That’s a quote by H.L. Hunt, the Billionaire American oil tycoon, and once the richest man in the world. The quote you just read is Hunt’s recipe for success, and there’s a whole lot we can learn from it.
In this post, I’ll discuss 3 powerful steps that’ll give you the edge you need to succeed as a freelance writer – all based on the advice of a man who enjoyed huge success in business – who better to learn from? So, let’s get down to it!
1) Decide What You Want to Do
This step is the foundation for your writing success. You’re reading this post, so I’m guessing you want to be a successful freelance writer. That’s great!
The fact is – most people have no idea what they want to do as a career. But you do. You’re already on the road to making it happen, simply because you have a goal in mind.
Just make sure that it’s REALLY what you want to do with your life because to be successful you’ll need laser focus.
Passionate about writing and know it’s what you want to do for a living? Then you’re ready for step 2 …
2) Prioritise Your Actions and Decide What You’re Willing to Give up to Achieve Your Goal
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. You know what you want to do, but are you ready to make the sacrifices needed to make it happen? You’re a writer, so the first thing you need to do is write. A lot!
Make a commitment to write every day, whether it’s journalling, writing for your blog, client work, or copying out winning sales letters. It’s all great practice and you’ll start to see your work improve quickly.
You’ll also need to do a ton of marketing. Writing assignments aren’t just going to fall in your lap – at least at the beginning of your career – so choose a couple of marketing methods and carve out some time each day to get them done.
Since you have the same 24 hours in a day you’ve always had, it’s clear you’ll have to make some sacrifices to take on these new tasks.
This will mean skipping some of the activities you enjoy doing. Have a good look at how you’re spending your time, and commit to cutting down on activities that prevent you from making progress with your writing business.
And it IS a business – if you treat writing like a hobby you aren’t likely to see the results you’re looking for.
Are you ready to sacrifice time spent watching TV, going out with friends, playing video games, or other activities that are eating up your time?
You don’t need to give up everything, and of course, you should set aside time to relax and enjoy some downtime.
But the truth is: most people just aren’t willing to take a serious look at how they spend their time and give up the things that are holding them back from success.
If you aren’t willing to plan your time and cut the fat off your schedule, it’s time to consider if you truly do want to succeed.
Ready to make the sacrifices to succeed as a freelance writer? Then read on for step 3 …
3) Do It!
You’ve decided what you want to do, made a commitment to prioritise your time, and decided what you’ll give up to make it happen.
Now you just have to DO IT!
This may sound simple, but it’s the one thing that most people don’t do. They talk about how they want to do it, make plans for it to happen, but never follow through.
Don’t be one of those people.
You are defined by your actions, not your words. Only you can decide to make a change in your life, and take action to follow your dreams. Don’t allow yourself to make excuses that prevent you from reaching your goal.
Lots of people say they just need to take one more course or read one more book before they’re ready to take action. Others say they’re too busy with other things.
Don’t fall prey to procrastination. You’ll learn the most and progress a lot faster by taking action.
So how do you find the time?
You look for it. Get up earlier, write or market yourself during your lunch break at your day job, use your weekends to get things done.
I mentioned earlier that you need laser focus to succeed. That means knowing what you want and doing whatever it takes to make it happen!
Nobody is going to hand you a thriving business. You’ll have to wake up each day ready and willing to work consistently towards your goal.
The title of this post talked about taking massive action. Are you taking massive action to build your freelance writing business? And if not, why not?
Do you want this enough, and are you willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen?
Tough questions, maybe. But important to answer if you really want to move ahead. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please leave a comment below!
