Some Old Advice for the New Year!

This was last year's advice for the New Year and when I read it the other day I thought it absolutely worth rereading and reposting! So for what it's worth...here are my thoughts about doing what you love and finding success.

xoxo
Madge

*Do what you love and do something at which you excel and do something that is marketable.

*You may love knitting toilet paper cozies and you may be quite skilled at said knitting, but does anyone actually want toilet paper cozies? Figure out what people want so you can tailor your skills to suit the prevailing market.

*Remember that there are no magic beans, dreaming it is only the prelude to the first step. Making it real requires hard work. Hard work entails overcoming obstacles and withstanding struggles. Yes, it’s going to be hard. Sorry. It’s not a ‘secret’ either, it’s all about perspective. When you are doing what you love, the work becomes a celebration. It’s a Zen thing baby.

*There is no such thing as an overnight success. Get off of your arse and do the work. Stop waiting for someone to discover you and stop subconsciously making it difficult for them to discover you and then complaining that nothing ever works out for you.

*There are no magic beans.

*There are no magic beans.

*Did I mention that there are no magic beans?

*Get very good at the thing you want to do through hard work, discipline and practice.

*Get very good at tooting your own horn without apology.

*Realize that there will be opposition and it will increase as you expand.

*Stop making excuses for why you can’t do it and start figuring out ways you can do it.

Everyone has a litany of excuses. Everyone is very good at making up excuses for themselves and everyone else. Guess what? Excuses are lame. We all have obstacles, struggles, baggage. Chances are every excuse you can concoct can be proven moot by the person who did it anyway even though they could have made the same excuse. Excuses are obstacles to be overcome; recognize them and overcome them.

*Stop measuring yourself against other people. Yes, some people have an easier time than others. That’s the way it goes. Being jealous of them is a waste of your time and energy and it's a surefire ticket to sidetracked land. Focus on your goals.

*Most people are more afraid of success than they are of failure. Therefore through excuse making or magic thinking they prevent themselves from achieving success. Then they blame the universe or their excuses or fate or bad luck. If you aren’t succeeding, blame you. You’re in charge. You make the luck.

*Realize that chaos is always lurking around the corner. Chaos is the x-factor. Chaos can throw you completely off course and there’s not much more you can do than stay afloat and get back on track after chaos leaves. Try bribing it with chocolate and maybe it will leave sooner.

*Keep your day job. You will need it as you build your career. Don’t quit your day job until you have another viable source of income, you can’t live on magic beans because there aren’t any. Remember?

*Constantly evaluate your direction and make adjustments. Don’t become stagnant or complacent. Ever.

*If at first you don’t succeed...keep working and eventually you will. Be willing to bend and move with the fluidity of the success you’re creating. It’s organic and it’s ever shifting and changing. Do not be relentlessly specific, pay attention to the signs, open every door and window...be open to the possibilities. It may not turn out exactly as you planned, that's part of the fun.

*Pay it forward.

*Realize that no matter how successful you become, you’ll have days of self doubt and frustration and sadness and confusion and that’s called life. Breathe deeply and find the Zen mind or take the day off and go shoe shopping. Six of one...