They say if you want to succeed, act like the successful. Beware. What you really want to do is to act the way successful people acted when they were in your shoes. Or, better yet, how they would act if they were in your shoes now. The problem is, almost no one is privy to this information. When we look at others, what we see are the byproducts and not the process that made it all work. We might see how often someone posts, what car they drive, and what they do. But we don’t know the whys and hows behind it all.
Compound that with the fact that the nature of success is something specific and tenuous, and you start to get the picture. Principles generally hold. Specific actions less so. And opportunity is anything but a constant. What one person can leverage is something that someone else may find wholly useless. And so the list goes on.
But if you’re going to look to others, and, let’s face it, to some extent we all are, look at the principles. Focus on the context. Think not about what they did, but what it meant in the time and place they were doing it.
Here are a few sundry things on my mind this morning that I thought I’d throw out there in no particular order:
Think through it
Whenever possible, substitute ingenuity and thought for spending and cost. It will always go further. In fact, the latter will only work at its best in the company of the former.
Trust yourself
Listen to your gut. It’s there for a reason, and it knows more than you think.
Don’t think through it
Your mind will play tricks on you. When you want something to be done, you’ll find a way. When you don’t, it will tell you all the reasons you won’t. Don’t spend your time talking yourself out of things you’re afraid of.
Be productive, don’t be production
Be careful about the day to day. If you’re stuck in production land too long for too often, it’s time to look at your priorities and business structure.
Your business should work for you
Don’t spend too much. It’s easy to get into the habit of supporting your business instead of your business supporting you.
Don’t be impressive
No one hires you because you drive a BMW. Really. They don’t.
Work hard
Passive income usually takes more work than active income.
Only you know
Your clients and friends don’t really know what’s best for you.
For anyone who just read Spencer’s post and thought it was just fluff, please PAY ATTENTION! I have been in the photography business for about 12 years now, and through all of the information out there a ton of fluff exists. But just because content seems a bit wordy, has no awesome accompanying photography, don’t discount it just yet. I am 37 years old and am just now beginning to understand what some of the things I formerly considered fluff are really about. One example is “Be true to who you are”, and I now see that as having tremendous value as I understand and apply it to my life. If my business is about the business itself, financial gains as the primary focus, and always looking to others within the industry for guidance, I am never putting my gift to the world in play. This is not an arrogant remark, but rather, a key vital part of our business, family life, and woven into EVERYTHING we do! I spent years looking at my business as being pretty much the same as everyone else, and so it was because I was not looking inward to what I could offer. I wasn’t sold on the fact that I have something unique to offer, and I was under the wrong impression that if I embraced this uniqueness to be true, that I was prideful. Yet I see and value now, more than ever, the fact that we are indeed all different, and it is a beautiful thing. Put that beautiful thing into everything that you do. Especially your business, which hopefully you are truly passionate about, and if not, time to check yourself! This world has only one YOU, and if you aren’t putting YOU into the world, then why are you even here in the first place? Thanks Spencer : )
Thanks Ron! I appreciate the time you put into that. Heartfelt and so, so true.
Shiver me timbers, them’s some great information.
Essays like this are so important to broadening people’s horizons.
Gustaf:Köpte nyss en påse 1 för att jag var nyfiken. Cola-Lime var äcklig men klart mycket bättre smak än vanlig lakrits. Dom andra var godkända.
Hi,I am missing detail information:1. What are the plans? Are they the same as the regular Cacoo.com pricing plans? Or is it a team plan?2. I am using Cacoo by my the e-mail address that I also using for Google Apps, what happens if a join by Google Apps, because it is the same e-mail address. Will it migrate automatically, are there any conflicts, do I have to migrate by hand?Thanks for helping,Jurjen
Spencer, I’ve lately discovered your work and your blog. I feel you’re like that coach that taps us on the shoulder during practice and says “what are you doing!?”. Like Ron says here… Pay Attention! You’re helping me make bounds… Thank you!