The Secret Behind Every Successful Blogger

I remember being woken up in the cold pre dawn before the sun rose by my father to help him launch the family ski boat to start the day of  water skiing. Despite the tiredness and the teenage body and mind struggling with the early rise it wasn’t hard to rise from bed with the anticipation of a day of fun doing something I loved.

Water skiing was a passion of mine as a teenager and every weekend during summer we mostly managed to get away from the city to water ski on the local river with family and friends. Helping dad launch the boat before my mind and body was in some semblance of awakened readiness was not a chore but part of the journey of engaging in a hobby and sport that I loved.

What Should You Blog About?

I often get asked this question by people “how do I know what I should blog about?” For me the answer seems simple from this side of the blog but the secret lies in discovering what you love doing in combination with your innate talents. Easily said, but sometimes very hard to discover.

The reality is that a lot of people struggle their entire lives in discovering what they should be doing for a career, in fact some people never discover the secret of making life a joyous journey and in a lot of cases life is full of tedium doing things they hate.

It is a sad truth but many people go to their grave with their song unsung and their talents and passions undiscovered.

Find Work That is Play

I came across a quote by the famous economist Dr. Paul Samuelson that encapsulates one of the secrets to success in life.

“Never underestimate the vital importance of finding early in life the work that for you is play. This turns possible underachievers into happy warriors.”

Most of us do not have the privilege of discovering this early on in life but stumble upon it in later years. There is no rhyme or reason as to when or how it occurs, it could be an ephiphany or it maybe a slow awakening but if you discover it grab it with both hands, do not ignore it but embrace it with all the energy and optimistic obsession you can muster.

Work that is play is the combination of innate ability and aptitude that combines with passion to create a synergy that lubricates life’s journey.

Sir Ken Robinson in his book “The Element”  says this about discovering being in your element, “it is the place where the things we love and the things we’re good at come together”

For more on discovering your talents and creativity you can watch this video of Sir Ken at a recent Ted Talk. (Thank you Mahe for sending this link)

Questions You Should Ask Yourself

So how do you find this element? What questions should I be asking to discover work that is play?

Here are some questions you should be starting to ask yourself.

• What comes easily to you?
• What do you read about till 2.30 in the morning
• What gets you up at 4.30am?
• What do you enjoy doing?
• What kind of things do people compliment you on?
• What activities give your spirit energy?

You may find that that the topic of the blog that you create or the career that you love will be a combination of several elements.

What do Successful Bloggers Write About?

Successful bloggers you will find are writing and creating content about a combination of  what they are good and are passionate about. That might be politics, it might be sport or it may be marketing. Ariana Huffington who just sold the political news blog Huffington Post for more than $300 million is passionate about her topic and you find if you dug deeper that every element of what she did would have been driven by that burning interest and desire.

The secret is waiting for you and I am sure that some of you already know what that is. Remember, “it is never too late to have a happy childhood“.

What are you going to blog about?

Image by horrigans