5 Life Lessons I Learnt from Four Years of Blogging
I've been blogging for nearly four years now. To say that I've struggled a lot is an understatement, especially when it came to finding my own success. I started out thinking internet marketing; hence making money online was easy. It was not. I always felt to be successful I had to be like others. I was wrong. I thought I could do it alone. That was a mistake.Most of all, I didn't think I'd take so long.
1. Learn Things the Proper Way Early
Learn Lessons From Successful People
I started out thinking that I could do it all alone. I thought, "This can't be hard. It's the internet after all. All the answers are online!" But frankly speaking, there's simply too much information out there, it's hard to differentiate what will work for you. After I consulted a couple of marketers, I learnt the basics of blogging, writing and internet marketing. If you want success, you need a strong foundation of the field you are in and have your basics intact.
2. Passion Does not Solve All Your Problems. You have to Put in the Work
I know. Everybody is talking about passion today, saying that you need to follow your heart in order to succeed. Yes, passion is important. It's the fire that gives life to your WHY. But, passion does not solve all your problems. You've to do the work. Passion is not the golden ticket to life itself. You still need carefully map out your path to where you want to go.
3. Never Automatically Assume that others are More Successful than You
When I started blogging, I had this problem of assuming every other blogger out there was successful. As long as I saw a proper homepage, some articles and something on sale, I thought they were doing very well in business. I was wrong of course. In fact, it was downright dangerous. My insecurities inevitably led me to learning the wrong things and looking up the wrong people. I kept downplaying my own ideas. Success is entirely depends on YOU.
Sure, you may choose to model yourself after people you look up to, but eventually you need to get out of your comfort zone and branch out your own. This is how your vision, idea and story can shine. You can't succeed if you don't stand out at all.
4. The Work is the Goal
This was something I learnt from acclaimed writer and marketer, Ryan Holiday. What does this mean? It means that the work you choose and aim to do every day is the goal. That's it. Put in the daily work. Get rid of your excuses and do it every day. Take small steps all the time, and eventually you'd have created something big.
5. Success is Individual, So Never Compare
Your success is individual, for you're a unique and special whose story needs to shine in a different light. I don't make five figures. I'm not a world-famous writer. I'm Alden Tan who has been writing, break-dancing for over ten years (15-20 hours a week of practice) and also a good son. Never compare your success with others. You're you. Forge your own path and inspire others with that. (Want to Be a Successful Person)
