Feb 27 2008
That Grand Experiment: The Rat Race Rebellion
The Grand Experiment: The Rat Race Rebellion
Several years ago, Wayne and I began our own personal Rat Race Rebellion. We decided we wanted to create something quite different than we had been living and also different from what it appeared everyone we knew was living. We wanted to create a lifestyle based on joy that allowed us to do what we wanted when we wanted and have our income come out of that living. And so, the grand experiment was launched.
Our intentions were to create a life and a way to make a living that allowed us to work from home doing only those things we enjoyed doing. The internet seemed like the most obvious route since we were both comfortable with computers and we had many talents that we could hone and expand on that were internet friendly. We were quite lucky that the things we enjoyed doing were based in communication; if we were into something like tv or games, it would be difficult to make a living doing those things.
The first few years we were involved in a network marketing company and followed that crowd in their suggestions in becoming internet marketers. They seemed to know what they were doing however; we didn’t have the success they claimed we should have though we had some and it was clear that many things were missing in what we were doing. At one point in the network marketing phase, someone in our upline had an argument with the owners of the company we were representing so the whole group was moved to a new company. We followed along when everyone left and the whole thing pretty much fell apart. We did learn a great deal though and following that bunch eventually lead to the creation of the Powerful Intentions Community. It was a wild ride when the Secret people decided to host their forum with us. 
So the first really important lesson we learned in our Rat Race Rebellion was to know when to stop following someone. It’s great to follow other people - it fast tracks the learning curve - and it is also important to understand that anyone you follow can only take you as far as they have gotten themselves. There comes a time eventually when a new role model needs to be found or one must strike out on ones own if real progress is to be made.
There were times during our participation in the network marketing group that we had this feeling like there was way more to learn about internet marketing; however, we didn’t listen to our own gut feelings. The second lesson we learned in our Rat Race Rebellion was to always listen to our gut feelings. If we had just listened to our own gut feelings we would be a lot farther ahead now…
Through these experiences and the building of Powerful Intentions, we learned massive amounts about relationship marketing and marketing through email lists and forums. We also learned how to coach and support others, write useful content, create powerful profiles (there is an art to it) and how to create static web pages and splash pages. These were some wonderful pieces of the puzzle and there was far more to learn. We also developed a marketing philosophy that we continue to use today called, ‘vortex marketing.’
We were also studying the law of attraction really heavily and so as soon as we realized our mistakes, we began the process of attracting new opportunities into our lives. At this point we decided we wanted to create our own things and so we started setting intentions for brilliantly creative ideas to form. Honestly, since we began doing that, we’ve had way more ideas then we’ve had time or energy to develop them. Rat Race Rebellion lesson number three was: be careful you don’t create your own Rat Race.
The first company we seriously tried to develop was called The TeleConnection and it was intended to be an ebay of tele-courses. For 2 years we busted our butts on that endeavor with a grand total profit of $256. What we had actually ended up creating was a full time job for both of us, providing free services to instructors and students who only wanted the free stuff. If it had worked the way we had envisioned it, we would have had a team of instructors who all contributed to the ‘student traffic’ and we would have all made some serious money.
What actually happened was we ended up with a bunch of instructors who were expecting draw from traffic we were creating while keeping their own lists private. In all fairness, there were a few who actually played the way it was set up; however, it just wasn’t enough. Rat Race Rebellion number four is: Don’t build anything that requires the support of large numbers of players supporting one another. They won’t do it even if they stand to gain more by playing full out. It really makes me wonder how pot-luck dinners manage to be successful…
Through our TeleConnection project, we learned how to create, administer and maintain a functional web site, pull together teams of people, construct and lead teleconference calls, build, launch and teach telecourses, achieve natural first page search engine rankings and create large amounts of traffic. At the height of The TeleConnection we were seeing over 8000 visitors to our site per day.
We also learned how to put all of the personal development information we had together and assist people to become more then they ever dreamed they could be. We discovered that everyone is an expert about something and turned ordinary people into instructors, speakers and in some cases authors. It was a beautiful time for us because we had so many opportunities to watch people shine; however, it had been a couple of years since we had had an income, so it was time to move on.
From there, not really knowing what we wanted to do next, we joined a gifting program which worked really well for us for a while. After a year and a half we had a sizable group and we were having a blast assisting these people to discover their brilliant nature. It did eventually get very time consuming and so we learned Rat Race Rebellion lesson 5: Even things that pay well can turn into our own private Rat Race.
During our time in this program we learned that we could attract large amounts of money when we focus and that our skills as people builders were blossoming in powerful and unexpected ways. We also developed a marketing skill set that we have dubbed, ‘passive marketing’ or ‘back burner’ marketing.
That left us casting about looking for the next thing we wanted to explore. True to the law of attraction, it wasn’t long before ideas started flooding in. This time we were armed with a far clearer picture of what we wanted, didn’t want, what we need to get better at and also what we are getting pretty good at.
It was however, time to reassess what brought us the most joy because our intention was to pursue joyful and prosperous living. Wayne loves developing web content, I love to write and we both absolutely love assisting and witnessing the unfolding of human potential in others and ourselves. After a few days of talking about all of this, we came up with the idea of ‘modern day bard.’
In the older times, a bard was a story teller (and often a musician) that traveled from town to town telling the news and stories of other places. They were honored guests because their stories offered a glimpse of a world that was otherwise inaccessible to many people and also because their stories taught people about themselves and the important life qualities like courage, love and creativity. In those times the most prominent marketers were bards; educating people about the new inventions in the world and creating a market for those items.
That excited us in big ways, it was so us… So now we just had to combine the ancient with the new and create something that felt like both. From that came our internet magazine - The Magic Happens: Wayne, Kat and Friends, Thriving Out Loud. Our magazine was launched in July of 2007 and using the many skills we learned in the other stages of this journey, we have created huge amounts of traffic and a solid reader base even though it is only a quarterly publication.
Recently, we launched a companion community for the magazine called ‘The Magic Happens Community.’ In less then a month we have almost 100 members.
We have also created a bunch of side things like a Law of Attraction Directory for people who want to do business with like minded people. Hey we are still learning and the directory and a few other things we have created haven’t worked the way we thought they would. Rat Race Rebellion lesson number 6: The learning never stops and that’s a good thing.
A couple of weeks ago, Wayne released his first book with ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Website Design’ which turned out to be absolutely brilliant and everyone who has bought it has been flat out impressed with what they got for their money.
A friend of mine and I will be releasing a free mini-ebook at the end of March that is about stress and decompressing. In about 8 weeks, I will be releasing my first ebook on Manifestation. The list just keeps going on and on. Man, are we having a ball!!
The point I am trying to make is this: We learned more from our failures then our successes. The key to crafting a new life exactly as you want it is to be is to make as many decisions as possible and act on them; good or bad, success or failure, each acted on decision will give you more information and bring you closer to your ultimate goal. It takes time to craft a life that isn’t prepackaged.
It looks like we have caught you up fairly well and maybe this will make the rest of our posts make more sense now. We hope that our story has served you in some way or inspired you to begin your own Rat Race Rebellion. Telling the story has certainly served me in getting more clarity about where we have been. We would love to hear from you if our story has helped or inspired you in some way. Tell us about yourself and what your dream life might look like!
Happy Trails
Kat
PS. We have openings for 2 people who would like coaching in creating their own Rat Race Rebellion and dream lifestyle. If that sounds like you, please contact us for your complimentary 30 minute session and to discuss our rates. It would be our pleasure to support you!
internet marketers