This post is a continuation of my post from earlier this week. Together these two posts comprise the speech I gave this past Tuesday at my Toastmasters International meeting. In my earlier post, I wrote predominantly about my own experiences. This post deals more with your experiences. If you haven’t already read “Part 1,” please do so now:
http://carleric.com/2010/07/26/know-your-why-and-success-is-inevitable/
What is your why? What are you passionate about? Do you love to write? There has never been a better time to be a writer. From blogging to self-publishing to creating e-books, the cost of entry is drastically reduced, and we need no longer be at the mercy of large, impersonal publishing houses.
If writing is not your passion, find out what is. Then find out what product or service you have to offer that is uniquely yours. Humor me for a bit as I go on another technical tangent.
In my website design and consulting business, I specialize in generating content that ranks high in the search engines. Search engines love fresh content, which is why blogging is such a key strategy for anyone to follow. (Again, if you’re not a writer, consider partnering with someone who is, or hiring a ghost writer.)
Search engines are looking for the websites that are the likeliest hits for the keywords being searched on. That is why your unique selling proposition is so important. Likewise, when it comes to your passion, focus on your unique skills that you bring to the marketplace.
Focus on your unique skills that you bring to the marketplace.
There are two important words in that last sentence: unique and focus. You are a unique human being with unique gifts to offer. Let’s turn our attention now to the focus aspect.
As the deer longs for the water-brooks,
so longs my soul for you, O God. (Psalm 42:1, BCP)
That deer is focusing on those water-brooks. She is not content until she finds them and her thirst is quenched.
Likewise it is your own laser focus on your goals that will guarantee your success. For several years it has been my own lack of focus that has resulted in my current state of inertia—perhaps some of you can relate. Do what I did. Snap out of it. Rediscover your passion and focus on that. Start with something small, and I’ll bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I sure was when I started focusing on my desire to attend my company’s convention next month.
At the risk of sounding all airy-fairy, I firmly believe that the Universe is just waiting to conspire for you. All you have to do is to give it direction. The rest falls quickly into alignment.
But you also have to have an overarching why that serves the greater good. It’s that combination of passion and focus that is unstoppable.
I expect to hear great stories from you in the weeks and months ahead as you put these strategies into practice. Keep me posted by adding your comments below. I care as much about your success as I do about my own.
Seriously.
