If the election taught us one thing it was this, “Most digital ‘news’ ain’t news. In fact, most of what you see online is bull.”

Testimonials and statements of individuals are not to be construed as claims or representations of average earnings. We cannot, do not, and will not make any claims as to earnings, average, or otherwise.
– AmyPorterfield.com

Business IS personal, even when it’s digital.

I have been in the content marketing business full time now for nearly six years. I’ve taught classes online, I’ve coached individuals, and I’ve worked with companies big and small. I feel successful. I also have four baskets full of laundry, ants in my bathroom, and no idea how much revenue I generated last month. So, when I see the leaders in my digital community talk about how they made $60,000 on their first launch last year, I feel like punching someone in the head.

Income Report: How I Made 700K And Grew My Blog Income By 96% In 2015
-My Wife Quite Her Job.com

By now, we all have a few people we love and follow diligently online. I have Amy Porterfield and byRegina, and Marie Forleo. My husband has Tim Ferris. My mastermind group has a mix of digital gurus: Ray Edwards, Pat Flynn, Jeff Goins, and Gary Vaynerchuk. I can honestly say that I learn so much from these folks. About business, about writing, and about marketing online. I wouldn’t even have a mastermind group without them. But every one of them (with the exception of Gary Vee) sets off the bullshit meter for me, at differing levels when they start spouting numbers. They all claim these great lives. They travel without issue, they have babies and mildly chuckle about the ensuing hijinks, they hustle without breaking a sweat, and they charge $30,000 per client (if they take a client). I love them. But they make me hate myself.

Why? Because I don’t make $30,000 per client. Because my babies keep me awake at night and make me cancel meetings every now and then by puking all over my car. Because the only travel I get to do, is to a client meeting and back. Life isn’t perfect and with digital mentors like this, that can seem like a bad thing.

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BEWARE FALSE PROFITS!

The comparison game with digital evangelists is crazy dangerous for your ego. Think about it for a second: what are you aiming for? Is your goal to make $60,000 from selling one product? If the answer is a full on “Yes! That’s exactly what I want,” then why are you wasting time reading this blog or their blogs? Get to it. Focus on that and only that for the next month or so. But if your goal is to make a living that allows you to pay bills on time and take vacations and perhaps buy a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes one day, then stop worrying about what others are making and focus on making $60,000 this year and $75,000 next year… or whatever the number might be for you.

When I started my business, my goal was to make the same as I was making as the VP of Marketing and Communications at a large government contracting agency, but by working less hours. I wanted to spend time with my family, I wanted to push my kids on a swing without checking Facebook for likes, I wanted to eat Sunday dinners and watch my kids put on shows without hosting a webinar part way through. It took me four years to reach this goal. Was I happy? Nope. I forgot the goal. I was so focused on what worked for other people, that I forgot what I wanted for myself.

I tell my children to live life with grace and gratitude. So, to that end, I am choosing to take a Southern approach to sharing with you – I promise I will never talk religion, politics, or money with you. I won’t tell you how much I charge clients, or how much I make online. I won’t tell you how many people are on my mailing list. But I will always be grateful for a new follower.

It’s ok to not be in the central stream of the digital world. It’s ok to be lowly and happy with where you are. And it’s ok to listen to these digital evangelists for some things, but not everything!

• My goal is still to make as much as I was making in the big wig job, but work less hours.

• The Abask purpose is to serve clients with content and copy that represents them well and engages their target audience.

• My online intention is to help and guide people that write for business (whether business owners, copywriters, bloggers, or infopreneurs) in an honest and practical manner based on my own experience.

The real world isn’t simple, so why would the digital world be any different? I have to remember my own why and my own how and not let the online voices tell me otherwise. I recommend that you do the same.

“Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting and doing things historians usually record, while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry.”

“The story of civilization is the story of what happened on the banks. Historians are pessimists because they ignore the banks for the river.”
– The Story of Civilization by Will Durant.

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