I Guess I’ll Build My EMPIRE Alone!
Do you know the best way to deal with life’s disappointments?
SUNDAY: May 21, 2023
Here we are again, with another week come and gone, and nearly a month since the launch of Affiliate’s Row — the directory I had such great plans for.
If my use of the word “had” sounds like I’m feeling less positive about the future of the directory, I’m not.
True, I definitely had less than a successful week, and I do feel a sense of disappointment.
But my solution is to do whatever it is that I do best. Because the ONE person that I can always count on, is me.
TIP👉 That’s one lesson that we all do well to recognize and not take for granted.
Allow me to share what has and what has not been happening with my new Affiliate’s Row Directory.
During the past week, I only published a total of 3 stories.
Only one of these stories was even related to the directory.
It was the title you see here, where I talk about the Fiverr website, and then share a link to the related section in the directory.
👉 Do You Want a Good EXAMPLE of a Smart Fiverr Fan? — How to promote gigs and providers when you become a Fiverr affiliate!
The remainder of the week was more or less a waiting game, with me checking emails, as well as my Gumroad and Fiverr accounts, hoping for listings.
Gradually, I began to realize that I didn’t like the idea of sitting around on pins and needles, relying on readers to find my directory and submit a listing.
I began to consider what I could actively do, to continue building my empire alone…
Disappointment about the lack of responses
Do you hear that? It’s the sound of crickets, responding to the idea of my new directory.
Since my goal has always been to be as honest as possible in my writing, I plan to keep it just as real as I can, when it comes to the progress that I am (or am not) making.
I’m actually disappointed about the lack of responses to this new Medium resource.
It’s obvious to me, that at the moment, no one seems to recognize the value of this cool marketing tool.
However, I also understand that sometimes it takes a while for things to catch on or take hold.
That’s why, rather than focusing on getting responses from the community and hoping for listings, I’m taking a different approach.
I can passively wait for things to improve, and the listings to start coming in. But in the mean time, I can actively focus on a similar, but different objective.
Instead of selecting random items to list or using former stories as mere place holders in the directory, I can simply re shift my priorities.
The Affiliate’s Row Directory is the perfect platform to promote as many stories as I choose, along with the products and services that best complement those stories.
Whether I’m revisiting my own stories, or sharing stories from other writers, my promotional commercials — so to speak — will be the various affiliate products and services worth promoting.
To some readers, you might not really see the difference, but for me, it makes a difference, because it involves my source of motivation.
Waiting for people to submit their listings — paid or not — is difficult for the following reasons:
- I’m not in control of the situation
- It requires patience and reliance on the efforts of others
On the other hand, selecting stories to promote, and choosing related products and services myself, is better for the following reasons:
- I’m in complete control of the situation
- It requires action and reliance on my own efforts
As you can see, my way of dealing with the disappointment over the lack of responses, is to stop relying on responses to accomplish my objective.
Or in this case, modify my original objective, which was to:
Focus on promoting affiliate products and services, by using previously published Medium stories to help do it.
Now, the modified objective is to:
Focus on promoting previously published Medium stories, by using affiliate products and services to help do it.
I’m much better at fulfilling the new objective, as my catalog of over 1100 stories can confirm.
Stick to what you’re good at and do what you enjoy
If there’s one thing I’ve learned during the course of my long and crazy writing career, is that you have to stick to what you’re good at, but at the same time, try hard to do what you really enjoy.
I’m great at coming up with new and sometimes innovative ideas. But what I’m not good at, is waiting, or relying on others.
Good, bad, or ugly — patience is definitely not one of my virtues.
So instead, I have to take advantage of the virtues that I do happen to possess. They include persistence, diligence, and drive.
Those attributes, along with my imagination and creativity, keep me constantly on the move and help me stay motivated.
When all else fails, I always end up falling back on what I seem to do best.
For instance, writing about Medium and the ups and downs of the writing life is something that comes natural to me, plus it’s something that I enjoy.
That’s why I’m constantly trying to share my writing advice on this issue, in stories like this one:
Show Me One Writer Who NEVER Writes about Medium! — Is it okay if Medium is your niche?
I love the fact that my highly diverse portfolio of stories here on Medium, include stories that have helped various members of the community.
And now, with the help of my new Affiliate’s Row Directory, I’ll be able to illuminate a lot of those stories that may have been overlooked the first time around.
This is a task that I don’t mind doing alone, because ultimately, it only helps to add value to my existing story empire.
And the good news is, for the time being, I’ve also decided to keep making the newsletter public.
The upcoming issues will continue being published and accessible to all.
Final Thoughts
As I prepare to start another week of writing, my mind is already buzzing with fresh ideas, to reinvigorate previously published stories.
I plan to pay a little more attention to both my Just Like New and my Daily Justiss publications.
As usual, I have some interesting ways to use them, as an aid in promoting my other directory related stories or activities.
Until next week, thanks for reading, and be sure to check out the directory.
