The “success” industry is worth billions of dollars a year selling seminars, videos, books and the like. They peddle guaranteed instant success formulas that for some reason first require you to fork out your hard-earned cash. Most truly successful people don’t apply any of this snake-oil, so what is it that they’ve discovered?
Several years ago, I found myself on the platform at a conference being interviewed about what it takes to create a successful blog. It was at the height of the SEO (search engine optimisation) hysteria and as I looked across the audience, I could see they were hoping for some formula that would guarantee they would become successful.
Maybe I would say that I incorporated a particular number of hot keywords into articles or ensured that each one was of a particular length. This would provide them what they needed to become successful!
I turned to the moderator and asked, “Are you sure you want to know?”
“Yes,” came the reply.
I looked across the audience and said, “It’s incredibly easy to create a successful blog.”
By this time the moderator was getting a little impatient and asked, “Well, what’s the secret?”
“Write two to three articles a week for ten years.”
A groan could be heard across the auditorium and the moderator looked at me with a particular level of disappointment. This isn’t what anyone wanted to hear. They wanted to hear that with a wave of my hand I could turn them all into successful bloggers.
The problem is that I was sharing a truth that no one wanted to hear. Most people I come across want easy success with piles of money showering them at the end of each day. This just doesn’t happen.
In the case of writing a blog, Google’s ranking algorithms are designed to reward good quality content that is updated on a regular basis that people want to read. You can employ an SEO company to “game” the system for a time but my recommendation is to give Google want to wants….consistency and discipline.
These two words are what drives me is most of my life. Even in playing computer strategy games I apply the techniques of consistency and discipline. I know that if my computer enemy allows me to save a consistent amount of my resources each and every turn then I will ultimately win the game.
Hugely business successful individuals like Elon Musk are up at 4am each morning and go to bed when the job is done. They don’t just do this every so often but every single day. He is amazingly disciplined and consistent in his life’s endeavours and is driven by a huge bold vision.
I recently sat down with one of my daughters and explained business like this. Starting a business is like rolling a big boulder up a hill. You push and push and suddenly the boulder moves a few feet. You wished it would get easier, but the pressure never seems to relent. At each stage you wonder if the boulder is going to roll back towards you but in grim determination you push yet again.
Many entrepreneurs look at their friends who clock on at 9am and off at 5pm and bemoan the fact that they have it so easy. Some give up, not realising that they are only a couple of feet from the top of the hill where the boulder can roll down the other side.
Being consistent and disciplined is a major contributor to building a successful business. So many of us look on with a certain amount of jealousy at the successful people portraited on the front page of the newspaper. “That should be me!” we say…..not realising the incredible discipline those individuals have out of the lime-light.
I know very wealthy domain investors that are up early in the morning every day to make sure they are in the drop auctions. They are unassuming individuals that largely mind their own business but there is one common trait they all have, discipline and consistency. It’s a part of their life, it’s who they are.
This weekend I would encourage you to stop looking for the next quick rich scheme and focus on yourself. How you can apply consistency and discipline to create true success in your life?
Have a great weekend,
Michael