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That has started me thinking about all the “F” words that have been popping up on such a regular basis lately. I am constantly reminded that so many people in internet marketing are chasing “Financial Freedom.” They want so badly to become successes so that they can achieve the lifestyle that they know will make them happy. Some want to gain their freedom from working a nine to five job that they do not feel will provide them with the life they want for themselves and their family. They want the freedom to live as they please and go where they want.

Next, I have seen the word “Fear” used several ways. Here is a quote attributed to John D. Rockefeller quoted by Eric Rockefeller–”Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” Also, when people do not succeed because they are afraid to take chances, it is often referred to as “Fear of Failure.” Both of these uses of the word can be connected to the desire to achieve success without limiting it in any way. When someone does not know what to do because they are in unfamiliar territory, they do not move forward because they are so afraid of making a big mess instead of achieving the success that they really are after. The end result is that they do nothing at all. Is this better than making a mistake and learning from it?

This leads me to “Follow-through.” I associate this with starting and not finishing. Many beginning internet marketers learn quickly that this is not a push button business. There’s a lot of work that goes into building a successful online company. Many do not learn this lesson until they have chased every flashing firefly down all the possible paths in front of them. The many guides that they buy offer the promise of a turnkey business with the click of a mouse. You will not be able to learn from a strategy until you follow through with each step until you reach a result. Only then can you make a decision whether or not it is a viable and workable plan that is right for you and if you continue to follow through with it will you achieve the success you seek. Chasing fireflies gets you nowhere.

Finally, “Focus” reminds us that constant flip flopping from one idea to another does not utilize time wisely. It still leads to failure and leaves many beginners to wonder why them are not making it. To understand focusing, it helps to begin by studying the way you spend your time when your working. If you find that a good deal of your time is spent in non-productive activities like reading emails or chasing other shiny bright objects that pop up in front of you, then it should become evident to you that you are spending too much of your time in activities that will not make you money. Focusing really begins when you give up those time wasters and focus on the high dollar activities. You must create a structure of focus where most of your time is spent in very productive money earning activities. When you are able to do that then you can say you are focused and on your way to success.

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Here is a quote from Michael Cheney: “Learning the hard way involves working 16 hours a day. Choosing the hard way means feeling totally alone. You think and feel like the whole world is against you and that nobody understands your situation.

Being successful the hard way is a real nightmare – it involves banging your head constantly against the wall and having to wait months and years to notice that you might not even be moving in the right direction.

Being successful the hard way involves doing everything on your own and believing that you have all the answers.

He ends this quote by saying: “The hard way sucks. Big Time.”

Now doesn’t that sound like Michael Cheney’s has been there. Doesn’t he know what it is like to work hard to build a successful business?

Of course, he goes on to tell you how he quit doing business the hard way and started using more successful techniques. He does not treat himself badly. He eats a good breakfast, gets his exercise, and sets and believes in his goals. He also uses time management and does things that makes him focus to eliminate wasted time. He plans his days to continuously give himself the rewards of completing tasks.

Now after you read all of this good advice, what do you do? Of course you have just thought: “I knew that; everyone knows that.” But then, do you go back to doing the same things or do you make changes that incorporate into your routine the new successful techniques. If you took a poll, which one would win–stay the same or adapt new ways?

I can’t resist asking you one more thing. Do you limit the reading of your emails to 10 minutes once a day? I have been told that by so many people. Well, my new schedule of activities is laying on my desk waiting for me. I am going to post once a week without fail. Wish me luck. One day you may be reading my success story.

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Out of all the methods I have used to become Internet savvy, watching videos always helped me the most. It is true, I realized, that I am a visual learner. I could read instructions in books, but it was always a great day when I could find a video that explained the topic with which I was interested.

I remember how thrilled I was the first time I watched JP Schoeffel’s Visitorsense Videos showing how you could put up a site and drive traffic to it. I couldn’t help but think, “Yes, I can do this.” JP always does an excellent job with all of his projects. He is very detailed oriented and always gives very good instructions.

The second set that delighted me to no end was Michael Rasmussen’s Mini-sites Profits Exposed which he allowed people to use at no cost. They were so well done and again showed me how to do a few mechanical procedures that I needed to learn. He like JP has thought out his videos very well and delivers great instuction.

In a previous post, I have already mentioned that Covert List Building Videos from Melvin Perry really set me on the path to traffic building. Melvin has a very relaxed way of presenting and sounds as if he is talking to you spontaneously. But then, the information he delivers is so informative.

Not too long ago, I joined a membership site that was called “Dave’s Online Videos.com” What I found in his videos section blew me away. Dave Guindon has done a masterful job of presenting videos on so many subjects, both on the mechanics of buildling a website and using software, but strategies as well. I felt like I had fallen into a pot of jam–there must be over 200 videos. I wished that I had found the site sooner when I so desperately needed all the information on mechanics. I would recommend davesonlinevideos.com to everyone who has a lot to learn about how to get started. His membership fee is very reasonable, but worth every penny.

Videos have been my teachers. When you are home alone teaching yourself the mechanics of Internet Marketing, it is so wonderful to hear a friendly voice explain something to you in detail. Not one time have I ever heard Dave, Michael, Melvin, or JP complain about explaining it to me over and over.

A month or two later, I needed to be able to put up a sales page, thank you page, download page etc. I couldn’t figure out how to do it smoothly. I went to a guru friend and asked him how to do it. He said that I could make my job easier if I had a script to use–like RAP. He was so surprised when I said I had it. I dug it out, studied the user manual and have been using it ever since. It works great and it makes your job go so smoothly.

Now, Sid Hale has upgraded it and it does even more. In the sales letter, he says that it replaces Jonathan Leger’s $7 script. If the upgrade is better than the original version, it truly must be wonderful. I can’t imagine not having it to use. I recommend it highly. Especially, if you like your life made easier.

Once I started down this path, I certainly learned that it was going to be hard work and it wasn’t going to be easy. My first mentor James Martel who wrote the Affiliate Marketing Handbook (you will find the link on the right sidebar) warned that you had to learn to work in isolation and learn to figure things out for yourself. He tried to provide as much information as he could and he wrote an excellent manual that was very detailed and helpful. He also held great bootcamps that answered a lot of questions. Here comes the second “but”–it only went so far. James is an affiliate marketer and did not deal with listbuilding, sales pages, or thank you pages.

When I visited forums, I did not have to look far to find many newbies sharing the same feelings that I had. Soon, I was fortunate to find my way to the Marketing Beginners Forum and Randy the Hermit. Imagine the fact that Randy our guru reads the posts every day and answers every question that anyone asks about Internet Marketing. The other members are also helpful. I wanted to tell everyone about the forum and share my good fortune.

In addition to this good forum, videos were my next salvation. Words alone do not always provide you with the details that you sometimes need. JP Schoeffel has developed a set of videos entitled Videosense that explains in a great deal of detail how to do niche marketing. If you are still wondering how to make money and what you have to do in each step to make it, these videos contain the answer.

Here is the perfect opportunity to help fellow newbies find their way. You probably have a limited amount of money to spend and are tired of buying videos and ebooks that don’t help. Finding your way to the Marketing Beginners Forum and watching the Videosense videos can be the beginning of a successful career. Just don’t forget to say “hi” to me in the forum. The optin at the top right hand corner will also lead you to Marketing Beginners. Please add your name to my list. I look forward to working with you. In case you are wondering, I am well on my way.

The major controversial topic was the pollution of the web. Jason Calacanis, Founder and CEO of Mahalo.com was the keynote speaker who brought up differences in the Internet today versus yesterday. He explained how any system can be taken over by gamers and how they create problems for everyone. He pointed out that curation on the web has started. He gave the examples that people now police their services; anonymity is being reduced, and bad people are being punished. He asked Affiliate Marketers to do what they could not to contribute to the pollution. Of course, by saying that, it may be interpreted that you are including Affiliate Marketers in the group that are polluting. Now you know why I used the word “controversial” in the first sentence. It created a topic for lively discussion–some agreeing and some disagreeing. A trademark of a good keynote speaker is one that can evoke discussion and Jason certainly did that. He explained how the search engine Mahalo.com has been designed to incorporate more human intervention to reduce pollution and steer away from some of the obvious problems.

Now I will editorialize just a bit. In hearing many of the Superaffiliate success stories, I have learned that some have experienced terrific successes when they least expected it. You might say that preparation and opportunity combined at the right moment to bring them very good fortune. They were working, trying different strategies, when–bingo–success struck. Definitely, they were not sitting waiting for it to happen. An observation–many young marketers are not afraid and so they are not constrained by fear of failure. In any case, the stories are always great to hear. I would encourage everyone to attend one of these events because it is great fun to be in a group where everyone totally understands the language and the difficulties of your everyday life in the business.

You are almost ready to begin your big adventure or to continue your big adventure better equipped and better armed. You are going to succeed!

Ambition:  Success in the Internet jungle depends a great deal on the desire of the adventurer.  Unless you want to secure a better life for yourself and for your family, your success is in jeopardy.

Determination:  A very large supply is required.  You will be using your determination supply to keep yourself going when it looks like nothing is happening.

Work Ethic:  You need a really strong one.  You must be willing to work as long and as hard as you need to in order to accomplish your goals.  This work ethic must be strong enough to keep you from succumbing to taking ‘shortcuts’ that will, in the end, turn out to be long cuts.

Time: You will need a lot of this…be sure to pack plenty.  You are going to have to forego many pleasures in order to be able to spend enough time on your work-at-home job or your at-home business.  Don’t believe anybody who tells you that you can make plenty of money by just working part time.

Hard Work: You must be willing to do the heavy lifting required to do such things as build opt-in lists.  If you don’t have enough ‘hard work’ packed, you will be tempted to believe that you can make money without having to work.  You must expect to work very hard.

Patience: The Internet is supposed to have sped everything up…and it did speed up a lot of things.  Success, however, is not one of them.  You will be required to use a lot of patience as you pursue success in the Internet jungle.

Luck:  You will need a lot of ‘luck,’ as well.  However, you have to make your own luck as you travel through the Internet jungle.  To make ‘luck’ you must have all of the other supplies in ample quantity.  When you mix ambition, determination, work ethic, time, hard work and patience together in equal portions, you get what some people call ‘luck.’