This is the common denominator of successful people
Summer Lotus Dec 11 · 5 min read
It was Lao Tzu who said, ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. Yet, that single step for some people is so difficult to embark on and I was one of them. Being out of the comfort zone is not the natural thing to do.
This is because I am very deterred by unfamiliar territory. Experience has told me that once this initial step is taken, you have overcome the first hurdle and would certainly meet more bumps along the way. The journey is never smooth but you need to persist to reach your goals.
How does one get started?
- Set a goal — Know what you want to achieve. Be as specific as possible. Ask yourself what skill would you like to develop？What product would you like to sell? What job would you like to do? Is that what you are really passionate about?
- Take action — You need to find out more about your goals through reading, asking questions, having a mentor. In today’s world, you have unlimited access to knowledge because of the internet. You may even learn on your own or get tutored online. Gather as much information as possible to find out if that is really what you want.
3 Dive into it — Make a commitment, tell a friend, or to everyone if you want to up your stress level a little because a vow is a powerful motivator to yourself. Put a down payment for the lesson, and show up for the learning.
4 Be enthusiastic — -You are upskilling yourself. Anything you do, you will excel in it with time. No one becomes proficient over a short period. Every new thing you learn is an eye-opener and if you do it well, it makes your life far more interesting. If you do not, don’t be disheartened. Look for alternatives and learn more about it from people better than you.
Once, I checked with a sushi chef and he said it took up to 7 years to become highly skilled. To major in anything can take up to 3 to 5 years. You have to start.
5 Expect difficulties — All things are difficult before they become easy. The road to success is paved with frustrations, criticisms, and obstacles. Yet along the way, the small successes are gratifying and encouraging. The peak seems to be in sight but be ready for more stumbling blocks which become easily surmountable due to practice.
I would like to draw from two personal experiences.
1 About Writing
I am interested in writing because it improves my language, thinking, and my business. I want to write good content because Content is king in today’s connected world and this will lead to an increase in business in the following ways;
1 Content informs the customers. An informed customer is more likely to be a paying one.
2 Good content increases your ranking with Google so that when customers search for information, your company is likely to be found.
3 It makes your company look very professional and even a leader in the industry.
4 It improves your communication skills.
5 Chance of a second career which is Covid-19 proof
It was very difficult when I first started. I stared at the blank paper for hours, went walking around the estate, break the silence with telephone conversations, or sip a coffee. I knew that the blank paper was brimming with potential.
I needed to get started. The first step was to mull an idea. Then I collected more ideas related to the first one and think of how it would benefit me. I also gathered evidence by listening to other people’s stories and did some research online.
Finally, I put them on paper. I wrote that first line then another and another. When I had a mass of words, I organized them like a speech.
We should use whatever we have learned at Toastmasters to apply them to writing. We are already equipped at Toastmasters in creating good content and language so writing should not be a problem.
When it is done, look through again and make sure that there is an important message to impart. Repeat and soon writing becomes a habit.
I still struggled with writing but I am glad to say that because I took that first step and started practicing, my fastest piece of the article was written in a day and I hope to keep it that way.
2 Developing website building skills.
This was another unchartered territory for me. Anything related to IT these days seems important. Websites and blogs are gaining popularity and I wanted a website to log my articles. Any blog may also be converted into an e-commerce site.
For a dentist familiar only with dentistry, it was a steep learning curve. I committed enthusiastically by signing up for a course.
The course turned out to be difficult for me but it seemed to be a breeze for my younger classmates. I documented every step on paper while they typed into their laptops. Most of them came up with beautiful and functional websites and e-commerce sites but I achieved none.
A few disparaging remarks did not deter me. The road to success is always paved with nails and I just needed to wear thicker boots. Painstakingly, I did my homework every session which saw my weekends burned several times.
Fortunately, there is a telegram chat group where we can post questions and receive technical support from instructors and fellow students. I finally completed my website though my e-commerce site left much to be desired. I manage to procure two clients where I created two simple corporate websites that met their needs and recouped my IT fees.
The feeling — elated, delighted, excited!
The learning would not stop there as we know challenges will surface again when society and the world changes. Hence, I need to step out again.
In summary, take that first step to achieve your goals.
Set your goal, take action, dive into it, be enthusiastic, and expect difficulties.
If it does not turn out, repeat. If it does, repeat.
Two important quotes come to my mind;
The secret of getting ahead is getting started — Mark Twain
‘Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall’— Confucius.
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