Over the course of my Internet marketing journey the last decade, I have watched as many of my friends have had their families broken apart as a result of their online businesses.
It might be even happening to your own family right now without you even noticing. Let me explain so you never allow this to happen to you.
Contrary to what you read with many sales letters, making money online is not easy.
In fact. many people who have finally achieved success online spent years struggling before they found an online strategy that worked.
But if you are currently spending countless hours every day trying to make money online, there can be an emotional and physical price to pay.
In the last three years, I have had three Internet marketing friends have their families torn apart because they didn’t see the tell-tale signs that their work on their Internet businesses were the reason.
Trying to make money online can be fun and challenging at the same time. But when it becomes an obsession, then you need to take two steps back to see how it is affecting the people around you.
I recently had a candid conversation with a friend who told me that one day his wife walked into his home office and told him she was unhappy with their lifestyle.
She wasn’t happy that he was at home making money online and these events seemed to have occurred when his online income started dropping.
By the time he realized that his time on the computer was pushing her away, it was to late. She had already made up her mind and wanted a divorce. Unfortunately, now he is left with mixed emotions and sadness that he won’t be with his children every single day. I feel for him because he taught that he was doing what thought he needed to do to provide for his family.
The scary thing is that he didn’t even have a clue that she was unhappy and I think that this was due to a lack of communication.
I have also had friends who either quit or lost their jobs in the past tell me that this was a good thing because it would give them more time to work on their online businesses. It almost always goes something like, “I have three months to make this online thing work because the money will run dry and my family will suffer.” Wow, what a brilliant and exciting strategy.
They tell me to read the sales letters of all the major gurus who first hit rock-bottom (i.e. lying in a ditch with a whiskey bottle in their hand before that had their ah-ha moment and made millions online). Almost 95% of the time, this is not true and the copywriter is just trying to weave an inspirational story to get prospects to buy the product or service.
My advice to my friends who have very little money is always “Get A JOB!” You will need the capital to funnel into your online business and stressing yourself out with dwindling savings will have a major impact on your marriage – guaranteed.
I remember spending some time at my father-in-law’s house and he had a plaque up on the wall that read “10 Rules To Success In Life.”
The very first rule stated, “Be careful who you marry because they will dictate 90% of your happiness and success.”
I look back at my last 12 years of marriage and believe that this is very true. If I hadn’t married my wife who is my very foundation and support for everything I do, I don’t know where I would be today.
She has supported me from day one and we are successful today, but not because of what I have done, but rather what we have done as a team.
There were times where she would take the kids out and many nights she watched a movie alone just to let me work. In fact, I used to spend 12-14 hours on the computer a day and she stood by me.
There were days that she did have her doubts about whether I would achieve success and whether all the hours on the computer were worth it, but she stuck through it with me. But I also paid a price with my health as sitting on computer all day doesn’t do much for the body.
I tell many people today that you will struggle to make money online if you don’t have the “buy-in” of your spouse or immediate family.
Do you want to listen to constant negativity from people who don’t believe in your vision? Do you want to work in an atmosphere where people are waiting for you to fail so that they can say “I told you so…”.
Of course not and it becomes especially hurtful when it is your spouse who is saying these things.
But on the other hand, as a spouse of an Internet marketer, you don’t want to spend your life watching your spouse on the computer 10 hours a day.
You need to think about how your Internet marketing ambitions affect that people around you. At the end of the day, I believe that it is all about balance and communication.
Although my wife might not be actively involved in my business, I still make it a habit to tell her everyday what I am working on and what is going on in the Internet marketing scene.
Sometimes she thinks what I tell her is more interesting than a Hollywood flick… (i.e. “Honey, you won’t believe whose product launch just bombed…”).
I have now made it a habit to cut down my time on the computer and spend more time with my family. My children were even sending me subtle hints to get off the computer, which told me that I needed to pull back.
Sure my income has slightly dropped, but I don’t want to end up in the future having regrets.
I once went through one of Eben Pagan’s business trainings and he even said that the most important things that you can work on in life are making money, health and relationships.
Relationships are really the key to happiness and success. That is the relationships you have with business partners, customers, friends and most importantly, with your family.
Live for today because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
Comments?
Best wishes,
Gauher Chaudhry
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