Stubbornness– Noun: Determination not to be changed one’s attitude or position on something.
I am the second eldest of four children, and I am by far the most stubborn. My mum and dad often tell me stories about my childhood and how infuriating I was at times purely down to me being stubborn.
I’m at the back!
One story that is guaranteed to be mentioned at any family gathering is when my dad was chasing us all around the home with the threat of tickling us. There came to a point where I was sick of worrying about being tickled and apparently came out of my hiding spot, found my dad, and just closed my eyes and took the tickle. Feet planted and dealt with it head on.
Stubbornness can be a negative quality and I don’t often “win” with this mindset. I sometimes even do myself a disservice. A typical conversation with my husband-
“Do you need help?”
“Nope”
“Please let me help”
“I’m fine”
I often loose out, just to “prove a point” that I’m not really proving. However, this is week is the 1 week where this trait paid off. I have been behind on the training for a few weeks, and there is 1 week that is tough. My mentor was incredible throughout and he brings a lot of positive and empathetic energy so I never felt like I couldn’t do it….. but my goodness it was hard.
I was dreading it for weeks, I saw the module and admittedly procrastinated. The house is gleaming, the fridge is sparkling, all cupboards were wiped and organised- does anyone else do this? The more I procrastinated, the more I fell behind, the more I was telling myself that maybe it wasn’t for me.
How. Very. Wrong.
I snapped out of it, came out from my hiding spot, and tackled it head on. The laptop was opened, and the earphones went in. I worked though all the videos, I even put myself out there and asked a question when it all went wrong. My stubborn nature wasn’t letting a computer beat me. Even when it was time for bed, I wasn’t going, I was working on the problem until it was solved. I logically back stepped, deleted everything I had worked on for hours, and started from scratch. Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards!
I am very pleased to say I now know how to create a list building funnel, add an optin form to my optin page, create trigger links and workflows, and I have even added a path so everyone can see it on my blog. Please feel free to have a gander! I certainly did a happy dance in the kitchen when I tested it all and it worked! The feeling was incredible.
I’m sure all of this sounds overwhelming to someone starting on their affiliate marketing journey, but please believe me it’s not. Especially when you have a mentor that talks you through it step by step. There was no degree needed to accomplish what I have this week but pure stubbornness and determination to keep going.
Please remember –
It’s ok to go at your own pace, even if it’s a slow one, its just not ok to stop and give up. Forward is forward, no matter how slow.
As hard as this week has been, it would have been even harder to look in a mirror a year from now knowing I gave in.
Be stubborn about your goals.
I got a chuckle when you mentioned how you just took the tickle head on. I love your attitude 🙂
Anyway, congratulation for overcoming your obstacles and launching your list building funnel!
I think instead of using “stubborn”, maybe you can replace it with “persistence” or “determination”.
I love the stories you tell in your blog posts. This post truly resonated with me, especially your reflections on stubbornness. It’s fascinating how you’ve turned what many might see as a negative into a powerful asset in your personal and professional life. Your story about facing down the tickle attack with sheer determination and how that same tenacity helped you conquer a challenging week in your training is both heartwarming and inspiring.
I especially appreciate your candidness about the struggles and the procrastination we all face when confronted with daunting tasks. It’s a reminder that the road to success isn’t always straightforward or easy, but that determination and a bit of stubbornness can lead to breakthroughs we never thought possible.
The way you’ve applied this stubbornness to mastering new skills in affiliate marketing, like creating a list building funnel and adding opt-in forms, is impressive. It’s a testament to the fact that, sometimes, being stubborn can mean being committed to learning, growing, and not giving up on our goals, even when the going gets tough.
I appreciate your honesty and candor. Your story reminds me a lot of my sister! She is very stubborn, too, and won’t let anything dissuade her, especially not some computer issues ;). Really glad you were able to turn what you consider your worst trait into an asset. That is what this journey is all about, getting over our fears and procrastination, delving in head first, being stubborn, and persevering our way to success!
So true, stubbornness is a great trait to creating a business, particularly when you are learning something new and could be put off by technical issues that can happen even when you become an expert. So attitude is everything. You’ve got this.
Hey Sarah, I giggled quite a bit reading your post. I can relate so well to being ‘Stubborn’
I am the oldest of four and without a doubt the most stubborn, my youngest brother comes a close second and funnily enough we are both Taureans, being stubborn is a classic trait!
Like yourself, it has served me well in many situations through my life and retrospectively I can say it has not served me well on many occasions too.
Procrastination…I think everyone would relate to your experience, I certainly did, that said I take my hat off to you for pushing forward and jumping into the training you were dreading.
It is so often the way when we finally push ourselves to do what we have been procrastinating about we find that we could do it and it wasn’t as bad as we had been conjuring up.
Then we experience the feeling of achievement and it does feel so good!
Congratulations on overcoming your obstacles, using your stubborn trait to your advantage and completing your list-building funnel – well done!!
I have subscribed to your Newsletter 😊
Interesting to note all the ways procrastination plays in holding off what we really was to do- build a list funnel, in this case. I had to reach out for help after completing the steps, but I truly believe – asking for help is a superpower. I even wrote a blog post about it.
You have no idea how reading your blog post of this week made me smile!
I’ve had so many setbacks in the past couple of months (4 but who’s counting?), that I think quitting would have been “ok”.
But like you, I think my stubbornness was a good thing – I was able to do a happy dance as well – got everything done & working and, more importantly, did it on my time & made sure that I understood that it was “ok” to not have or be at the same pace as others.
I’m usually a result driven person but I think that reading the blogs of my fellow Affiliate Marketers helped me more than I could have thought; thanks Sarah!
Looking forward to reading your future posts!
Sarah, it’s a great post.
In your reply to my post this week, you said that you were going to go back to catch up on my previous ones. Can I especially recommend my first post, “How Hard Are You Prepared To Persevere To Succeed As An Internet Marketer?” (https://philsaffiliateclub.com/perseverance). I think it shows that you and I daresay me, have the necessary qualities to succeed in this competitive business.
Cheers,
Phil
Hi Smartie G, I think your stubbornness has served you well by all accounts. Please don’t think you are behind in anything. I was the same a few weeks ago; comparing my progress with others. So what if some people are “up to date”. Believe me there will be heaps who are not, myself included. But it doesn’t matter. We all progress at our own pace and as long as we are doing something, that’s all that’s important. You should be proud of what you have achieved, especially getting through the dreaded week five! By the way, I opted in to your newsletter and it worked perfectly. I look forward to following your progress with much eagerness.
Andy
Sarah, thanks for this. It’s a good reminder that our attitude and behaviour in the end hinders us and no one else. Being stubborn demonstrates a fixed mindset as opposed to growth mindset which is what we require for building an online business. Dean talks about this in the iceberg effect book and your living proof of getting over it and changing your mindset. That was very funny when you said you just stood there and took the tickling from your dad LOL. Mindset and how we behave is probably the most important thing in all of this, it’s not something that you can just be taught , you have to feel it and it has to come from within. Thanks , Atif
Hi Sarah,
LOL! We could be twins! I so much related to this post, right down to procrastinating on setting up the list building funnel 🙂 I hadn’t actually thought of my stubbornness as a valuable trait that will help me succeed….thanks for the tip 😉
Really enjoyed this post!
Sarah,
I believe a touch of stubbornness is something we all share. It’s great to hear that you’ve embraced it by taking on the challenge of building your list funnel. That determination to complete your task is truly commendable! Cheers to your stubbornness working in your favor and contributing to your success.
Sherri
I love how you turn the perceive negative trait of stubbornness to benefit you! BRAVO! I’ think I am going to self-evaluate my traits and use all of “me” as I progress in your business. Thaks for reminding us of the value in all of our traits!
I’m learning so much from you. Thank you sincerely. Your insight has been greatly appreciated.