You work as hard as you possibly can and things are starting to go great. Fantastic comments from everyone and people are spreading your content. Then you get an email from someone you regard as your role model, telling you to quit.
Silence, your world as you know it has stopped and you don’t know what to do. Your guru is the reason why you started out and the first contact you get from them is telling you to quit because you suck. You can do one of two things;
- Flee
You can quit. Plain and simple, just give up and walk away from it all. After all if your guru knows everything, including why you won’t ever make it, go on and pack your bags. What made you even think you could compete with the big boys? You haven’t even got the money to compete with the flash designer websites these people have. You haven’t been in the game long enough to have the experience or knowledge to spread around so go on, get lost!
- Fight
Didn’t feel good reading that last bit did it? When I was writing it this post I was deeply involved emotionally. This has happened to me, not recently but it did happen. Initially I wanted to give it all up, forget the industry and spend the rest of my days hating everyone involved. Wait a minute what the hell am I doing? I can beat this joker, it took him ten years to build his business and Ive got him worried, that’s why he is telling me to quit.
Why else would a hot shot like this even bother his time sending me an email that concludes I was an idiot for even trying. Well let me tell you MR big I am, I’m not going anywhere, instead I’m going to use the anger and fear you instilled into me and change it into pure fire. White hot fire that is going to burn a hole in everything. You’re not going to stop me making it, not you, not anyone!
If this has happened to you please comment or if you have any advice for other readers please help.
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Dude no way!
That’s awful
You’re doing a bang on job keep going!!
You forgot the third option. You can blog about your frustration, and inspire others to succeed in their own enterprises.
Good job at that, by the way.
Always remember that one e-mail, one voice is just that. One. There are so many others in the world. And that “Internet Guru” is probably known to very few outside his own niche.
Never, ever, ever give up (said the frog being swallowed by the heron). Everything you go through can be an inspiration, a new idea, a new blog post. Go you!
Twitter: theinfopreneur
January 7, 2010 at 18:27
hi Leighann,
Great attitude to have, it can absolutely be turned into a positive, everything happens for a reason and to test us!
Great article. Something similar did happen to me too. When we moved to Belize I started a forum where expats could exchange information. One of the “expat gurus”, whose books I bought before moving to Belize, immediately told me (on a public mailing list) that Belize did not need another forum. That didn’t stop me though and I kept going. I eventually quit the website after we left Belize. But it was fun having my own forum and discussion group while we were there. Always fight back, even if you’re not a stubborn German like me!
Twitter: theinfopreneur
January 7, 2010 at 18:26
Hi Daniel,
Sounds like that expat guru didn’t want the compitition!
Twitter: DavidCantone
December 3, 2009 at 12:30
Wow, impressive story. I’m curious about the reasons he/she gave you to quit. Maybe he/she see you as a potential competitor
.
You are kicking ass with your amazing work here.
Truth to be told I do not understand why anyone would contact another blogger and tell him to quit. It feels a waste of time and the only reason I can find is if the person steals his material.
Twitter: theinfopreneur
December 6, 2009 at 16:40
Hi Stefan, some people are just fond of wasting their time I guess, Thanks for the comment
Twitter: mikezilla14
January 6, 2010 at 23:35
My first mentor once told me “doubt what you do, not what you are” I’ve kept that with me my whole adult life. While I do put stock in the opinion of others, I don’t stop for anyone
Michael Fletcher´s last blog ..Lessons from Avatar – The Power of vision and integrity
Twitter: theinfopreneur
January 7, 2010 at 18:14
Awesome quote that brother! I’m going to tattoo that onto my brain!
Twitter: bluepop13
January 7, 2010 at 07:30
Wow! This happened to you? I’m not going to say I can’t believe it but I’ve got to tell you, you’re doing an amazing job on this blog of yours and if you keep going like you are I believe you will be kicking butt in no time flat. Keep at it and learn from people like that.
Eric´s last blog ..Taking Action Is Something We All Do Yet We All Overlook Every Day
Twitter: theinfopreneur
January 7, 2010 at 17:37
Yeah it did happen, not aimed at this site but in the past. At first it’s like how the hell am I going to recover, fight fight fight!
Did someone actually have the nerve to tell you to quit? Afraid of the competition you will become perhaps? Never give up, Never Surrender (that is from Galaxy Quest) and that is my quote for this article. Don’t ever let anyone tell you to quit, if you enjoy doing it and you have a dream, then pursue it.
Of course, if what you are doing isn’t enjoyable and you hate it, and it makes you miserable, and a loved one suggests you quit and find something else, then I might consider.
You are doing fantastic work my friend, and this is a great article.
Dragon Blogger´s last blog ..Win a Free MagicJack
Twitter: theinfopreneur
January 7, 2010 at 17:22
Hi mate,
yeah they did, not aimed at this site but in the past it did happen. It drove me to work a lot harder. No surrender!
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