from moving ahead. Let’s get hands-on and go get that first dollar!
Martin
YES! Love this energy! <3 I'm cheering for you!
AK
Acasha, I love the photo, very cool. You sound a lot like me. I used to and still do a lot of those things. What helped me was, make a list of what needs to be done. Then count to 5 then just start the first one even if you are not sure how to do it. Just start writing, talking, thinking etc. It will come and then you will be inspired. Let me know how you get one. Great post, thanks. Atif
I agree – making lists helps a lot! I have a daily planner that I use religiously every day to help me keep track of ALL THE THINGS. I also am high-functioning but also very ADHD, so remembering tasks can be a real problem. I don’t think I’d be near as successful in keeping everything together if I hadn’t developed some good note-taking and anxiety-management skills.
AK
My idea of failure has definitely changed recently. Really resonate with your post! I always thought if you are not where you think you are supposed to be, you are failing, but this is not true; now I look at “failing” as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Our mindset truly makes all the difference – not just in affiliate marketing, but in our lives in general!
Glad you enjoyed my post. Thanks for visiting and engaging with me! I hope to follow your journey as well and cheer you on!
AK
Acasha, I really enjoyed your post, the need to not fail is one of those things that we are engrained with since we were born. So when we do fail it hits us right in the gut. But we always have to remind ourselves that what we don’t know we don’t know, and this is always the case with starting new journeys. Look for to more of your insights!
I’m not very inclined to see it as a fear we are born with, but one we learn. My babies were rather fearless when they were learning how to walk! I tend to believe we learn to engrain this fear when others judge us for our failures, or even we start to measure ourselves against the progress of our peers. When my five year old starts getting frustrated with himself for not immediately doing well with a task, I try hard to remind him that we all have to do things wrong at first, but the key is to keep trying and eventually we will get it right. And then at the end of the day – I look in the mirror and remind myself of the same thing!
Thanks for stopping by, and I wish you success in your journey!
AK