I am a big fan of Gary Vaynerchuk, and I highly recommend you become one as well. He puts out content at an alarming rate, and preaches that you should do the same. One of the things he is always preaching is simple: GRIND
I am a grinder by nature; I may have more talents than I may give myself credit for, but my default answer on anything related to gaining success is that my work ethic is my biggest asset. It’s the one thing I know I can control. When it comes to making a name for yourself in any endeavor, consistency is the key. Which brings me to a personal milestone…
This is my 100th blog post.
Like Gary said, just get started. Learn as you go. Don’t wait until you are ready. The first 30 blog posts of mine are not good in my opinion, as they are clearly part of my own learning curve. But #30 is decent, and number 60 is the start of the churning out of readable, usable content, again, in my opinion. I have written five books, two of which won awards, and yet the learning curve on this new approach was steep. It is a different thing to write a blog, day after day, on (usually) a different topic each day. I had no idea just how difficult until I got into it. And as Gary Vee points out, who cares if it sucks. Just dive in, and learn to swim once you hit the water.
I am glad I discovered his content, as it has been the push I needed to get things rolling. I am starting social media accounts from scratch instead of trying to parlay my day job LinkedIn profile connections into this venture. I created a different Twitter and Insta handle, and started connecting with people one by one. On occasion I see that a post has been shared or forwarded, which is always cool. A gain a few followers at a time, and for now that is okay. I do not wish to be famous; I want to be happy, well-paid for what I do, and largely anonymous outside of my direct circle of influence.
As I continue to book more talks and share good content, I will continue to add followers and raise awareness as to what I am doing. I want to expand my reach of those I can have an impact on; I want others to benefit from my failures and my successes, and not have to repeat the things I did the hard way to gain the necessary lesson. I have been given the opportunity at a great life with a ton of memorable lessons and experiences, and having the chance to share some of that on a wide scale is very appealing to me.
So, in true @garyvee fashion, I sit in the coffee shop and write yet another post on my blog. Today I begin work on the next 100 blog posts, and can’t wait to see how much improvement occurs from the grind.
Whatever it is that you want to do, get started. Don’t wait until you think you are ready, as that day will be severely delayed if it ever comes at all. Get in the mix and figure it out as you go. Keep your head down and work, its the only way to really get where you want to go.
