What is Success and How do I get it?
Awesome Content: Set Up For Online Success
Although I don’t believe that the power of positive thinking is the cure all in life as Norman Vincent Peale might suggest, I do believe that your mindset or attitude does have a powerful impact on the outcome of your day-to-day activities. As long as you think you are going to be a mediocre blogger then that is what you are going to be. If you believe that you have the potential for greatness then you are setting yourself up for a wonderful self-fulfilling prophecy.
Developing into a professional blogger is a fairy tale to most people as likely to come true as Snow White finding her prince charming or Cinderella making it to the grand ball. Quite often it is this disbelief that holds people back more than anything else.
The Leisure of a Successful Blog: Learning from the Best
You can read fellow bloggers. You can study search engine optimization techniques. You can develop your writing style.
Best of all, you can learn from the professionals. A few years ago, blogging was a brand new form of expression. People were stepping out into new territory and grasping at whatever they thought might bring them success. Most failed to ever rise above mediocrity but a few stuck with it. Now we have the unique leisure of sitting as students before those men and women who have risen with their blogs from zeroes to heroes.
Every day I read and study the blogs of the successful. Here are a few blogs that I read every time that they are updated: Problogger, Daily Blog Tips, Copy Blogger and of course this blog, Site Sketch 101. I recommend that you do the same.
The Definition of a Successful Blog: An Abstract Goal
Success is such an abstract idea. For some of you, having a successful blog means that you are making lots of money. For others it means that you are achieving some level of fame or recognition. For yet others it simply means being able to express something that you are passionate about.
Even as I just recommended that you study and follow professional bloggers in order to achieve success at your own blog it is important that you understand this monumental principle. As you begin studying and chasing after success, it is important that you take time and assess what success is for you and your blog. Always keep that objective clear in your mind.
Those who you are reading may have different views or opinions about success and should be viewed as such. Some of their advice will help you achieve your goals and some may not.
The Secret of a Successful Blog: Set Yourself Apart
Just as the definition of success may vary from blogger to blogger so also the route to that success will vary. No two bloggers earn revenue in the exact same way on their blogs. No two bloggers engage their readers the same way. No two bloggers write with the same style.
Every information source that you find about blogging will provide you with tips and principles about achieving success. Here’s what most people fail to take away with the information at these types of sites. You have to find what works for you!
As you read strategies for enhancing your site, you need to remember that the real secret of success is learning your own style. Passion and personalization are the keys that can make or break your blog.
It’s not simply a matter of repeating verbatim some points that you read off a list somewhere. It’s a matter of being real with your readers. Don’t try to mimic someone else’s style. Get out and create your own.
Here’s the bottom line. You want to have a successful blog? Grab up all the information that you can get. Learn how to optimize your site for search engines. Develop content that is award-winning quality. Follow all the rules. But in the end, be real. Create something that is the expression of yourself. Be an individual. Break some rules. Create something new and pave your own way.
Your imagination is your only limit.
Jeff B. said:
Learning from the Best
It’s so true, yet often overlooked. Also, knowledge is power. Learn what to do by others’ successes. Learn what not to do by observing others’ failures.
And I find it funny that “Follow all the rules” and “Break some rules” are in the same paragraph.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Jeff B. & Arisu » I don’t think that it’s a complete contradiction to put those two in the same paragraph. As I’ve grown as a writer I’ve learned that there are many rules that you are supposed to follow but at times your writing can become more effective if you break a rule to create a certain feeling in your writing. The same is true about the rules of blogging. You need to learn them and work to follow them but you also need to set yourself apart and let your own personality govern.
Eric Shafer » Good thoughts. I’m going to write up a follow up post to discuss this issue a bit more. You bring some good thoughts into the discussion. I think that that those people that you mentioned are the exception and not the rule. The majority of people who are successful in today’s society are people who are very motivated, determined and confident that they can drive forward. How often do you hear of a bipolar CEO of a Fortune 500 company? If there is one he is the exception and not the rule. That’s just my opinion though and I not only respect your position but I see some very valid logic that I’m going to spend some more time looking into.
Stefan » Good question to ponder. I don’t know if people could have developed bipolar disorder because of their work though. I’m pretty sure that it is something that you are born with. I’m not sure though.
Bruce » Haha! I completely agree. At first I didn’t think anything of Daily Blog Tips because of their design. I finally subscribed because of some other recommendations as well. I’m glad I did as Daniel has some good advice there. Also be looking for a guest post there from me on Sept. 6. I’m kind of excited about that and hoping that it will generate a few visitors to Site Sketch 101. It’s first impression there is quite bland. First impressions really are lasting impressions!
Eric Shafer said:
I disagree with the power of positive thinking almost completely when it comes to success. What many people fail to realize is that almost all of the greatest and most successful people in history were suffering from depression, bipolar disorder or another psychological ‘disorder’. Mozart was depressed, Beethoven was an alcoholic (probably to mask depression), both Einstein and Newton were autistic and both had various psychological disorders…etc etc. Depression often causes a realistic view and mindset of the world, as opposed to ‘positive thinking’ which often leads to naivety. Bipolar disorder usually has a phase of extreme productivity associated with it. Depression and perfectionism often go hand in hand, and the characteristics of perfectionism are also closely associated with the characteristics of of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, so much that the criteria actually overlap.
Where am I heading with all that? Well, the drive for perfection, the attention to details, the motivation, the creativity are often all associated with the exact opposite of positively-thinking minds.
Anyways, besides that random digression that no one really cares about, goal-setting is a really powerful technique. Essentially, if you write specific goals, write them down, and read them every day, eventually your subconscious mind will respond to this and basically alter your ‘involuntary’ day to day choices to help you achieve the. I don’t know if the psychology of that is exactly true, but goal setting definitely works.
Stefan said:
Interesting point @Eric and it raises the question about chicken or the egg. Did they become successful because of they misery or did they become miserable because of their dedication to their work?
Arisu said:
I think blogging is a very interesting activity since you have to “follow all the rules” if you want it to work -as far as technology and functionality are concerned-. But in order to be creative and unique and find your own style you have to break rules and many of your paradigmas.
Now, I do think positive thinking is key to success. Were all the people who changed the world depressed? Not really… and even the ones that were like Beethoven and Hemingway had a big confidence in their profesional life… which they lacked in their personal life and maybe that´s the reason behind their poor personal history.
But, people says you can be successful in whatever you want if you try hard enough and that´s not true. You can be successful doing the things you have talent and passion for. Some of us were born to be artist and others athletes or scientists, and even if we all can enjoy art, sports and science, not everyone can be awesome in all of them.
Anyway, awesome article as always Nicholas!
Pinaybackpacker said:
Very well said Arisu. You have to know what your strengths are. Some people are good in Math, and I am not one of those.
Your talents (strengths) and capabilities have to jive with what you are passionate about in order to be have some measure of success. Otherwise, you won’t stick to it long enough.
And success doesn’t happen overnight. It is built from the ground up.
I don’t know how many successful people are depressed compared to successful people who are like a ray of sunshine so I cannot really comment on that.
Arisu said:
Pinay>>
I truly believe that everyone was born with a talent, something they´re good at, and that developing that talent will give them both hapiness and success.
But of course, there´s a long road between being good at something, and being great at something
P.S. Pinay means you´re a girl from Filipinas, right?
ZXT said:
Right on Arisu. We are all blessed with talents and its up to us to put it to good use and maximize it. I’m good in numbers but not so much with art and writings.
Anyways, yes Pinay is a Filipino slang for Philippine Girl and its actual Pilipinas with a P.
Arisu said:
Zee>>
Yeah, I have a natural talent for both arts and math, but I decided to be great at the first one and forget the other. There´s not that much fun in math XD at least for me.
And yeah, my mistake, “Filipinas” is Spanish.
Bruce said:
I find the blog Daily Blog Tips to be proof of the importance of design. It looks boring. I’ve seen it recommended a few times and I’ve never bothered to even read the first title, because of it’s appearance. I’ll finally take everyones advice though and subscribe to it. I am sure I’ll be glad I did.
InternethowBlog said:
Very nice article Nicholas. However, you should start believing the power of postive thinking. Because as you mentioned, if you don’t have a mindset and attitude to finish what you started, then you won’t finish it at all. Positive thinking helps you to give commitment to your work. It helps you to be strong when you face obsticles.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
InternethowBlog » I think positive thinking is a balancing act. I actually had a good instant message chat with Eric who commented above and here is my conclusion. Positive thinking is a powerful force for a person regardless of what enterprise they are in. It helps them to stay motivated and to keep driving forward. But if a person allows positive thinking to cause them to be naive about hard work which I personally have done in the past, then it can be a crutch. We should be positive but that motivation must result in study and hard work.
If we just write up an article, hit publish and go to bed with warm feelings then nothing will happen. If our positive thinking motivates us to comment on other blogs, get involved in the blogging community, tell others about our blog, beautify our blog, organize our blog, reproof our articles, etc. then it is one of the most powerful forces in the universe!
My conclusion: Positive thinking is only as strong as the action it produces.
akira07 said:
Talking about positive thinking will become interesting topic. But it’s a choice to believe it or no.
Do you guys ever reading about Law of Attraction? It’s about positive thinking. And it’s recommended because law of attraction is about : “You’ll become what you’re thinking”. And i think it can be implemented to become success.
As for me, my definition of success is measured by money. Well, it’s sound bad but i’m honest. In my way, i ever scammed many time for a hundred $ but i’m always positive thinking that my experients is a part of my way to reach success. The another key is to effort, to pray, to SMART WORK (don’t just hard work)
Arisu said:
I think another result of positive thinking is not giving up. Everyone, no matter how much they had worked or how talented they are will face difficulties and positive thinking is key for overcoming those obstacles.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu » That’s right. A positive attitude will definitely help you keep driving on during times when lesser folks would get discouraged. Good point.
InternetHowBlog » I once read an amazing book called Failing Forward by New York Times Bestselling Author John C. Maxwell. It brought to reality the concept of staying positive through our failures, learning from our mistakes, and driving forward. When asked about his 1,000′s of failures in trying to invent the incandescent light bulb, Thomas Edison replied that they we’re not failures. They were simply successes at determining more ways that wouldn’t work. That kind of attitude will drive a man to great success.
akira07 said:
People can take bad situation/experience with positive thinking only if their treat the condition/experience as a good teacher. I ever read the quotes : Experience is the good teacher
Or something like this :
No matter how many you’re fall, the most important thing is how many you’re wake after it.
It’s surely motivate me
Let’s positive thinking, guys…!!!
Arisu said:
Akira>>
Just don´t give up and keep learning, and every fail will be a step closer to success
Just keep trying.
Altough sometimes a fail is a success in disguise.
InternethowBlog said:
I agree with that completly. In fact i made an article about this issue few weeks ago myself. Ofcourse by just sitting down positively you can’t achieve anything. As you said actions will help you to reach your goals. However, if you keep thinking positivley, you won’t give up, if you ever fail on the way to your objectives.
Arisu said:
Nicholas>>
Yep, positive people knows difficulties are just another chance to improve, to try out something new. I guess no one would ever leave their comfort zone, if they didn´t have to.
Josten said:
i agree with what you were saying about on how you go about success. If you believe that you are or going to be a medicore blogger you will definitely be one.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Josten » Being positive doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you will be successful but being negative can almost guarantee that you will not be successful. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
janelle said:
i’ve been blogging about my boring life for years already. this is all because this is the kind of blogging that was first introduced to me. and now, i’m struggling to break free from this and start afresh. because what i’ve been used to is very different the way probloggers do. and thank you for layouting this basic principles on blogging. i’m sure, in a way or another, i’ll be able to use this along the way. thanks for sharing nicholas.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
janelle –> You’re welcome. I hope that you are really able to find the success that you’re looking for with your new-found direction in blogging.
Mukund said:
Yes Nicholas! I completely accept with that statement. When I read other blogs especially ProBlogger, Daily Blog Tips, I get to know a lot of things and it helps me a lot!!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Mukund –> If you want to get better then you’ve really got to learn from everyone you can. Who better to learn from than those who have already made it big. They obviously know what they are doing.
Pinaybackpacker said:
The last line really got to me Nick: “Create something new and PAVE YOUR OWN WAY.”
Maybe because I’m in the travel niche that’s why it resonates so much. I think people who are trailblazers and risk takers are very few. And I aspire to be one myself.
Because in order to break the rules, you need to know first what they are. And once you know them, then that’s the time you can start to IMAGINE how to break them.
IMHO, successful people are those people who change the way we look at things. And those who make us pause and reflect about WHY we do things the way we do.
Site Sketch 101 is doing that for me.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Pinaybackpacker –> I’m glad to hear that. I hope that you will take that lesson that resonates so well among travelers and put it to work on your blog.
ZXT said:
Been trying to catch sucess all my life and always fell short. But now armed with these newly found information, I think I have a better chance. Wish me luck!
Arisu said:
Zee>>
I believe there are many ways of succeeding. And if you think about it, there must be several things you´re successful at.
I think than believing you´re great is a good first step to being great.
Ron Boracay said:
Success comes in different time and sometimes in an unexpected manner.
I truly believed that a real life success is a fruit of hardwork, patience and integrity you built while trying to reach it.
scheng1 said:
hmmm, *thinking out loud* Since a successful blog is an asset, how to keep it going forever? I wonder whether I should get a lawyer to set up estate and enforce the copyright after my death!
My Latest Blog Post: Free online fortune telling
Nicholas Cardot said:
scheng1 –> That’s funny. I might have to do that also.
Self Improvement said:
“Your imagination is your only limit.” A very powerful quote to end the post off. It’s the truth. We set so many limits in life but once we start to believe, we can achieve so much.
My Latest Blog Post: How To Get More From Life This Instant
Eric said:
You said quite a lot in the article you summed up here. The main point is that if you want success first you have to figure out what success means to you. Then figure out your own way of going about achieving it. Following another isn’t what works but learning from another is.
Making your own way with what you learn will be the key… Of course there are so many different things to do with your site you just need to get in there, figure some stuff out and see what happens.
Most of all, never give up.
My Latest Blog Post: Lets Help Each Other
Kok Siong Chen said:
Yes. I’m learning from a successful blogger in my region who is Ka Hong Lee. He is good in blogging and helpful. He has guided me so well.
My Latest Blog Post: Cri du Chat Syndrome – Human with Cat-like Cry
Mick Morris said:
Positive thinking without positive action, is spinning your wheels for eternity.
Think it, do it, review it and do it again…
what is success is always an interesting question!
My Latest Blog Post: What are you going to focus on TODAY ?