Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

If you have visited Chad’s blog at Cdfnetworks.com you will have noticed that he has a contest running right now for a free week of mentoring which ends on April 30th, 2008.  This is a great concept for a number of reasons, but primarily the winner gets something much greater than most other online contests.

How many times have you seen a contest on the internet (within affiliate marketing circles) which awards the winner with TVs, gift cards, and cold hard cash?  Well, I see them all the time.  To tell you the truth, I get a little sick of seeing them.  Yes, it is amazing that the people giving out the money are giving it in the first place, but they could at least be creative with the requirements to win.

A lot of people might think that money is the best prize in any contest, but when it comes to affiliate marketing, (or any field for that matter) experience is the greatest thing you can receive and gain.
You now might be wondering why I gave you the above quote, but I think it relates quite well to Chad’s contest.  In terms of the traditional contests, if you win money, the money will at some time be used up and you will have to find another means of getting more.  Yet, if you are given the ability to make your own money, you will be given something much more valuable.  You will be given a way of sustaining and growing your income.

In conclusion, I definitely think that experience tops a hand out in any situation.  It will also be interesting to see how Chad manages his 100+ comments (as of now).  I tried to be a little creative with my response by meeting his requirements, but also getting around the rules a little.

So, if you read my previous posts, then you know that I have been learning and testing out my knowledge of PPC (Pay Per Click).  Needless to say, I’ve been losing money from the start.  It’s not as though I didn’t know this would happen, and I actually never assumed I would making any to begin with.  However, I knew going into PPC that I had to get testing out of the way.  I relate it to learning to swim.  You can ask all the questions you’d like, but without jumping in the water and getting your bearings, you will never gain experience.  Experience is an interesting thing.  You can read all you’d like about anything, but you may never achieve the same reasoning or hands on feeling that others might.

I have tried both ways. Writing my journal in the morning about what I am going to do that day and what I did the previous day, and doing the same at the end of the day. The most beneficial process that works for me is to write in the morning.

Why is this?

I believe that when I layout my concerns from yesterday, I am in turn creating a list of things to do. This list is what gives me the ability to get things done that I have thoroughly thought out through journaling. On the other hand, if I created journal entries at night when I had already completed everything, I feel that the gap of time while I sleep would get my mind off track from what I had previously written.

To do Lists from Journaling

Pulling my to do list from my journal is one of the most productive things I have learned to do as of yet. Considering that everything I write about in my journal entries have to do with concerns and things I have done and would like to do, it is no wonder why I was able to find an already formed to do list within it.

Another process I haven’t tried would be to journal in the morning and also journal in the evening when I had completed all of the tasks I had previously set out.

How do you keep track of what you are going to do on any given day?

• Do you make to do lists?
• Do you write a journal?
• Or do you have a different process entirely?

Christopher Gardner: Hey. Don’t ever let somebody tell you… You can’t do something. Not even me. All right?

Christopher: All right.

Christopher Gardner: You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.

I was watching the movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” yesterday, and one scene really stuck with me.

Christopher Gardner (Will Smith) and his son (Jaden Christopher Syre Smith) have a father son sort of moment in the basketball courts. The father has a feeling of regret, reflects on his life, and gives advice so that his son doesn’t have to feel or go through the same problems. This information, in my opinion, is the best that you can ever give your child.

All throughout our lives we are told more often what we shouldn’t do, and not what we should or can do. However, there is a logical reason why this is the case. When we are children, our parents want to give us the best life possible. Some think that if they play it safe by never taking chances or risks, they will teach us to be safe by example. The basic reason that our parents do this is because they have learned what to do and what not to do in life- what works and what doesn’t. The major problem with this reasoning is that the perception of, “safe,” and, “danger,” or, “not safe,” is entirely up to the individual.

One person might think that poverty is something to fear, and will not take risks in life because of this. On the other hand, a person who has experienced poverty first hand has nothing to lose and will take a risk as though it is not a risk. For this man a risk is only an area of opportunity or a challenge. For the previous man, a risk is something to fear because he does not completely understand what it is to lose something. Without knowing what it feels like to lose something, to try something and fail, you can imagine the fear you would have to overcome.

To change, you have to redefine what, “safe,” actually is. One day you open your eyes and see the world for what it really is. Is there actually anything to fear in your life? Do you work the same job you are unhappy with for 20 years because it is safe? Or do you work towards a better life, take a few risks, and find true happiness? I’m not saying that you can’t be happy with a job and work it for as long as you would like, but I am only pointing out a common example that I see everyday.

The bottom line is exactly what this quote points out…

“You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.”

If you have a passion for something, then fulfill your dream. If someone tells you that you can’t do it, then that is their problem. Forget what they tell you, make your own mistakes, create success from what you learn, and fulfill your own dreams.

Many people don’t realize how much of a difference they can make in the world.  They spend most of, if not their entire lives, not knowing their true potential.  All because they don’t recognize something- change.  Your life can change in an instant.  In no time you can go from happy to sad, rich to poor, and even healthy to unhealthy.  Could these changes be entirely based on fate?  Or is there more to it?  I believe that we all have complete control over our lives.

• Do you hate your job?  Well, you are the one that chose it- so why can’t you find one that you like? 

• Does your car break down constantly?  You bought the car.  You pay for the gas.  You can find a way to getting it fixed.  Stop getting used to complaining and plan for a solution.

• Maybe you have a problem with your friend’s constant bad attitude.  Making friends does take two.  If you are unhappy with the presence of that person, you can change it. 

You have control over your life.  Not your government, job, friends, etc…  If you want to see change in the world around you, don’t vent your frustrations on the world, but take action and make that change.