Update: This post was originally published in June 2011 (back when I was still in my job and hadn’t made a cent online) — it was in fact the first ever post published on Leaving Work Behind. While I have edited it in parts, it remains largely intact, and thus serves as a strong example of how far your convictions can take you. Enjoy!
If you’ve been reading Leaving Work Behind for any length of time, you’ll know that I don’t preach about getting rich quick.
Yes, that old nugget. That whole area of “teaching” is utter rubbish. Quite frankly, I am not qualified to teach on the subject. I don’t believe that anyone is — sudden wealth is the bastard child of luck, and luck cannot be taught.
Having got that rant out of the way, I am happy to say that there are riches to be had. Wealthy and successful men and women do not get to where they are subsisting solely on a diet of good fortune, and more often than not, they are not extraordinarily special people. Many of my successful peers in online blogging will attest to that.
So, without further ado, here are the five fundamentals of success that I try to follow religiously.
1. A Solid Work Ethic
Ah yes, old reliable. Work hard and you will make it.
But it is not actually that straightforward. I know plenty of people who consider themselves very hard workers, but as far as I am concerned, they are applying themselves in completely the wrong fashion.
If you sit down to work on your blog and find yourself two hours later browsing YouTube, you’ve achieved nothing. Don’t try to tell yourself otherwise.
Stop procrastinating. Right now! Finish reading this article then close down Twitter, Facebook, your emails, and any other distractions. Write down one thing you can do, in that moment, to advance your efforts. Then do it.
Success has a lot to do with focus. I can sit down to write an article and spend thirty minutes staring out of the window, then be frustrated with myself for just working so damn hard and not getting anywhere.
No more excuses — get your head down.
2. Determination
How badly do you want it? I do not care what “it” is — that isn’t relevant. But you are going to hit stumbling blocks. There’s no avoiding it. And at times you will want to give up. Those are cast-iron guarantees.
One of the biggest defining factors between success and failure is determination. The ability to keep plugging away, despite seemingly endless rejection and failure, has bred some of the finest entrepreneurs in the world. There are countless stories of how vastly successful people fought tooth and nail to get to where they are. Not convinced? Read this.
So how do you maintain determination? How do you persist against all the odds?
Start by surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Share your successes and failures with them. Most importantly, hold yourself accountable. Tell people — family and friends; people who care — what you are trying to achieve. Surround yourself with those who believe in you and encourage you. Join us on the community forums — you’ll find we’re very welcoming!
Finally, give yourself a light at the end of the tunnel. If your sole aim is to build up a net worth of a million dollars, you will probably never succeed. Set incremental goals. Plot a path to where you want to be, then follow it. If you can’t plot the path all the way there, aim for a milestone along the way, and figure out how to advance once you get there. As I said in my post on How to Succeed, “Make sure the cracks aren’t chasms.”
3. Passion
You are going to struggle to succeed if you do not have passion for what you are doing.
That can be in the form of the content you are writing, the rush you get from producing a product, or countless other things. Not everything in your business will give you joy, but you do need to find joy in your work.
Passion is determination’s best friend friend. Nurture it, and it will in turn feed your determination. A healthy passion for what you are doing will carry you through the low points. If you are not emotionally invested in your efforts, it will be all too easy to give up.
4. Nous
Intelligence is underplayed as a key cause of success. I am sorry to break it to you, but you will need to know what the hell you are doing.
I am fed up of the many internet entrepreneurs out there, selling something or other, saying “If I can do it, so can you!” We can only do it if we take ownership of what is required and execute.
You can stumble into success, and it does happen. Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income is a great example of this — I won’t get into specifics as he has already chronicled his remarkable story far better than I can on his blog. But when he was offered the opportunity for success, he grabbed it with both hands and owned it.
That took nous. The guy knows what he is doing, make no mistake about it. So don’t you dare count on luck to carry you through.
5. Time
Last but certainly not least, we have our most valuable commodity.
I’ve got more bad news for you — you are not going to wake up a millionaire tomorrow. The world does not move that quickly. After all, if it were that easy, why on earth isn’t everyone rolling around gleefully in giant mountains of cash?
Once you have effectively combined and actioned the four key fundamentals above, you are going to have to let time work its magic.
Now is not the time to sit back and wait though. Keep pushing and developing your income streams. Walk hand in hand with time as your partner. Do not leave it to do all the work by itself — it can’t.
Create Your Own Story
It’s easy to write about what to do in order to become successful; the difficulty is in the execution.
You may already have the potential to follow through on what I have covered in this article, but you need to combine them as ingredients so that you can produce a delicious success cake, with a thick layer of wealth icing (and a fulfilment cherry on top, as a finishing touch).
The fundamentals I discuss may be screamingly self-evident to you, but do not blast me for stating the obvious. The fact is, if we all adhered to the above fundamentals to our maximum potential, we would all likely be in much more affluent positions.
Remember this: pride has no place in the journey to becoming successful. No one person has all the answers and that is not what you should be aiming for. No matter your position in life, moving forwards with the five key fundamentals above in mind may galvanize you onto greater things.
There are some guys and girls out there with truly remarkable stories. But they created their stories — they weren’t born with them. Their stories were borne out of sweat and tears. If you want what they have, all you have to do is follow the key fundamentals above. It may only take months, or it may take years, but stay the course and you will see it through to the end.
Photo Credits: Arya Ziai, Sean Cameron, The Next Web, Tracy Hunter, mayeesherr and Richard Roberson.
Definitely needed to hear this today! I’ve been wondering if this is the path for me, but I know that I just have to keep pushing to get to the finish line.
Glad I could be of help! Just keep going…
When I first started out with my abstract art my dad was helping me “fund” my endeavor. Times were tough for all of us, my folks and my wife and I. I remember one day telling my dad I’m willing to quit if you want me to.. his answer.. no keep going, maybe slow down a bit, but keep going. The very next painting I painted, won best of show and the judge ended up buying it and it became the very first piece that sold! http://abstractsbybrian.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/together-again-for-the-very-first-time/
I struggle with quitting all the time, but I just can’t I love what I do!
Great story Brian – it just goes to show how persistence does eventually pay off!
Tom,
lots of wise words here. I agree with 1 and 2 but dont agree with you about 3 and 4.
There are lots and lots of people successfully doing things they are not passionate about. They may not necessarily like it, but if it pays the bills they do it.
Also the intelligence thing is always way overplayed. Ok not saying you can be successful if you are a complete doughnut, but I think success is more about making the most of what you have, whether you are are a genius or not.
There are lots of intelligent people out there that are dirt poor or doing things they dont really like, because they werent brave enough to give things a try. So maybe bravery should be added to that list!
Hi Colin,
RE passion — I disagree with you. You are correct that some people make money from things they may not directly be passionate about, but most people are in some way passionate about what they are doing. It can simply be a case of being passionate about the very act of making money, but the passion is almost always there (and is a huge benefit).
I think you’ve perhaps misinterpreted my words RE nous. I only actually used the word “intelligence” once, and certainly didn’t mention anything about being a genius! You are correct that there are plenty of unsuccessful intelligent people in the world, but I maintain that your intelligence has a big part to play in determining your success.
Totally agree with you about bravery — that should probably be in with determination.
Cheers!
Tom
Tom,
fair points there. The genius thing was tongue in cheek lol. And yes I see, nous is probably a better word for it.
Fortune favours the brave. If they work hard enough!
Good Luck
Awesome refreshed version of a fundamental post Tom! Nice to see the “beginning” and 5 tips for success EVERYONE can use for success!
Thanks Jo, appreciate it!
This was one of the first posts I read when I stumbled upon Leaving Work Behind, i remember the boss told me to change this sign photo quite well haha!
I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed it now!
Also a great lesson on re-using old content, especially being able to make it linkable to your other projects like the forums and Healthy Enough!
Good stuff Tom!
Hey Jackson,
You know, that’s a good reminder of how powerful images can be as a means of adding a little something extra to a post.
I’m experimenting with re-publishing old posts but I really think it could work. This stuff is waaaaay back in the archives, the vast majority of people will have never read it, and those that have might like seeing it again! I was deliberating about it over in the forums: http://www.leavingworkbehind.com/community/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-republishing-old-content-on-lwb/.
Cheers,
Tom
I’m amazed! I’m not sure what to say except why didn’t I follow lot more in the past. I only find about you two months ago. And since that, I have read all your posts and they helped me a lot. When I see a good writer like you are, I wish to become better than you and that keeps me motivated every time when I sit in the chair and start rolling.
This is a great post Tom, keep them coming!
Hey Vukasin,
That sounds like a challenge 😉
Seriously though, it says a lot about someone when they get confronted with something they perceive to be good. Do they lament the fact that they think they aren’t as good, or do they resolve to be just as good, if not better? Glad to see you take a positive attitude 🙂
Glad you like the post!
Cheers,
Tom
hi,
Great post. you have given hope for bloggers like me that if you want success you have to work and work with more passion. That is the only way to success.
Thanks again for sharing
My pleasure Deewaker 🙂
Hi Tom, I particularly like the section entitled Nous. Pat Flynn definitely knew his onions when he started his mission and he jumped from a high paying job (albeit the company went belly up during the financial downturn). I think that most people should think a bit first about how they are going to tackle their chosen niche or authority with the tools in the chest that they may require later. All business people need some form of competitive advantage. An expert skill to fall back on, that gives authority to speak from some form of authority. You can’t start cold. I personally am trying to tap my vast IT knowledge.
Thanks for another thought provoking article!
Back to my Pina Colada in Barbados. 🙂
Enjoy your vacation 😉
Was this really the first post on LWB? It’s amazing. It reads like pro level stuff. I have seen many posts in the vein of, “This was my first post and it really sucked.” But, you just blew it out of the park with the first post!
Really excited to be part of the LWB community. Thanks Tom.
Hey Debashish,
Yeah it was, although it didn’t look like this when I first released it! I edited it before republishing and added/removed some images. So don’t be fooled 🙂
Cheers,
Tom
Great stuff! It’s great to see where you began and what you’ve become. You’re correct. The execution is the issue.
Thanks Nora 🙂
Hi Tom, this is a superb post for your very first post. I’m looking back at my very first post on my blog and it pales in comparison to this.
Great job.
Passion can really take you far in the business world. You MUST be passionate about what you’re doing otherwise, you’ll be nonchalant about your daily duties and won’t put as much effort into making the business succeed.
Also, you said “No one person has all the answers and that is not what you should be aiming for.”
That’s so true and no one person can do EVERYTHING alone. You must be willing to put pride aside and ask for help when you actually need it. Too many entrepreneurs have the mentality that they know everything or could do everything themselves.
Smart entrepreneurs realize when they need help in some aspect of their business and are willing to put their pride aside and outsource it … while others try to do it themselves and take 10 times as long to get whatever accomplished.
Great first post.
Thanks Andrew!
It seems the further I go down this road the more open I am to getting more people involved in what I do. That’s definitely one of the best “slow epiphanies” I’ve had about entrepreneurship.
Good post! The principles are sound. Just stumbled on this and it turns out I wrote something similar yesterday. I think we are fascinated with the idea of overnight success. It’s being fed to us too but it’s junk food. Nothing beats hard work, focus and being nice in my opinion!
Quite right you are Rudiano!
I definitely agree with you. A solid work ethic is my number one must as well.
Interesting that you wrote that article before you set off on your online adventure. I did a similar thing myself a year before I summoned the courage to get up and go. Almost the same ideas on my list. I guess there’s a formula for success after all 😉
Let’s call it a loose recipe 😉
Very inspirational. If only we all could have this mindset.
Another thing, is your “impossible” image copyrighted? I would love to use it on my website I am creating..
The image is Creative Commons Patricia: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55839512@N08/9739828346/ 🙂
Thanks for sharing, really good!