Be Successful At Something -- Anything!

Right now, I want to give you this charge: be successful at something. I don't care what it is, and I don't care if it makes you money or not. Just be successful at something.

Around 1996, I got my very first personal computer. I also got this free trial from American Online (AOL) to try out the internet. One of the things I've experimented with was making websites. AOL had a free program where their members could make their own little websites. I thought working on websites was pretty easy, so I made my own and kept trying new things with this website.

Now, I didn't expect to do anything more with working on websites other than to have fun.

Let's fast-forward to the 2000s. I had so much practice on working on websites that I developed my own ZUMBA website and got it on the first page of Google. If you were to type in "Zumba in Raleigh" (a very generic phrase), I would be one of the first ones that show up.

So, because of my success at getting my website on the first page of Google, I decided to use this skill to help the school I used to work for. They had a website, but it was BURIED! One parent said at a meeting that he searched all night for the school's website!

Once I took over the website, it wasn't long until my school's website was on the first page of Google!

Now, I have a dentist who is very interested in PAYING ME to do the same for his website.

But listen, this all started because I decided to play around with making websites. I never imagined that I would be using my skills to help me and other people.

So, be successful at something. At anything. I don't care what it is. Do something and be good at it because you NEVER know where it might lead you.

On my personal Facebook page, I am ALWAYS posting photos of my back deck garden. People start asking me how they could do what I'm doing. I'm growing cantaloupes, beets, spinach, hot peppers, eggplants, broccoli, tomatoes, bok choy, garlic, mustard greens, lettuce, basil, and an avocado tree -- all on my back deck.

Where is this going to take me? I don't know, but so far, people are admiring my work. I'm hoping one day that I could grow enough food to feed my entire family, but it starts with me getting good at gardening right now. Who knows, I just might be asked to travel around the country for paid speaking engagements on back deck gardening.

This is why you must pick something to do and be successful at it. Stop thinking about getting more education, or getting more licenses, or getting more certifications. Just do something and be good at it.

I don't care if you're good at...

• Cooking
  
• Baking
  
• Fixing cars
  
• Blogging
  
• Building websites
  
• Gardening
  
• Sewing
  
• Exercising
  
• Teaching
  
• Writing
  

It doesn't matter what it is. Just be successful at it! If it takes you nowhere, or well. If it takes you somewhere, great! Worst case scenario is that you gain a new skill. Best case scenario is that you'd get paid nicely for it.

I'm an artist. I could draw and paint pretty well. At my old school that I used to teach in, I would draw these portraits on my bulletin board. My portraits were so impressive that the principal was willing to have me be an art teacher in addition to being a physical education teacher. I didn't accept the role, though.

Never go around saying that you're not good at anything. If you do, then start working on being successful at something. Pick something. Pick anything! It could be playing video games! Just be successful at it! You just might land a job where you play video games all day -- and yes, those jobs do exist.

I have an old high school buddy who loves comic books. He loves comic books so much that he made an internet show about his reviews on comic books. Dang it, he even made a guess appearance on a morning talk show in California!

Yes...all because of his successful love for comic books...

One thing one North Carolina state employee has told me that when human resources look at job applications, they pay special attention to your skills. You probably have several Master degrees, with certifications in this, that, and the other. But human resources want to know what your skills are -- that is, what are you good at doing. It doesn't matter if it's playing an instrument. Write down all the stuff you know how to do well, because, according to her, you might be offered a job based on those skills. It may not be a job that you applied for, but it would be a job in something where you could actually use those skills.

But, how could you have skills if you don't know how to do anything? Start doing something NOW and get good at it! Be an expert on it. Be the go-to person for that subject. Whenever people think about this skill, let them think of you!

My wife is a dental assistant. That job obviously comes with skills. Do you know what else she's good at? Couponing! We used to be on the WIC program years ago, but because of her couponing skills, we gave up the WIC program. We no longer needed it! She was bringing home bags and bags of food for a FRACTION of the cost! Because she was so good at what she did, she was asked to teach couponing classes at my church.

I can't stress this enough: BE SUCCESSFUL AT SOMETHING! Anything! You never, never, NEVER know where it might take you.

And listen, if you're having a hard time getting a job, you know what you could work on? Getting good at a new skill. You know of all the rich people in the world, most of them got their riches because of a skill they had to learn on their own. They didn't get those riches because they went to school. They had a skill, got successful with that skill, and then monetized on that skill.

Do the same thing. Learn a skill, be successful at that skill, and see where it would take you.

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