If there were any piece of advice I would offer to anyone starting a new venture in life, it would be this: court failure.

Failure is a dirty word in our culture. It has a potent negative connotation that sends chills up many a spine, mostly the spines of people who don’t do much.

That’s not a criticism but an observation. You cannot succeed without failures and you can’t succeed without doing a lot of work. So if you’re doing a lot of work, you’re failing more than infrequently.

Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.
-Mark Twain

How to Court Failure

Every day that you get up and work toward a goal in a new arena, you are courting failure. You’re inviting problems for which you don’t yet have solutions, attempting tasks for which you don’t yet have skills, and often planning a future that you don’t yet know how you’ll pay for. You’ll make mistakes in most every category.

I started a new business this year. I literally can’t count all the failures I’ve experienced in less than six months. But I’m still having fun so I hardly notice them.

That’s not entirely true. Sometimes they hurt and made me kick myself. But I am comforted by the thought that when this happens, it’s because I’m courting failure, a necessary action on the route to … to where exactly?

Another Dirty Word

I know you may be irritated with me for goin’ all Zen on ya, but it is a fact that we spend so much time trying to categorize the actions of our lives into successes and failures that we miss a lot of life as it passes by every day.

Success is not the opposite of failure; it’s merely the other end of the see-saw. When we persist in labeling success as failure’s opposite, our focus becomes skewed and we live with an anxiety that saps the creative energy required to move forward.

We don’t often stop to question where our definitions of success and failure come from. I’m not talking about the etymological origins but the sociological origins. Who imposes these ideas of success and failure upon us? No one, really. We willingly put them on like a hand-me-down coat and wear them like the king’s robes.

Living by Choice

While sitting on my front steps after a run this morning, I caught myself ruminating somewhat anxiously about the future of my business. As I looked up at the early-morning spring sun glowing through verdant, newly-leafed trees, I suddenly decided, “I am going to live this day.”

I wanted to simply experience the day in whatever form it arrived, watch how it interleaved itself with my life and my plans (or interrupted them), and just live. I wanted to acknowledge the uncertainty of tomorrow and the day after, knowing that it would be a sin to allow that uncertainty to mar today.

I was partly … “successful.” On and off through the day, I prodded myself to come back to this thought, to this living in the day. Sometimes it worked and sometimes the rush of traffic beside me or the question of a stranger pulled me back into the swirl of ruminating about the future. But in those moments, I was successfully courting failure as well.

The degree with which we can live without anxiety about what a particular moment or event in life means is the measure of how much we actually live. One way to reduce the anxiety about whether or not we’re successful is to be conscious of courting failure. When we truly see the value in failure, both success and failure assume equal weight, neither to be fully trusted nor feared nor expected to fill our every day. Neither is an end in itself.

Tomorrow, when you get up, try for just one day to court failure.

Lisa’s Comments: I absolutely love this article because it not only applies to our websites, but our day to day lives.  Your perspective and attitude make all the difference.

If you interview every successful Internet marketer, I bet they will have stories of failure.  I have plenty.  Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.  It’s not how many times you fail, but what you do with the lessons that blossom from those failures.

Brian V. Hunt spent more than a decade as a senior writer at Microsoft. He’s an SEO copywriter, performs search engine optimization, is a senior copywriter, and writes sell sheets for clients at B2B corporations and commercial web sites. Get more tips from him on writing for the web and SEO at http://brianvhunt.com.

Everyone’s buzzing over the article about YouTube stars making six figures per year that Yahoo Finance posted last week.

This has sparked questions about my income earned from my YouTube channel that now has over 22,000 subscribers.

I hate to disappoint you guys, but my YouTube Partner earnings aren’t NEAR six figures.  Some months I don’t even break $100.

As I reported in some of my YouTube videos, I earn way more from the contextual AdSense ads on my sites than I do with the partner program.

This may come as a shock since I have over 22,000 subscribers, but here’s the deal…

I hardly display the ads on my videos anymore.  So that’s a big part of the reason my YouTube partner earnings are low.  I don’t like how intrusive they are and many of them are unrelated to what my videos are about.

To me, it’s not worth flashing annoying, unrelated ads across my face just to make a few extra bucks per month.  So if I do display the ads, I opt to only show the banner alongside the video.

Also, every niche is different.  My niche has a lot of banner blindness, but I know of a few people in the hair and beauty niche who are doing very well with the partner program.

This doesn’t surprise me because the ads in this niche are often very relevant and enticing.  However,  the ads aren’t performing as well in my niche.

“Lisa, Help Me Make Partner, PLEEEEASE!”

It’s amazing how many people beg me (literally) to help them become a YouTube Partner. I’ve even been offered money to help people get approved.  Some are so anxious to get in because they assume it’s their instant ticket to hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month.

For some channels, it may be.  But getting accepted as a YouTube partner is not a guaranteed gold mine.  Just like the regular AdSense program, how much you make depends on number of clicks, ad relevance and traffic.

I think the YouTube Partner Program is a great opportunity for popular channels, but I also believe it generates a lot of hype and unrealistic earnings expectations.

You will never know how much you are going to make until you get accepted and start displaying the ads.  Also understand every niche performs differently, so you can’t base your potential earnings off someone else’s.

If you do become a YouTube Partner, great!  But don’t lose sleep if you can’t.  Some people do very well with it, but it’s not an instant income generator like many people believe.

In my personal experience, AdSense text ads on my websites perform much better than banner ads on YouTube.  Of course, everyone’s experience will be different.  This is just my story.

An advertising tax law has passed in various states, and it is having an impact on merchants who have affiliates in the affected states (i.e. Amazon.com recently dropped its Colorado affiliates.)

How will this impact your affiliate marketing business in the future?

What can you do today?

Watch the video below to learn more.  Also, click here to get the latest information on legislation in your state.

Finally, spread the word using the social networking icons below and don’t forget to sign the petition to have your say about affiliate marketing!

If you are reading this post in a reader that does not support video, click to watch.

Some people just start out with the right attitude.

When it comes to making money online, they don’t complain about how difficult the journey is.  They just go for it.

They are resourceful people who take the information you give them and run with it.

They have this adventurous, go-getter mentality and aren’t afraid of failure.

They also understand the importance of enjoying the ride from the very beginning.

These people understand this is a process and find joy in more than getting that first AdSense check.

Know of anyone like this?  I do.  I got an e-mail from her a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Rachel and her site is GreenLeafeSimon.com.

I have her permission to post her e-mail on my blog, so I want to share it with you. Pay attention to the bold text. I did that for emphasis.

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Hello Lisa,

No need to answer this email; this is just to say thank you.

Awhile ago, my sister lost her job and I got the bright idea to help her learn how to make money online. She wasn’t interested and eventually got another job, but I got hooked!

I tried a few things and quickly learned most things on the net are scams. In the course of things however, I came across your website, 2Create A Website and I fell in love with the idea of having my own website. But about what? I love to write and all my life have wanted to be an author, so I got the idea to write serial stories and started a blog.

Then the idea grew and mushroomed as I found that although blogging was a lot of fun, the scope is limited. I took your sage advice and learned html and then css – and am I ever glad I did! I’ve never had so much fun in my life.

Designing, writing and marketing a website is better than any video game I’ve ever played (and I’ve played a lot of ‘em) and Lisa, I want to thank you for all the help, tips and advice you’ve provided for people like me.

From Colour Hex-code Generators to Server Side Includes (I actually cried when I finally made this work) and all the Tutorials and Videos in between, Thank you! I don’t think I could have done it without you. Many, many thanks!

Rachel
GreenLeafeSimon.com

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As a person who receives hundreds of e-mails per week with complaints and problems about either building a website or making money online, I really treasure e-mails like this.

Notice the bold phrases in the e-mail above.  See a pattern?  They all involve some kind of enjoyment or excitement.

Rachel reminds me of myself when I started 12 years ago.  I wasn’t making much money then, but there was something about the feeling of accomplishment and learning new things that was very exciting!  I always had that within me no matter how much I was earning.

I get asked about my “secret to success” all the time.  Some people think it’s my writing style.  Others believe it’s my videos.  I’ve also heard things like, She just chose the right niche, She had great timing, and my favorite…

She’s just lucky.

I actually think it’s a combination of several reasons, but one thing people neglect to mention is my sheer desire and passion for what I do.  In fact, I believe that is the #1 reason I have done so well.

This “Internet Marketing stuff” isn’t for everyone and you can’t make yourself love it just because you want to make money.   If you can’t find the joy, you may not be able to find the money.

So thank you, Rachel.  Your enthusiasm is refreshing and I have a feeling you will go far out here.

Remember folks, success starts with passion and the right attitude — not just the desire to make money.

A quick tip to help you earn more with some affiliate programs…

Can’t see the video?  Click here to watch it.

My recent blog post, “My Failures.  Your Lessons.” sparked quite a few e-mails over the past two weeks.

Many of you want my recommendation for the best kind of site to create if you want to make money online but don’t have a product to sell.

Here’s my answer…

I want to emphasize that the above video expresses my opinion based on my own experiences. There are many ways to make money online.  You have to discover what works best for you.

Sometimes failure can be your best your friend.

Take a trip with me down memory lane as I recall a few of my failed sites and the lessons learned.

If you’re viewing this post via e-mail or an RSS reader that doesn’t support video, watch the video here.

On August 25th, Google announced there will be more revenue earning opportunities for AdSense publishers.

In the coming months, you’ll be able to display ads from additional networks.

Google ensures this will give you, the publisher, the chance to maximize profits from AdWords and ads sponsored by 3rd parties.

Some AdSense publishers often complain of poorly targeted ads on certain pages.  Many times it’s because there aren’t many relevant ads to show for certain content.

This new development may alleviate some of those issues and offer more relevant ad possibilities.

Not interested in this option?  No problem.  If you don’t want to show ads from 3rd party networks, you can continue to show AdWords ads only.  You’ll be able to configure your settings in the My Account tab.

This is one of several changes/updates in Google’s ad program this year.  In March, Google introduced interest-based advertising.  This is where your visitors may see ads based on websites they frequent instead of ads related to your page content.

So if your site is about tennis, a visitor may see a Google ad about video games based on their browsing history. And just like the 3rd party networks, you may opt out of this by going to the Account Settings section under the My Account tab.

One of my favorite new features of 2009 is the ability to block certain ad categories.  In case you didn’t know, you can go to the Ad Review Center (under Adsense Settings) and choose up to 5 categories to filter.

Google will even tell you which categories earn you the most (by percentage) to help you determine which categories to block.

Lots of changes for Google’s ad program this year.  Overall, I think it’s a good thing for the publishers and advertisers.

What are your thoughts on the new changes?  Do you ever make changes to the default ad settings in your AdSense account?  If so, how has it helped you?

I finally started selling ad space on my blog.   Here’s a video that demonstrates the script I use (OIO Publisher).

If you’re reading this post via e-mail or an RSS reader, click here to watch the video.

Most people don’t intentionally create websites to beg, unfortunately many of them do.

Unless you have a shopping site, most visitors come to your site because they are looking for information. (Especially if they found you through a search engine.)

Of course there are exceptions to this, but for the majority of the time this is true.  (Searching for information is still one of the most common tasks performed online.)

Pretend You are a First-Timer Visitor

Take a look at your homepage from the perspective of someone who just found it through Google.

What is the first thing they see?

Are they blasted with Google ads?

Do they have to scroll down half a page before they get to your content because you have advertisements yelling at them to click or buy something?

Does the first paragraph of your site have a benefit-rich statement that will quickly tell people how your site will help them, or are you promoting a product?

Instead of asking for money, how about giving away something valuable like a free report, e-book, or good old fashioned help.

It’s little things like this that make all the difference.  As the old saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  This holds true online too.

On all of my sites, I try to make the first few paragraphs rich with audience benefits and/or give something away.  I want people to realize that they will experience something different than my competition.

I realize I only have a few seconds to grab their attention so, I’m OK with forging an AdSense click or two in exchange for a lifetime visitor.

I am looking at the net effect.

It’s easy to believe that it’s best to get the ad click before a person leaves your site, but what if they never come back?  Why would they?  You haven’t given them anything to chew on except ads or a sales pitch.

Wouldn’t you rather sell them on your brand and information, hoping this will encourage them to come back again and again?  This could ultimately result in multiple AdSense clicks down the road and even more earnings from products you might sell or from affiliate commissions.

Trust and credibility are two factors you must have if you want long-term success online.  And you can’t gain either through an AdSense ad or a flashing banner.  But you can gain them by helping or giving away something of value.

I have nothing against ads, of course.  But I do have something against sites where ads seem to overshadow the content.

Remember, some of the highest earning affiliate sites, initially appear as if they don’t have much to sell at all.

Ponder that one for a minute.