Have you ever tried to compete to get ahead in life? Have you strived for more financial success? Maybe you’ve even had some moderate financial success. But is that really true success? Or is it a distraction?
Some days I get frustrated with the blogging world. Why? Because I see it for what it really is: It’s a lie. It’s a trap. It’s a one-way road going the wrong way. It’s mostly based on getting, but it wears a thin disguise of giving. It tricks people into writing for the wrong reasons. It gets people to buy things they don’t really need. And yes, even the so-called minimalist blogs want you to buy stuff you don’t need.
What We Call Success Keeps Us From True Success
Most bloggers start their blogs with the hope of generating some income. That’s okay. I’m no different. I’d like to create a nice residual income for my retirement. People want to make money. Money makes the world go round. We measure the popular version of success by money, power, and influence. But is that true success?
I’ve been blogging for about five years. I’ve watched dozens of newbies get started and quit within a year or less. I’ve watched dozens of bloggers pay large sums of money to bloggers who’ve already reached higher levels of success. They’re hooked. They’re chasing the leader of the pack.
These more successful bloggers keep hustling to create even more income. They prey on the new writers’ and bloggers’ dreams, luring them into their programs. It’s a trap for both the new and the successful. Why? Because it’s driven on a false version of success.
I’m Opting For True Success
True success cannot be measured in dollars. It cannot be measured in power. True success is measured in time and love.
Here’s the problem with the popular, money-driven model of success: It steals your life out from under you.
I know a man in his 60s who has spent his entire life climbing the corporate ladder. He was rarely around for his wife and kids. He was always flying around the world to make the next big deal. As he gets closer to retirement, I sense a sadness in his demeanor. He spent his life chasing material success only to discover that he missed the best parts of his life. In the end, he’ll still die.
Simple Living Is A Great Model For True Success
At Hip Diggs, I focus on simple living because it’s the simple things in life that equate true success. It’s not how much money you have in your bank account, it’s how much time you’ve spent with your family. It’s not how much influence you’ve developed in the business world, it’s how much love you’ve shared with your neighbors.
There are days that I want to bow out of blogging. I watch successful bloggers’ strategies that are geared only to produce more income. I see new bloggers struggle to find a way to make money. I watch them all in an endless chasing, all the while, letting the most important things in life slip away.
If you’ve been caught in the trap of chasing success, I urge you to do the following:
Stop
- Stop measuring your life by money, fame, and numbers.
- Stop measuring your life by your accomplishments.
- Stop comparing yourself to those who have more than you do.
- Stop caring how others perceive you.
Start
- Start spending more time doing the things you love.
- Start spending more time with the people you love.
- Start living to live rather than to profit.
- Start following life instead of a fad.
I want you to know true success. I want you to find contentment. You have to rethink everything you’ve been told. You can start by reading my free ebook for more insight about simplicity, happiness, and true success:
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