Controlling your state of mind is particularly important when you’re building an online business, but it’s also useful in life in general. Once your affiliate business has given you some positive feedback, you have faith it in and in yourself. But before this happens there’s often a whole lot of worries and anxiety. You might be wondering whether affiliate marketing actually works? This thought alone is enough to send you down the spiral of uncertainty and disbelief – hardly the place of empowered action!
The opposite side of the coin is of course faith, belief and positive action. But this action won’t happen from a thought pattern of frustration and scepticism. So if you’re struggling to get started, indecisive of your next step or stuck in procrastination mode, the key is to get started doing something. But when you’re frustrated and disillusioned, how do you get started?
The answer lies in changing your state of mind. It’s the smallest most inconceivable step which is totally invisible. When you’re trying to take a positive step, but something holds you back, it’s often your mindset which needs to change.
Controlling Your State Of Mind
My mentor explained to me that controlling your state is one of the most important things an affiliate can learn. As an affiliate, (or in any worthwhile endeavour), you’re going to experience some set backs. When these set backs come, how you deal with it will determine your ultimately success.
Most affiliates quit because of some small setback. Unfortunately they quit too early. If you keep going long enough you’ll experience some small win. This can change your feedback loop. You have now achieved something notable. If your “win” is making $1000 a month, for example, but you haven’t started doing anything, you’re going to get very frustrated when it doesn’t happen. If your win is to build the website, you can acknowledge your achievement much more quickly. Celebrate small wins and give yourself a pat on the back.
Small steps are within your control when building something big such as an internet business. Write a blog post, join a course, run an advert. Frustration happens when we focus on the wins we would like to have way down the line. We look at our lack of results and become disillusioned. This reinforces our negative state. It’s a downward spiral which leads to no action, and no results.
To reverse this pattern of negative feedback, look for small steps and achievements you can do right now, today. Do them. Then reward yourself for having taken some small action. This reinforces the positive self esteem needed to sustain the efforts longer term.
Controlling Your State Of Mind – Negative Versus Positive Feedback Loops
In my worst days, I look at others who have achieved far more than me. I wonder why I am such a loser for not having achieved as much as them! This only serves to make me feel worse. I say things like, “what’s the point”? “I’ll never get there” and so on. I look at the whole mountain I think I need to climb. I become demoralised and as a result get nothing done that day. I have a “pity party” instead of shifting my mindset.
On my better days, I focus only on the small step in front of me. One of my business mentors told me to focus on the activity not the results. Once I get the small step done, I am already in a better state. I’ve taken positive action towards my goals.
Negative feedback loop – look for results I don’t yet have, become disillusioned, do nothing
Positive feedback loop- focus on a small step I can achieve today, now. Reward myself and feel empowered.
The size of the small step will depend on your current state of mind. So if you’re in a low state of mind pick something very small. I often write a blog post as my daily routine. A single blog post doesn’t make an online business, but through making it a habit, you create momentum. The same is true of more leveraged online business strategies such as paid advertising, list building and so on.
Small Shifts, Big Results
In Atomic Habits (James Clear) there’s a great image I often share in my blog posts. This is the “plateau of latent potential” and shows the journey of an affiliate marketer quite well, I believe.
The valley of disappointment is where most affiliates quit. Despite putting in a lot of work, they don’t see any results. So they quit. If only they had seen this graph they would think differently.
Making daily habits out of meaningful activities which move your affiliate business forwards is paramount to your success. But to install these habits in the first place is the work of shifting your mindset so that your actions can be consistent over time.
Long term consistency beats short term intensity, every time! To maintain the efforts needed to succeed online you need to have a positive mindset amidst adversity. When no results show for your efforts, most will quit. But when you control your state, it is your intention and enthusiasm which keeps you going, rather that outside assurance. See also why motivation doesn’t work and why you need to build habits.
Summary
Learning to control my state of mind has definitely been one of the most important skills I’ve learned from affiliate marketing. In many ways it’s much more important than earning money online. It’s a life skill which can have so many uses.
Noticing your mental state and what you’re giving focus to is a good stepping stone. Make daily habits out of looking at information which excites and motivates you, rather than that which demoralises and disempowers you. Watch motivational videos, read motivational books. Removing the overload of negative information online and on television is a good place to start!