Dear Steemers,
I wish to share with you a secret.
Coming from an average middle-class family, and living in South India, I was always conditioned to be grateful. And being grateful, in a way, opened doors for many miracles in my life.
And one of that door led to blogging.
Today, as I was discussing with @businesswri, our conversation drifted from life to pizzas to blogging. Blogging is a subject close to my heart. And so I started talking.
In between which he told me to share my journey with you.
He felt it would move people.
Perhaps even inspire.
In my own life, as I grow older, I have found inspiration necessary. It drove me, in the past and now, to get better. To work harder. And to see the good side of this life. So yes, I have generated well over $160k in profit. Just by blogging in my free time.
Here's the screenshot of my earnings:
Of course, if you are into blogging, you will know there are various ways to monetize your blog. The screenshot above is from one of my Adsense account.
I have used other ad networks that has earned me an additional hundred thousand dollars or more in profit.
And then there are affiliate programs I have used to generate few thousand dollars more.
Wrote sponsored content to generate a couple of hundreds and more.
All these in a short span of time. And by investing few hours a day.
And, if you must know, I reinvested all my income into real estate. Which, at that time, was the only sensible investment as the property rates were lower in India.
Was is worth it? Absolutely.
Yet...
There was a decline in my earnings.
It was because of my editor who, unfortunately, passed away in a bike accident, leaving me and his family shocked for months.
It was also because I hired the wrong people.
I refused to blog.
Refused to scale.
Refused to make more money.
(Strange, right? Perhaps that's a story for another time.)
All I can say is, there was a point in my life I felt money was a secondary factor.
Not a primary one.
What really drove me first was the thrill of figuring things out.
The thrill of observing.
Questioning.
Measuring.
And going against the norm.
There's something infectious about it.
And while I have moved onto other and deeper things in life, blogging still remains a source of income. I still get my monthly checks without fail.
Even when I don't work.
Would you like to know how it all began?
That's all I had in my PayPal account.
And to get this money in my account, I had to work for a month. I had to post each and everyday on a website that pays you a couple of cents.
I saw my first dollar after working 14 hours straight.
Then, in a month, I was able to generate $13.
It was enough to buy a domain name which, if I recall correctly, was $10.59.
Little did I know, I also need to host my website on a server. As clueless as I was, I asked someone to help me out. In return, I promised to write an article for him.
This was a moment of enlightenment because I had never written an article in my life.
Plus, English wasn't my first language.
Or even second.
Or third.
Add to this the fact that I never had much while growing up.
Which is why I went to a mediocre school, paying no more than $50 per year. Everyone else paid a little more than I did because the teachers thought I was a good student.
Despite all these...
Of my circumstances...
Of the little resources I had...
I never woke up feeling unfair.
In fact, if was quite the opposite which is why I ask you...
It's the simple truth of life.
If I can?
Anyone can.
And everyone should.
Because there's joy in finding wealth, isn't it?
It not only helps you move forward...
But also people around you are happier...
You get to know who is real...
And who is not...
Yet before money comes something else.
It is what separates YOU from everyone else.
It is what impacts YOUR life.
Makes a HUGE difference.
And it molds YOU forever.
I am talking about:
It took me a while to get this.
In my teen years:
No one guided me.
There wasn't any clear path.
And fair to say, I was dumb and clueless and determined.
Luckily, that combination worked well for me.
All I knew was to execute.
And whenever I was stuck?
I found solutions.
This is where your mindset plays a vital role.
And if you ask me ONE thing you need to succeed?
Either in business, life, or anything?
It's the RIGHT MINDSET!
And when you build it up?
Make it stronger than ever?
And train it to succeed?
You get everything you wish for.
Which is why, instead of merely sharing techniques and shortcuts — which rarely exists and works for you — I wish to share something more profound.
Instead of sharing with you a couple of tricks on marketing and SEO and writing — I wish to share something that may probably change your life.
I wish to share with you the best mindset changes I have discovered.
I call them:
The Mindset Bullets
And these bullets will take you to the next level.
They are simple yet profound. You probably know them. Yet it's always better to reinforce it as it took me literally years of mistakes to figure it out.
Before we go there, this doesn't mean I have found the eternal truth to life. This is how I perceive life at the moment. And time and time again, this had served me well.
This is my way of looking at the world. This is my perception. And I request you to accept what makes sense and reject everything else.
Those who have accepted these bullets as truth have found the greatest joy of their life. I have seen and learned from several successful people using these same bullets.
So I hope and pray you will find them equally useful.
So to start with:
Here are the 5 mindset bullets you need to succeed in life:
What if you can invest your time not only to produce results...
But to also improve yourself?
This is what most people miss when it comes to hard work.
It isn't about the results.
But also your eagerness to learn.
If you can learn and execute?
You are in a better position.
I think you will agree with me when I tell you that anyone can wrestle but a trained wrestler does it better.
It took me hundreds of books and sleepless nights to get to where I am today. Always, and I say this with utmost certainty, hard work always beats talent.
So always push yourself and do it regularly.
Make hardwork your habit.
Which brings us to our next mindset bullet:
You will be judged all the time.
By friends, family members, and folks standing in the sidelines.
Everyone will question your move and judge you through their perception.
They will form opinions about you. Think about you. And talk about you.
Your task as a human is NOT to question them. Or even change their perception.
Your task as a human is simply this:
To trust yourself.
Just trust yourself to move forward in life. In your own life.
Believe in your own judgement.
No one in my family believed anyone can make money online. It was a concept new to us. I didn't convince them they are wrong.
I simply believed in myself.
Note: Of course, seek advice and accept feedback. We are always learning.
And yet when any situation arises, opportunity presents itself, and new doors are unlocked that no one talks about? And you feel it in your gut this is gonna be good? Then go for it.
Believe in yourself and believe it all.
Related: Say NO to negative people!
Aren't you amazed by the mystery of life?
Don't you like to explore more of this world?
Perhaps travel?
Or think differently?
Then you are curious by nature.
In fact, as you read this, you are on a platform that is still in beta. You are exploring and learning. Probably even investing.
All these are elements of curiosity, so remember to:
Be deadly curious!
I have already written a post why these 3 words are everything.
And how being deadly curious had led to more opportunities in life than anything else.
Related: Make 2017 your best year
When you are curious and hardworking and you trust yourself, the next step is to simply offer value to this world.
Value is the fuel that drives this world.
In every industry, there's an expert offering something valuable.
And that expert receives all the fame, money, achievement, and success.
Call it whatever you want, the more valuable you are, as a person, the better position you create.
For yourself. And the rest around you.
This world needs value. If you are going to be the one offering it? Miracles are part of your life.
Drop perfectionism.
And question this:
Has anyone merely won by planning?
For some reason, this generation, with all the technology and whatnot, prefers planning over action.
That's good as long as action is involved.
Unfortunately, it's not always the case.
Most live in the stage of planning all their life.
They wait for things to happen.
They never conquer.
Which is why:
Just. Do. It.
And if you like Steeming?
So there you have it.
5 mindset bullets you need.
I have used them extensively in my life and business and relationship to seek satisfaction.
And I firmly believe as you read this post and go through these bullets once again, you will find many miracles in your own life.
Plus, with these bullets, you will see the world differently and spread your message easily.
You will be more valuable, which in turn is going to generate you the kind of wealth and happiness you desire.
You will feel good. And you will feel good all your life.
That's my hope.
Cheers,
Sid "The Always Grateful" Steemer
This post went longer than expected. I started writing it yesterday and went on and on. But I have held nothing back because if this post helps even ONE of you...
It was WORTH my time.
And if you are reading this, and if you resonate with it, please do consider upvoting and resteeming this post to your followers.
As usual, I appreciate your support and love. Let me know your thoughts through the comment section below!