That Secret to money and success you’ve been searching for

Remember that advice we were given growing up? “Go to school; study hard; get good grades; get a good job; then live happily ever after”. The good thing about this advice back then is that it was given in goodwill from those who thought they knew better. The only problem with the advice is that… it is outdated.

And if you are going to succeed in this fast changing world, being outdated is a luxury you can’t afford.

To live up to expectation in today’s economy, it seems everyone is looking for the magic pill to make more money. But only few seem to be finding the proverbial magic pill. The problem is that most people are looking in the wrong places. The challenge that most people have is they’re always looking for the latest system, latest marketing strategy, latest __________ (fill in the blank), when they should be looking in the mirror to find the success secrets they’re looking for.

This is not the time to sit back and look for whom to blame. This is the time to look inward and decide how your life would be from today onwards.

Quit looking for the magic pill to create wealth. It doesn’t exist.

The bottom line is this: There is no magic pill to success. There never has been, and there never will be a magic pill. If anybody tells you that you can create wealth with little or no work, run in the opposite direction as quickly as you possibly can.

The wealth you are looking for lies within you. I know that may sound like some motivational mantra often chanted to make you feel like the world is a picnic, but nothing can be truer. Here is what I mean from a broader perspective.

The best and safest investment you’ll ever make

When I started my journey in online business, I was spending much of my HARD earned money on seminars and systems, not self education. There is a big difference between spending on money-making promises and spending on self education. The former is driven by the desire to discover the so-called hidden secret to success while the latter is driven by the ‘hunger’ to know, develop and position one’s self for success.

Nothing changed for me until I shifted my focus from seeking utopian opportunities to self education. This attitude shift has made a lot of difference for me over the years. This past weekend, I paid for an online course on writing and marketing, worth $399, though I’ve been writing for over four years now. And this is only a fraction of what I spend on self education.

While discussing with an old time friend, I told him that for the past 3 years, at every point, I have a book I’m about to complete reading. His reaction was, “You wan kill yourself with books? The one wey you read for school never tire you?”

Not long before that, he told me that I have changed a lot within the past few years. That what I talk about these days is entrepreneurship, self development and the next idea (really it’s fun and pleasure for me talking about these). In fact he said he could count about four different business ideas I have freely shared with him in the past three months.

For my friend, rather than see the positive impact of my reading habit, he chooses to see the difficult part of the process – dedicated self education.

Regardless of the economic situation, the best and safest investment you will ever make, especially in difficult economic situation, is in yourself. Even the best systems in the world will fail, but self directed education will never fail.

That is the secret to wealth you are looking for.

What about academic qualification?

Your academic qualification will not get you much in this 21^st century. I met Mr. Deji at a club meeting. He told me that he was about to complete his PhD. He confided in me that he has been pursuing more education not because he needed them but because he thought it will make him a better person; boost his self confidence. He then said, “I don’t feel any better than I was 3 years ago.”

The reality is that more academic qualification has made it harder for him to go into business. The thought of putting aside his imaginary entitlement that took him long years and hard work to acquire and ‘stoop so low’ to start a business from scratch brings a shiver down his spine.

Work more on yourself than you do on your job – Jim Rohn

There is a whole lot of difference between studying to acquire a degree and studying out of the ‘hunger’ to develop one’s self. One will make you think you deserve success on a platter of gold; the other will make you a success-magnet. It is who you become that will make you successful.

We are all together in the journey. If you are yet to embrace this life of self development, I encourage you today to make a decision and commitment today. Start by reading books on subjects that interest you; like communication, leadership, autobiographies, blogging, networking etc

What is it you want to achieve?

I don’t know exactly what it is you want. You know better. One thing I have found out is that, “everyone wants is to be financially independent”. Most people are not happy with their jobs. In fact, of all the employees I’ve met and discussed with, 90% want to start and run their own business. But the problem is that they let their fears hold them back.

No one is guaranteeing that it is or will be easy, but the guarantee is that it will be worthwhile if you commit to self directed education and follow your heart.

How I Can Help

Writing all this without giving you a call to action will make it all a fragile motivation. So here is an action step I have for you.

I focus my teachings on online business – with preference to blog publishing and content marketing. Why? Because it has low entry barrier, low risk, self empowering and I have years of experience in the business.

Because I have practical experience in this field, I can teach you how to start you own online publishing business or how to use a blog publishing platform to grow your existing business. I’m not going to make it seem like it is the perfect business model for everyone. Or tell you that it is the easiest business to do. You need to work to get results.

I have written a short free report that explains in details how online publishing and marketing works and how you to get started. This is to get your acquainted with how it all works so you can decide if it is right for you.

Whatever you decide to do, my message for you today is to decide and commit to developing your human capacity, whether you decide to get into online business or not.

Click here to get a copy of the report on Smart Blog Publishing Business for Beginners

Your partner in growth and progress!

Ikenna Odinaka

As always, your comment is welcome.