So as many of you know I recently won an all paid expense trip to Las Vegas for being one Wealthy Affiliate University's top affiliates. It was a great honor and I had a lot of fun to say the very least. I still think I'm recovering from that trip. lol There were some things that happened there that I have to share. I know what you're thinking. Eddy, everything that happens in Vegas is suppose to stay there. Don't start dry snitching now! lol But I'm going to break that rule. Here are some things I learned from my interactions with the other top affiliates. I hope it provides some inspiration or guidance.
1. Most of the top affiliates at this conference had humble backgrounds and have remained grounded despite being successful.
Sometimes there is a misconception that people who are rich or wealthy got there because of luck, their family name or a sex tape being released (a hem Ms. Kardashian…still love ya though. lol) But none of the successful affiliates I met came up like that (to my knowledge. lol). They all pretty much worked their way up from the bottom to achieve their level of success. It's like we were all trying to make up for the misfortune we were dealt in our earlier years. It shaped us to work harder than everyone else to reach our goals. It's also kept us all very humble. Sure chilling in MGM Skylofts and being chauffeured around in a stretch Cadillac Escalade limo is a lot fun. But at the core we were all still very humble regular people. With our without success these are people you would like and want to be around. They're not folks that are full of themselves because they have a little more change than most. I think this is why many of us are successful, people can actually relate to us and we to them.
2. We all became successful because we were in the business of helping people achieve their own goals first.
Obviously we all want to make money. But the money we made was a direct effect of thinking about how to add value to people's lives first. A testament to that was our second day in Vegas. We basically spent a whole day discussing how we could all improve Wealthy Affiliate University so that current and new members get even more value. It wasn't about how do we squeeze more money out of people or price hikes. It was how can we give people more of what they want and need to succeed. At that moment I knew I was around the right people. It really confirmed in my mind we all made it to this level because we're consumed with how to help people. Unfortunately many would be business owners/ affiliate marketers go about it ass backwards. They think money first and everything else next. Not surprisingly a lot of those folks fail because of this. Speaking to my fellow super affiliates was just a nice reminder that providing value first is still the recipe for long term success. Sure we could all easily use our internet marketing prowess to do just the opposite and still make a boat load of money. But it's just not how we all roll and that's nice to know!
3. We're passionate about what we do.
When I worked for the man I rarely did more than what was asked of me. I'm not really proud of that. But at the time I didn't feel I needed to do more than that because it wasn't my company. I just had a real problem busting my ass and getting nothing more than a slap on the back in return or the promise of a possible promotion. At the end of the day I wasn't passionate about what I did for the earlier part of my work years. Later in my career I changed that work ethic and did a bit more and it did pay off. However a lot of that changed because I was finally doing something I was passionate about, I had a great boss and a great co-worker who took me under his wing (Thanks Ja!). Even with all those changes, the effort I put in was only a fraction of the energy used for my own business. My business might as well have been my baby girl. I would spend ungodly hours nurturing, changing and growing her. But every minute of it I really enjoyed and loved because it was all my mine where I called the shots. Unlike my job I could directly see the impact of my work. Apparently many of us share this type of love for our "work" and I use that word "Work" loosely. Apparently we've all been in situations situations where we would forget to eat while working or we'd wake up in the middle of the night because of a great idea or how we all bring our laptops on vacation. lol It was literally like in a room of mirrors because we all had the same type of passion and stories illustrating the love for what we do. To the rest of the world, we're weirdos or workaholics. But to each other we were normal, type A personalities that love what we do.
4. We all have fears.
To my surprise even as successful as all of us are, we still have some insecurities that we've learned to work through or are still grappling with. My biggest fear has been losing it all and having to go back my past life of working for the man. I literally have nightmares about it. But Carson made a good point which had a great impact on me. He basically said if I lost it all, I would find a way to bring it back again. It's in my DNA. He argued you created your current success because you disliked your past situation of working for the man. If thrusted in it again, your feelings wouldn't change. You would still dislike it and find some entrepreneurial way of freeing yourself again. It was such a simple statement but it rang so true. I've been grinding since I was a young buck. Why would that ever change even if I lost it all? It was a real eye opening moment for me. It made me feel good to know that I wasn't the only one that had that fear and how they all worked through it.
5. We challenge ourselves constantly.
A lot of times you can get complacent when you become a successful business owner or even at a 9-5. But the folks that really excel, never feel satisfied. We're always looking to climb another mountain. It's a high that we can't shake and crave for like Pookie did crack. (For the urbanly challenged, NEW JACK CITY
Well that's pretty much what I learned in Vegas. It was great to be around like minded people doing better or just as well as you. I know it definitely inspired me to really grind hard. You don't need to win an affiliate marketing contest to get this type of inspiration. Simply surrounding yourself with people that are doing what you would like to do in life should achieve the same effect. You can easily do that by frequenting blogs of people you admire or chatting with other successful people in forums. At the same time you must limit your contact with people who aren't in the situation you want to be. I have found when I surround myself with like minded people and folks doing better than me, I can't help but step up my own game and do well too.
In any event, I hope you found this little article helpful. It wasn't really meant to brag or anything like that. My hope is that you become just as inspired as I was after this experience. The sky literally is the limit. Meeting these other successful people with humble backgrounds is a testament to this. Anyone who is willing to learn, stay consistent and take action can become successful. None of these people let the excuses of life and failures get in their way. They just made it a point to grind hard until they reached their goals. So if we all can do it why can't you?
Let it marinate!
Thank you, Eddy for continuing to encourage the people around you, especially ME!
I’m marinating on this line: “Anyone who is willing to learn, stay consistent and take action can become successful.”
Thanks, Kisha
Thanks Kisha!
That one line is what it all boils down to. I know that’s pretty much all I did.
Great article Big bro …very inspiring
Thanks Sis.
Eddy, that’s awesome you had a good time. You just wait buddy, I’ll be meeting you there some day ;D Anyways I was reading through the WA forums and ended up reading Jennifer’s (PotPieGirl for those that might know her by her more popular name lol) latest WA blog post. There’s a rather funny part about you, and unfortunately for me and my laptop I was guzzling down Mt.Dew when I read it, my comp got a good bath lol. Anyways if you haven’t read it go over there and take a peak lol…Lmao, I just can’t get the image out of my head!!
Dustin,
I can totally see you there buddy if that’s one of your goals. Sorry to hear about the untimely laptop bath. That sucks!
Thanks for the heads up on Jenn’s article. I just read it. lol
My Irish Brother!
Man it was a great pleasure meeting you too. I can’t wait to do it again next year. I’ll have to buy you a couple of shots of the Goose. It seems to suit you well. lol
Continued success in 2010! Let’s do it again!
Eddy, it was a complete pleasure meeting you in Vegas, it really was something else. Can’t wait for next year!
More Grey Goose please!!!
Cian
Great post Eddy! Glad to see you “survived” Vegas in one piece! In actual fact hubby proposed to me in Vegas NYE 2005 and we married there in April 2008. Can’t afford to go back there anytime soon but we had so much fun, I’m not surprised you enjoyed yourself as well.
Did you visit the Planet Hollywood? We got married in their Wedding Chapel…one of the first to do so as it got revamped from the old Aladdin. The slots in there are very lucky..well, some of the time lol. 🙂
Thanks Jane!
I’ve been to Vegas a few times. One time was with my best friend and another time with my brother in laws. That last time I barely “survived” the first night. So that’s a great way to describe it. I remember calling my wife after our first night of hanging out to the wee hours and telling her I was “ready to go” back home. She said pace yourself better and you’ll have more fun. She was right and it ended up being a great trip.
This Vegas trip was a lot more tame and relaxed. It was different being in Vegas in the business state of mind rather than let’s ball fellas. lol
How cool is it that your husband proposed to you in Vegas. I bet that was memorable!
It’s definitely a fun place.
I don’t think we did visit planet hollywood the last few times I was there. But if I did it would be a blur of a memory. lol
Great article. Been pretty frustrated with the process of working online lately. And have been taking a break but will get back to it today. Make some notes and rewrite them to be great articles.
Thanks!
Teresa
Thanks Teresa! Glad to hear you’re inspired to get back on your grind. Taking action is always the key! So keep doing more of that. Don’t get caught up in over analyzing things.
Eddy, You Rock! Dude. I absolutely love reading your articles with a funny twist. Yea, Pookie was flying real high and could not handle the pressure. I am not involved with WA and doing my own consultant stuff for Hewlett Packard but I still just like your inspiring words which are just simply about life and doing what you want to do for you and not for the Man. You keep it real. I am very happy for your success..BTW, I partied at the MGM for my 40th bday and it was off the chain. Bottles popping and living the good life. Take care and continued success for you..
Thanks Denise. I’m glad you got my Pookie reference. Yes that brother fell to the pressure and in a very bad way. lol I’m glad you can find inspiration in my writings. It really is meant to be applied for any aspect of one’s life. It’s definitely not just about affiliate marketing and I’m glad you recognize that. (Some people didn’t seem to get that. lol)
In any event sounds like you did it big for your 40th! That’s the way to bring in a new period in your life. That’s what life should be about, enjoying it to the fullest. How you choose to express that is up to the individual. Thanks for sharing your feedback. I appreciate the well wishes and support!
Good to see you back Eddy. I was missing your updates. You put so much info in what you say. And i hope the talks make stuff better at Wealthy University
Thanks Tony. It’s nice to know someone misses my weekly ramblings. lol Kyle & Carson are always receptive to my feedback even before I was a “super affiliate”. It just takes time to apply some of the suggestions I and other members make. Trust me they are aware of the weak areas and are always looking to tweak them.
This is great for you. Glad to know you are sssooo successful, however, I need to know if you have any suggestions for those of us who simply can not afford Wealthy University monthly fee. Specifically address issues regarding older individual, how can we make enough money to pay the rent by utilizing what viable work at home sites. Continue doing what you do simply because it is working for you.
Maybe I’m reading this wrong but I sense a little insincerity in your comment and a bit of resentment. But that’s okay. As I’ve said many times in my articles, affiliate marketing isn’t for everyone. There are people that are better suited to have a traditional work at home job like the ones we list daily here:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/jobs or some of the non-traditional opportunities listed on our recommendations page:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/recommendations
You have a lot of options at your disposal. I was merely sharing what my experience was in Vegas. The resources that can help you pay whatever your bills are have always been on this site. It’s just a matter of reading it and taking action on the many paths I’ve already provided on this site. Good luck to you.
I really enjoyed this post. Glad to hear Vegas was great and that all of the people were humble. I’m a member of WA too, and I just started my own site promoting WA as part of their article marketing club. I may never make it to Vegas, but I’m going to keep trying. Reading about your success keeps me motivated.
Hey Amy,
Glad you liked it. Just keep in mind your affiliate career doesn’t have to be about promoting WA. I literally don’t start promoting it until a year or two after joining. I applied what they taught me to an industry I love and live first. Then I eventually felt it was a good idea to share how I became successful and that was due largely to WA. So keep that in mind. Try to focus your energy on an industry you have a passion for or love first. Then later consider promoting WA if it makes sense and have experienced success because of what you learned from it. Just my thoughts.
Good post. Your website and material come across well, as does your commitment to helping others be successful. Continued success to you. What goes around comes around.
LBD, thanks. I really appreciate that. I can always use more success and good karma my way. So thanks for wishing it on me.
Great inspiration! Really need to hear this, to remind me — to get back to it after finishing up with the current -temporary headaches! Good to hear the posiitive, sage words! And as you said, most had to overcome many adversities and challenges. Thank you so much, Sir E. for the reminder that, it is just part of the game… will be back to it soon.. First part of March.. regroup, refocus, re-kick it like Sir E. 🙂
DragonSpirit
KMA** Alive 🙂
DragonSpirit,
Great to hear from you! (Where have you been hiding? lol)
I’m glad this message was a reminder for you. I think we all get caught up and stuff and fall back to bad habits and routines that don’t get us any closer to our goals. We all need reminders. Vegas was even my reminder. So I’m happy to share it with you good folks.
Get back on that horse and make it happen!