Over the last week or so, I’ve written about freelance setbacks and failure in your writing business. While it’s worth thinking about such things from time to time, I want to look at the flip side today.
I want to talk, just briefly, about success.
A funny thing, success. You work for it, day in and day out. You toil and sweat and push for it, hoping that tomorrow will be even better than today.
The funny thing is, though, that success can be a bit elusive. If you’re not careful, it can sneak right up on you. In fact, you can get so busy working hard, trying to be successful, that you miss success when it comes.
Success can take different forms, too. Sometimes, your idea of success can be very different from how success actually manifests itself in your life.
For example, you might feel like your writing business will be successful when you land a sizeable project, or when you get a new big client. While you’re digging around for that big project or client, though, you’re doing plenty of smaller gigs for your regular customer base. You’re paying your bills, you’re feeding your kids, and you even have a few bucks left over for pizza night.
You might not recognize it, but that’s success.
I’m not suggesting that you have to settle for “just getting by.” In fact, I believe quite the opposite: if you settle for just getting by, you’re ultimately going to fail. If you run your business that close to the edge for too long, it’s going to get knocked out from under you. It’s tenuous, at best.
What I am suggesting, though, is that you take a minute, every now and again, to think about what success means for you and for your writing business. What are the things in life that truly make you happy? Do you have those things? If so, you may be successful without even knowing it.
6 comments ↓
Wonderful to hear (read) this reaching more ears (eyes)! Success is a very tricky thing to define because, for the most part, many people strive to achieve “success” before really understanding what “success” means to THEM!
Money isn’t eveything, and it surely shouldn’t be attached to any definition of success. Thanks for encouraging others to look deep within themselves for the more simple answers that can pave a way to TRUE success. It’s all a point-of-view, and it’s all in each of our control to attain!
NunoXEIs last blog post..Republic Domain 031: In Sickness and in Wealth
What makes me truly happy?
“To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women.”
Oh, wait. Conan said that, not me!
Bob, I love to write pure and simple. I may not do it the right way or even in a way that other people enjoy, but scribble-on I do. I think in this way I’m successful in my pursuit of the writing dream and hopefully one day my bank will agree with me on this point.
Success, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Thanks for the reminder.
I’m judging my success right now as being able to spend time at home, with my family. As a bonus, I’m doing something that I really love. I know that I’ll be able to have everything my family needs. I know that is just how things work.
The BMW and the Sailboat? Icing. Pure icing on the cake of life.
Tumblemooses last blog post..Top Ten Reasons to Blog Your Business Site
* Acknowledge Your Effort. It’s not always about winning or having success in everything that you do. Many times, it is the effort that counts! Acknowledge that you’ve done your best, even if you have failed to produce tangible results.
* Let Go Of Worry. Loving yourself requires you to let go of your worry. It is a horrible way to live a life filled with constant worrying. I can attest to that!
* Trust Yourself. Have confidence in your abilities. Know that you have the ability to make important changes for yourself, for as long as you put your heart to it. You can also support yourself by visualizing desired outcomes.
Shamelle -TheEnhanceLifes last blog post..13 Ideas To Make Boring Jobs Bearable And A Little More Interesting
[...] Bob Younce from the Writing Journey gives some great advice in his series on How to Start Your Freelance Writing Business. I liked this post on Education. While you’re there, take the time to check out another posts called Recognizing Success. [...]
The real trouble with success is it’s a moving target. We forget to acknowledge the small milestones and each time we reach those milestones we are looking ahead to the next.
Two questions I try to ask myself regularly:
What is your concept of success, today?
What accomplishments have you already made?
The first gives us the target, the second rewards and acknowledges the milestones we’ve already reached. It’s important to pause and acknowledge your successes, take a moment to look around you, see how far you’ve already come because the horizon remains a distant point every step you take but the distance behind you becomes an expansive haven of success.
Rebecca Laffar-Smiths last blog post..Bloggers And The Wall: Breaking Through Barriers
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