Success...What Is It & Where Can I Get Some? "
By Len Thurmond



How do you measure success?

Most of us spend our entire lives saying yes sir, no sir and
doing exactly what we're told.

We're programmed not to have original thoughts and those
who do usually pass from this world wishing they had acted
upon them.

For this dedication to normality, we're given a good 'JOB'
with which to support ourselves and our families, and for the
very bright and chosen few, that "JOB" pays extremely well.

But with the large bank account comes 10 to 12 hour days,
6 to 7 day weeks and usually a lot of traveling.

These six figure 'employees' never see the families that they
work so hard to give this prosperous life to, and have to
accept the inevitable domestic problems which come with the
territory.

And then there's the people who own their own small businesses
outside of the home.

They go to work each day to their stores and offices just like
any other "job", but at least they don't have to answer to
anyone, right?

The truth is, they have to answer to everyone who walks
through their door!

Where the employee can just get fed up, quit and move
on to another job, the business owner has his or her entire
life tied up with their business and generally can't just
walk away.

They usually work more hours for less money than anyone else
and just like the "successful employee", they never see their
families either.

Is this Success?

If you measure success by the number of zeros you can tack
on to your annual income, then I suppose it is.

But, if we measure our success by happiness, then I think we
need to take another look.

Although a certain amount of financial freedom must be tied into
the dream of success (the ability to pay ones bills and live
comfortably, certainly reduces stress, the greatest happiness
killer of all time), the ability to watch and direct your
children's growth, to see that first step, to be there to
answer their difficult questions the way you want them answered,
instead of having to farm them out to someone else in hopes that
they will do it right, and the interaction which goes along with
that, not to mention the marital stability that comes with doing
it together, seems to me to be a far better definition of success.

Until now, that dream has been like the elusive butterfly.
That beautiful metamorphic being, fluttering from place to place,
always just out of reach until finally, it's gone.

But, for the first time since the beginning of the industrial
age, the common man has the proper tool to catch the elusive
butterfly of success.

The 'Net'!

The Internet is a cultural revolution of historical proportions!

Never before has so much opportunity been offered to so many for
free! The opportunities are unlimited, but the timeframe is not!

As the Internet proves more and more to be the way of the future,
large corporations will be and are taking over.

This has been inevitable from the start, but there is still
opportunity and there is still time!

The successful small upstart dot com's are slowly being bought
out as the big money moves in.

Although many have, are and will continue to make a very good
living through such endeavors, the ones who are reaching the
pinnacle of success are the ones who have built their online
businesses to a point where they are noticed and bought out
by the real money makers, the Bill Gates of the world.

If your final measure of success is to retire comfortably,
then this is your goal, and through hard work, diligent
planning and persistence this certainly is an attainable goal.

Obviously, your first priority must be the development of your
product.

The successful entrepreneurs on the Internet are the ones
who have discovered a need, filled it, marketed it properly
and orchestrated it's growth, for growth is the key.

Success is in the numbers.

If you publish an Ezine, then success is in the size of
your subscription base. If your goal is to attract targeted
prospects to your website, then success lies in the number of
unique hits that your site receives.

For the statistics clearly show that the number of sales
is a very small percentage of the total number of hits,
usually between 1 and 5 percent.

The ratios derived from Ezine advertising are somewhat
higher, between 10 and 15 percent and is generally considered
the most effective marketing strategy, due to the ability to
target already interested prospects.

There are countless other strategies for raising your numbers,
but no matter how you do it, if you pick a product that there
is a demand for and concentrate on building your numbers, you
will be successful.

Whether you measure your success by retiring from the sale of
your business or by making a living from your home with your
family surrounding you, the elusive butterfly is far less
elusive while we, the little people, still have the net!

Surf it,

Search it,

Find a need that is lacking and fill it.

Then your own metamorphosis can begin!

Success is not a goal,

It's a journey!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Len Thurmond is the editor & founder of 'The Affiliate Review'

A Weekly Free Publication dedicated to bringing you the truth
about online businesses and marketing tools.

There's a new Sheriff in town!!!

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