Success, such an elusive word. The dictionary defines success as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”. Now obviously you need to have an aim or purpose in the first place, but I think maybe we can save the “what’s my purpose chat” for another post, phew!
The thing with success is that it doesn’t just happen over night. This might seem like an obvious statement, but we live in a world of instant gratification, or we just want things fast. For example we want the gym body, but will look to every method except gym/exercise. Maybe you like fancy cars, but you do a shoddy job at work and have no side income. These are just random examples, but the fast fix mentality can be applied to almost anything. Success doesn’t necessarily work that way.
I attended an event for online content creators recently, hosted by ScarlettLondon. It was a great event, filled with panels and breakaway sessions on how to better market your brand and advice from other bloggers. As I looked on, I realised that I viewed them to be successful. It got me thinking about how I defined success and what that would look like for me as a blogger. Whilst having a large following is one great element, I got the impression, it’s not all about the numbers and success can come in the form of a micro-influencer right through to sky’s the limit. The ingredients to success are very much transferable and can be carried across to any industry, so I won’t prattle too much about it from a blogging perspective. That said, as they spoke I recognised a common theme, and below are my top tips.
Why go to all the trouble of making a plan only to shoot yourself in the foot – show up on time, bring the correct documentation, call the client back apply for that tender opportunity, what ever it is, when it’s a part of a bigger plan you have for yourself, do it and do it well!
Plan – a plan is clearly the best place to start. You can’t be successful without a clear idea of what you are working forward. The words “I plan to be successful” is not a plan. Literally, sit down and think, what is my end goal – at this point, you have simply defined the point when you can say you’ve been successful. The main step is to them work backward and consider all the steps what you need to do to achieve that goal. Think of the obstacles you might face and what you need to do to overcome them. The plan should also include timelines. Being as detailed as possible, write down when you want to achieve each step of the plan.
Organise – Being organised is fundamental. Now that you have a plan, you have work to do. On a weekly basis you should know what your doing toward achieving your goal. Being organised means setting aside time to figure out all the little mini-steps toward success. This could be as simple as planning our your work clothes the night before, setting a reminder to fulfil a deadline, or remembering to send flowers on Mother’s Day.
Implementation – Now this is where a lot of us go wrong. You could have the greatest plan in the world, but if you half ass it, don’t be surprised if you get poor results. Why go to all the trouble of making a plan only to shoot yourself in the foot – show up on time, bring the correct documentation, call the client back apply for that tender opportunity, what ever it is, when it’s a part of a bigger plan you have for yourself, do it and do it well!
Don’t rely on your own understanding – well, of course you should listen to your gut, especially when it comes to naysayers, but it is generally good practice to seek advice. If your comfortable talking to someone else – fine, but more importantly, for the love of God, do your research. Whatever it is, chances are, there is information on the internet, books and social media etc. This especially applies if you are already successful, perhaps there is something new or change happening in your industry, it’s important to stay on top of things.
Assess and Change – Another important one, don’t get sentimental toward a failing plan, make changes . Also, as you progress, you will think of better ways of doing things. There’s only so much detail you can put in to a future plan, in reality you need to be flexible, compromise on, or circumvent certain areas. The main thing is to do the assessment regularly. Ask yourself, is the plan working, are there potentially better outcome if you took another route etc.
T
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