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Usually around this time of the year I write something that's directed at the many people who have come into this industry over the Christmas / New Year break. I don't know what it is about that time of year but it's often when we see a real influx of people who want to make their fortune by selling porn.

However, I'm not going to do that this year. Instead I'm going to talk to the people who have been here for a year and are wondering whether it's worth their while staying any longer.

There is no doubt that the first year or two ... or even three ... is the toughest. Many hit this industry with the expectation that making money selling porn is easy. It's something anyone can do and it takes no special skills.

If you have been here a year or two you now know that making money in this business is not easy. There is a steep learning curve because you do need to develop some serious marketing skills if you want to make money here.

You also know that developing those skills takes time and the easy money that you were expecting to be making is still not happening. So what do you do?

Do you stay or do you go? Do you jump over into mainstream and try your luck there or do you just fold up your tents and go back doing something where you can earn a salary instead of a commission?

Maybe there's part of the problem right there. Maybe you've been approaching this whole thing as if you were earning a salary and not as if you were on a commission. If you earn a salary you usually don't have to work too hard to get paid. If you're on a commission, you don't get paid unless you do work your ass off.

And to keep working your ass off you need to have your goals firmly in mind. Knowing exactly why you are doing something helps you to say focused and working hard towards achieving your goals.

So do you know why you have stuck at this business for a year or more? If you have stuck around this long and found what mirage the idea of easy money really is, then what is keeping you hear?

Is it time to take a deep breath and give it another year before you quite? Will you achieve those goals you started with by walking away now?

Nothing worthwhile comes fast! There is no such thing as instant success. Everything takes time ... sometimes far more time than you might realize.

Over in mainstream there is a guy who is making a big name and a lot of money for himself in the world of podcasting. He is quick to tell people that his current success did not happen overnight. In fact, he admits that he stumbled around trying different things for six years before he got to where he is today.

That's what it can take but if you came in here with set goals in mind, as he did, then those years of hard work is something that you can handle. That same guy is quick to tell people that the word 'focus' is really an acronym for how to achieve the success you want ... Follow One Course Until Success.

That acronym has certainly worked for him once he found something he could work with and it will work for you so don't be in a rush to walk away from this business just because you haven't achieved the raging success that you expected. You have to keep on reminding yourself that success does take time and can't let yourself be distracted by other things.

If you do tend to lose sight of your goals when you're struggling to make money and you begin to wonder, why you are putting in all the effort then it might be time to write down your goals and pin them up somewhere you will see them every single day.

In 'The Slight Edge' by Jeff Olson, the author suggests writing down your five major goals and add the 'why' alongside each of those goals so that you can continually remind yourself of what you are trying to achieve and why you are trying to reach those goals.

ViperChill, another successful mainstream marketer suggests that you should keep adding to your list of goals and to the 'whys' as well because that will keep you focused on building your business.

Sadly, we tend to skip all that self-support in this business and perhaps that's why more people don't stick around when they find that this industry is not as easy as they thought it would be.

Perhaps acknowledging your goals, writing them down and looking at them every day and staying focused will help you break through to success this year.