From Christina:

Jenna’s last post talked about how her Grandfather approved of her coming up with alternative ways to make money and support her family, instead of just doing the “normal’ thing that everyone else does.

Well, I’m happy that she’s confident enough to tell people her goals and dreams this early into her journey. For me, it’s taken me about 7 months to start gaining that same confidence.

I was laid off in February 2009. I first did a lot of activities on mindset in those first couple of months. I really wanted to bask in this new freedom that I had. (Because my belief is, the more you appreciate and get to that feeling place of what you want, the more it comes to you.) Then I worked on my mindset around money, being my own boss and succeeding at it! Oh, and having fun with it all.

Of course, while I was doing that, I wasn’t making any money, so I certainly wasn’t confident to tell many people what I was up to.

As I started to feel more and more confident, I had an interview with a start-up company in the summer. (Yes, I felt I had to do the “normal” thing that everyone else was doing and at least look for a real job.) My former boss called me to ask me about it and I basically told her that I was hesitant about working my ass off for a company to get them up and running when, meanwhile, I could be working on my own dream of getting my own business up and running. And she said “That’s great, but do you really feel like you’re ready for that?” Ouch. Knocked down. And I said “Yea, I guess not. I don’t really have a choice at this point.”

(I was the front-runner for that position, and thank GOD they actually didn’t end up calling me back.)

Now, looking back, I get it that she didn’t really understand what I’m doing. Running an affiliate marketing business is not the same as running a traditional business where you need employees or an office.

My office is my bed, my deck, my basement, or the local Barnes and Noble. It’s wherever I want it to be! And I am my own employee.

And I finally have the confidence to say that. I finally have the confidence to tell people that I work for myself and this is the best way TO work. Even though the money isn’t quite there yet (although, I’m gaining some momentum!), I am now completely confident in my abilities and my desire to do well at this.

And if I had to give advice to someone who also wanted to go on a different path than everyone else, my
advice would be…have the confidence to stand up for your dreams. (And HAVE FUN! )