From Mortgage Banker to Internet Affiliate - How did this happen?
By: Linda Chandler | Posted: 20th April 2006
After spending 20 years in a successful mortgage banking career, I'm now an affiliate for several programs on the internet. And guess what? I love it! I am not getting rich on the internet and probably never will, but I do earn an income and it keeps getting better. The money, of course, is always important, but I found something else – it is the peace of mind. No more meetings, conference calls, deadlines, or working on some project or report for the boss, and no more daily job stress.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a Federal agency, defines job stress as:
"The harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker - Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury."
NIOSH reports the following:
Percentage of workers who report their job is "very or extremely stressful" - 40%
Percentage of workers who report that they are "often or very often burned out or stressed by their work" – 26%
Percentage of workers who report that feel "quite a bit or extremely stressed at work" – 29%
This information and much more information on stress can be viewed on their website at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html
I actually work more hours than I ever did in mortgage banking, but it's ok because I enjoy it and I don't feel the stress. I make the decisions now, work on what I want to, and work when I want to. I have spent hours and hours looking at different affiliate programs and at this point, I think I have found several good ones. The research, making my own decisions, and getting all set up was fun. It is totally different from sitting in an office all day, working on files, going to meetings, meeting deadlines, etc. I don't miss that life and most of all I don't miss the commute.
Speaking of the commute, which was stressful to say the least and one of the reasons I decided I had had enough, my commute was close to an hour each way on a good day. On a bad day, it was anyone's guess. The final straw was one evening while driving home, at about 35 miles an hour because of the traffic; I saw a car and motorcycle collide up ahead of me. It all happened fast but the motorcycle and the man riding it were flying through the air toward my car. The motorcycle landed one lane over from me and the man landed on the pavement directly in front of me. Because I was not going very fast, I was able to stop without hitting him, but believe me, it was a shock. "Shock" is putting it mildly – I was absolutely stunned to see a body and a motorcycle flying through the air and the body landing about ten feet in front me on a major highway. The man was taken away in an ambulance and I never knew his condition. I have thought many times, what if I couldn't stop? What if I if had been a few feet ahead? What if?
That was the final straw – that's when I decided I am not doing this anymore. I figured there has to be a better way to make a living and I was so tired of spending 10 hours a week going to work and back. I had already been thinking about it for some time and had actually started doing some work on the internet. It is not easy and it is a lot of work, but it is so much better than what I was doing. Working on the internet may not be right for everyone, but its right for me. And yes – my stress level is down!
Linda Chandler
http://www.mybiz1.us
http://www.mortgageproducts.org
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Tags: money, capabilities, decisions, affiliate programs, boss, emotional responses, cdc, peace of mind, poor health, mortgage banking, occupational safety and health