Why It's Time to Celebrate

I’m on the road again (sing it like Willie), writing to you from Jason Ferruggia’s 17th floor condo overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica. What an amazing place to work, create, and think.

I’m a lucky man.

But travel time has cut into writing time, and so good news, we’re getting another great guest post about an often overlooked component of running an online business from Mikey Whitfield.

(This is the perfect post for Mike today, because he just hit a Top 10 finish in a BIG affiliate competition. Mikey is now playing in the big leagues with guys like Rick Kaselj. That’s why both of these guys will be on-stage in front of 550 attendees at FBS this weekend.)

Over to you, Mikey. Earn your pancakes…

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Celebrate Every Victory
By Mike Whitfield

I’ll never forget the big moment. I had stopped at the mall during lunch while working at my old corporate job. I was about four months into what was one of the biggest transformations of my life, losing over 100 pounds.

But this big moment wasn’t about the scale. You see, I had been in 46 inch pants for so long, I realized that I had not been in the thirty range since just after high school. But my current pants were so loose, that my belt wasn’t even able to hold them up.

Reluctantly, I grabbed a pair of 40 inch pants. My fear was that I would try them on and realize that I wasn’t quite there yet. I didn’t want to go through any disappointment, but I took the chance anyway.

I took a big deep breath as I approached the dressing room inside the store.

“This is it”, I thought to myself. I knew that IF they did fit, I would be on my way to being in the 30’s again.

As I pulled them up, I looked in the mirror with a big smile on my face. I was going to button them… easily. It was one of the biggest moments of my journey, although it may seem ordinary to anyone else.

Immediately, I called my friend Tom. Tom and I worked out together and he had been supporting me the entire way. In fact, after numerous workouts, he would always say something like, “Mikey, there is fat on the streets you’re losing so much”. He’s not only a good friend, but a great supporter and encourager.

“Dude! Guess what I’m doing!”, I exclaimed into my cell phone from the dressing room. “What?… and why are you echoing?”, he said. “I’m wearing freakin’ 40 inch pants man! I’m almost out of the 40’s!”. Tom then laughed and asked if I was calling him from the dressing room. Unashamed and proud, I admitted I was.

It was moments like this that I would celebrate my success. Sure, it wasn’t the “end goal” to get into 40 inch pants, but it was one step closer to my ultimate goal. My point is this…

You must celebrate every success – large or small.

With every success you create, you’re getting closer and closer to your goal.

Perhaps it is a second income, or you’re trying to replace your full time income with an online business. Either way, if you don’t at least savor every success step, you’re going to miss out on the joy of the ride itself.

I have discovered that creating an online business is much like building a house. Once you build the foundation and framework, you’re certainly not done, but it sure is exciting seeing it come along and enjoying the process.

One day, that framework and foundation will be a finished home. You’ll look back and remember the little things that helped it become a home like when the fresh carpet was installed. The same thing applies to your online business.

Enjoy the process.

I’ll never forget that moment I called Tom from the dressing room. It was a big turning point and it kept me going. It’s actually pretty fun looking back at that day.

Every little thing I did, like avoid junk food during the week and giving up soda for water led me to that big moment. And when I did give up those things, I would tell my friends and family, because I knew those small success steps were going to help me lose 105 pounds.

It was time to celebrate.

So perhaps you sold your first product this week, or you stepped out of your comfort zone and contacted an affiliate. It’s time to celebrate.

To celebrating your victories, large or small…

Mike Whitfield

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“Reward yourself. Having big goals is awesome, but you must set smaller “milestone” goals too. These are goals that you can reach on a regular basis and reward yourself for by doing something cool. Savor the moment and then set the next goal.” – Bedros Keuilian


The Four Amigos – Bedros, Rick, Mikey, and me

Craig Ballantyne