Only Then, You'll Know You Have Succeeded
This time forget the cliche of smelling the roses or the coffee. It's not that satisfying. You need to bleed. Some, more liberal, might open this because it's bloody juicy; others more conservative might open this wondering, what in the name of the Lord got into this LinkedIn connection to write this now. Others won't even bother, because they might think this title is completely out of their zone. But watch out. It might suit you well.
Succeeding is no easy fix, there's no skinny pill, no quick webinar promising to offer the answer you've been looking for all your life. Success is found in the tears that you shed; in the trial and errors that turn into errors more than answers; in the belief that you finally think you got it and ultimately (at least temporarily) it's just that, a simple thought that fades away.
Success appears after a scream in the subway station when the train is coming and you think no one can hear you; it's in a guttural sound escaping from deep within when you jump into the ocean and only God listens. Success is in the silence of what nobody knows you go through to reach the point where people think you've been all along.
It's bloody simple, but you need to be ready to understand it. When you feel you are scared to death, that your creative instincts are shooting messages left and right and you cannot capture neither the colors nor perceive the scent; when you squeeze yourself in a corner of your bathroom floor resting your head on your hands...thinking, thinking; when planning your next step hurts so much that you can barely eat; when the public library becomes your silent ally, while shooting at you ideas that you can't even get together; when all your effort, your contacts and sent emails finally return and turn into answers; when you wake up in the wee hours of the night to write down your heaven-sent inspirational plan, thought, or writing piece...
When you bleed the antidote to your deception, then it's the moment you awaken realizing that you have passed the test to your first and most difficult challenge, and can now lift yourself to take the next step to complete your goal.
But... make sure you do one last thing. Wipe the blood, first, ok?
Good! Now, you're ready!
