I see that you are a little bit confused about affiliate marketing. First of all I want to point out that I am not a Guru, I am in affiliate marketing for about a year now. And I have build some knowledge to share with you and other affiliates out there. I want to give you advise, but my advise will only help you if you are willing to learn.
First of all try to see the whole picture/plan/your goal, what do you want to achieve. Do you want to have more leads? Do you want to learn how to build websites? Do you want to LEARN? If you want, then you have come to the right place. If you want retire early then you have to spend more time now. The Internet is full with educational books about all the topics that you want to master. Some of them are "The master key system" and "The science of getting rich". Read them and read them good. This books will help you to build a strong foundation, on which you could count on when the earthquakes come.
I hope that my advise was helpful to you.

Good luck!!
