How many times have you seen this scenario? The curtain rises: You have been introduced to an internet marketing business opportunity or other home based business opportunity. The money looks good. If it's an affiliate program, it's the best affiliate marketing program and system on earth. Everything looks perfect! You're in! You roll up your sleeves, and...

It's fine for the first week, after all, you are pretty excited about the home based business opportunity you just joined, right? Or, if it is an internet marketing business opportunity, you've watched all the tutorials, joined the forums, and placed some ads.

So, you begin to work whatever system you have been taught, but by week number 2 or 3, for some reason, you seem to have lost some steam.

Then, after the end of your first month, it's all you can do to pick up the sales literature or log into your affiliate marketing system. You cringe when you see your credit card bill for your monthly investment in the business or your products. You have stuffed your contact file into a drawer. You have shoved all the product samples into the closet where at least they won't collect too much dust. You have stopped working. You haven't placed any ads, and you have been avoiding your sponsor.

Why? What happened?

To answer that, let's take a quick look at why you joined to begin with. Let's say you joined a home based business opportunity where you attended a business presentation meeting: Did you get excited by the hype and thrill where all the leaders and top-10 money earners smiled down from the stage and told you that YOU could do this too?

Or, if it was an internet marketing business opportunity, did you get excited by the video testimonials of the others who made a bunch of sales and had some big paychecks to show for it, and picture yourself as the next testimonial?

Why DID you join?

Let's say you joined a food or nutrition business opportunity. Do you enjoy eating those types of products? Do you read about nutritional products? Are you passionate about nutrition? Do you really have any interest at all in the nutrition industry?

What if you joined a financial services opportunity. Are the services offered of value to you? Do you use them? Do you need them? Are you interested in whatever financial services are offered to begin with?

Look around at the most successful and happiest people you know - in and out of internet and home based business opportunities. What do you notice about them? There is a particular local contractor who always seems busy, and always seems to have work. You might think he would be exhausted after a long day of running a construction crew. But, after visiting a yard sale at his home, I noticed that he had extensive landscaping, trellis work, decks, and additions to his home. I remarked how lovely the work was, and his response was, "Thank you. I love building. It's fun! It doesn't seem like work.".

You will notice that people who are successful marketing a travel opportunity tend to love travel, and use their product to take their own vacations. Have you noticed that the representatives who have the most devoted following for their candle or cosmetics parties are passionate about their products, and that they always use them in their own lives.

Have you ever noticed that writers are also avid readers? Or that most musicians who play instruments or sing also enjoy listening to music? In my case, I enjoy writing about internet marketing and home based business opportunities. When I'm at a restaurant or on a plane, you will typically see me bent over a Success or Entrepreneur Magazine.

This is really the key observation: Notice when someone's business and way of making a living has actually become a lifestyle. Most likely, these folks do what they love, and they love what they do; which means that they have played to their strengths, skills, talents, and interests which helped them determine their field, or in the case of the home based business or internet marketing based business industry, which affiliate program or opportunity to join.

So, it is important to examine the things you enjoy to begin with. Sounds simple, doesn't it?

If you enjoy travel, find at an opportunity that includes marketing travel. If you enjoy cosmetics, align yourself with an opportunity marketing make up or perfumes. You get the idea. For example, jewelry is just not my thing. I don't wear much jewelry, and what little I do wear can be tucked into one ring box. So, trying to sell me on selling jewelry is fruitless. It could be the best jewelry opportunity on Earth, but I will not be able to muster up the interest or energy to make a successful go at it.

It is also important to consider the structure of the opportunity. If you prefer working online and reaching a global audience, choose an opportunity that doesn't rely on face-to-face business presentations in your neighborhood. Do you enjoy blogging? Do you love writing? Then, join an internet marketing business opportunity that promotes the use of these activities to market.

If you align yourself with an internet marketing business opportunity or other home based business opportunity that reflects the type of person you are: your interests, your passions, and your personal marketing style and strengths, you will find that you are more likely to enjoy working the business.

You might discover that you look forward to the work! You will be more likely to stick with it, and ultimately succeed, and thus getting to the point where there is little difference between your business and your lifestyle.

And that, my friend, is a great place to be!

Copyright (c) 2009 Kathleen Tremblay