I admit it, I had an addiction…I am finally able to admit, to myself, my friends, and my family, that I am a reformed “Internet Marketing Junkie”.
I can’t remember exactly how it started but I woke up one morning and realized that I was in trouble. I was spending all of my free time surfing the internet, looking for the perfect opportunity to become a rich “Internet Marketer”.
My computer and I were on a first name basis, I was beginning to forget what my wife and kids looked like. I was living on coffee and cigarettes.
My job was becoming a distraction, taking valuable time away from my search for that perfect program or ebook. I couldn’t wait for my paycheck so I could buy the latest marketing course or ebook.
Every waking moment was spent in front of the computer, cruising forums, reading spam ads in emails, and signing up for affiliate programs, and buying, buying, buying….
I purchased some domain names, threw a website together, and sat back to watch the money start pouring in. But it didn’t happen. My money was going out, not in! So I bought more courses, ebooks, and software.
My addiction had really taken hold, it was getting out of control. I knew I had a problem but I couldn’t (wouldn’t) admit it. Money that should have gone to paying for bills was now going to pay for my addiction. The phone bill was overdue, the electric company was calling me every day for money, and my wife and kids needed to make an appointment just to talk with me.
I had a hard drive full of software and ebooks that I had never even looked at. I had piles of printouts on my desk, the floor, and the bed. I had signed up for so many affiliate programs that I couldn’t even remember joining some of them.
One day my youngest son came in and wanted to play. I told him I didn’t have time and he started crying, that was the day that I was finally able to admit my addiction and turn my life around. The computer got turned off, the credit card went back in my wallet, and I walked away from my desk. I got down on the floor and played with my son, something we hadn’t done for a long time. When we finished I went to my wife and apologized for neglecting her and our sons.
Now I spend more time with my family and less time on the computer. I have started reading all of the ebooks and marketing courses. I am starting over again, slowly.
I would like to end this article with a quote from Mary Kay Ash, founder of “Mary Kay Cosmetics”. “Put God first, family second, and career third”
God bless you and I wish you Health, Happiness, and Prosperity!
Michael D. Barcus is an internet marketer and owner of
Profits On The Net, a website specializing in
multiple streams of income, and home of the
“Profits On The Net” newsletter.
http://profitsonthenet.com
