It's my view that the cycle of disillusionment is not only an inevitability but also a necessity. This is true in many aspects of life or with any project, not just Internet marketing, but IM is my current project and I can more readily equate it to that.

So what is the cycle of disillusionment and why is it inevitable?

There are four stages to the cycle and Stage 1 is the dream or fantasy stage.
This is when the spark of an idea comes to you and worms it's way into your consciousness. In my case it was seeing an IM offer that promised easy riches while working from home and the fantasy or dream of getting rich quick took hold easily. If you think about it you can equate this to many other things - a potential new relationship, someone catches your eye and you fantasise about what it would be like to be with them. What about the prospect of buying something new and expensive? After all, the best technique a salesman has is to sell a dream or fantasy.

Then you have the reality stage.
You've bought into the dream and are now presented with getting on with realising that dream. You're full of enthusiasm and can't wait to conquer the world. In my Internet venture, I couldn't wait to get to grips with it and as soon as I told the world what I was offering them, they would come flocking and buy in droves.

The next inevitable stage is the frustration stage
You bought into the fantasy, couldn't wait for the reality to start and for a while all looked to be going well. The trouble is, the fantasy and dream are only that and it's impossible for the reality to live up to it. Frustration sets in at it not going quite according to plan. I wasn't getting people flocking to my website and making me instantly rich. What was going wrong?

This can only lead to the total downer stage for want of a better expression.
Where did it all go wrong? I was told it was easy for me to become rich and yet a handful of weeks in it wasn't happening. I'd been sold a pup. I'd been stupid and fallen for hype and I needed to get out of it and get back to real life with it's rules of normality.

Fortunately, I didn't get out of it. I saw that the venture I'd signed-up to was governed by the same laws of life and commerce as any other business. What I'd actually got was a presence on the internet which I could use as a vehicle for creating a good long term business based on solid foundations.

I firmly beleive that going through this cycle is necessary for anyone to have success in IM. Like any new business, the principles of growth and development are equally relevant to Internet Marketing and if you don't experience the reality check of the cycle, which makes you re-evaluate your goals and strategies, you will always be setting yourself up for disillusionment and disappointment.

Fortunes have been made in IM and many have had their fingers burned.

Online businesses offer a low cost, high earning potential option for budding entrpreneurs and have the advantage of letting you do this from the comfort of your own home if you wish. Be aware of the above process, accept the inevitability of it and then go on to success.