The Key to Success

By Selane @SummerEllenLane
Success is broad term. Some people would define success as happiness. Others might see it as a financial term or the status of notoriety among a certain group of people. Success, for the writer, is to have their work widely read, widely loved and to be able to make a living for a lifetime in the art of storytelling alone. But getting to that point is no easy task. It's quite difficult, in fact. Yet the same techniques that you can use to become a successful writer applies to all entrepreneurs.

If you were to ask me what the primary key to success was, I'd say, "Focus." You must be focused if you want to achieve a goal. But what goal? Here are a four easy things the average joe can do to begin their climb up the mountainside of entrepreneurship. 


  • Find Your Focus. Ever read a mission statement? It tells what the whole point of a business is. "We sell groceries." "We ship ammunition." You get my point. What's your focus? What is it you want to do? Paint pictures? Build bridges? Open an ice cream parlor? Find your point of focus - your POF - and write it down on a piece of paper. This is what you're working towards. Your dream. 
  • Get Productive. Forget wasting your time on the couch. Get up and get moving. For the entrepreneur, every minute of your workday should be comprised of valuable effort that you're exerting towards reaching your Point of Focus, or your dream. That two hours you usually spend watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians? Please. Do yourself (and the world) a favor, and turn it off. Do something that is moving you closer to your goals. 
  • Set a Timeline. Grab a computer. Make a list. Break up the next 365 days into four sections. At the end of each section, write down where you want to be and what you want to be doing. Tack this goal list up where you can see it (I have one on my desk), and keep it firmly before your eyes. This is how you remind yourself what you're working towards without getting overwhelmed. 
  • You're Worthy! The most important thing to remember for somebody who is being entrepreneurial is to believe in yourself, your ideas and your abilities. If you don't completely and totally believe that you are going to be successful, then nobody else will, either. Sorry, but that's just the truth. Even on the dog days of self-doubt, go look at your list of goals and stick with it. Success is often waiting just around the corner of the lousiest days. Trust me, I know. 
And now, since today is my birthday, I'm off to decide what I want to do for dinner tonight. Just another decision in the life of an entrepreneur. *wink*