Ever heard the term “luck of the Irish”? These days, it’s considered a good thing, as in “those lucky Irish, with their leprechauns and pots o’ gold at the end of the rainbow!”
In reality, though, the term had much darker origins, beginning with the infamous potato famines in the Old Country and then following the Irish people to America, where they were treated badly, despised, and generally thought to be scum of the earth. When those hated Irish folks managed to strike gold during the great Gold Rush, it was widely regarded that they weren’t smarter or savvier than anyone else – they just happened to get lucky. Hence the term “luck of the Irish.”
I used to think success in business was, to a great degree, about luck as well.
Being in the right place at the right time type of thing. I’d look around at people who were more successful than I was and get so angry. Not with the other people themselves, but with my own “misfortune.” I’d think, “If only I weren’t bootstrapping my new business and had the money to pay for
advertising/sponsorship/mentoring opportunities, THEN my business would take off!” Or, “If only I had the right connections, THEN things would fall into place!”
And I wasted a lot of time – much more than I care to admit – on these “what if” scenarios. Wishing and hoping that things were different, that I would be “lucky” enough to stumble into success.
Until one day I woke up and realized the truth: that this idea of being “lucky” in business is a fallacy.
That while, yes, there are some circumstances where folks found themselves in the right place at the right time and rode the wave straight to the top of their success ladder.
But no, that’s not the only way to find success. One of the easier ways, perhaps, but not the only way.
And I realized in that moment that I was in charge of my success. It wasn’t up to some lucky roll of the dice. And instead of becoming more frustrated, I felt liberated.
Because when we leave our fate in the hands of destiny, we’re powerless and hopeless. But when we take matters into our own hands, we can take the right action toward success. And it’s amazing how quickly that success can come when we take focused action.
Like the virtual assistant who grew tired of struggling to get clients online and took focused action to rewrite her website, with the help of the swipe file of web copy templates in my Instant Web Copy program, and within 7 days had attracted 6 new clients coming to her through her website. Not because she was “lucky” but because she took the time to learn how to effectively communicate her offerings to her ideal clients and took quick action to put her newfound knowledge into place. THEN she was able to immediately reap the rewards.
Here are 3 Ways You Too Can Get “Lucky” in Business:
1) Take personal responsibility for your success. It’s not about luck. It’s about making the decision to succeed, and then doing whatever it takes to get there. I think many of us who are pursuing our dream of running our own business are constantly plagued by those “negative nancy” thoughts that come either from within our own minds or from the mouths of well-meaning (or possibly jealous) friends and family. And when success doesn’t come easy, the temptation to give in to those thoughts is huge. We would often rather give up and walk away feeling like there were some outside factors responsible for our lack of success than to really give it our all and then fail anyway…along the way proving to ourselves that we really don’t have what it takes to do whatever it is that we were trying to make a go of. Sometimes we’ll hide behind excuses like I used to, about not having enough money/education/connections to succeed. Whether you’re trying to “make it” as a successful writer, artist, business coach, doctor, or something else entirely, the first step is to own up to the role you play in making your success a reality.
2) Accept your “mistakes.” Truly successful people don’t see minor bumps in the road as “failures.” They see them as learning experiences and move on. Take Donald Trump as an example. In the late 1980s, early 1990s, he faced several hardships, including the bankruptcy of several of his casinos. He went on to face multiple bankruptcies due to mounting debts over the next few decades. He could have called it quits after the first bankruptcy and went on to work some “safe” corporate job, leaving his dreams behind, but he chalked it up as lessons learned and kept trucking. In March of this year (2014), his net worth was posted by Forbes in its annual world billionaire list as $3.9 billion. So he got past the struggles and went on to not only make bundles of cash but become a household name.
3) Learn to speak your clients’ language. So much of the success and failure in business relies on whether you’re able to truly communicate what you’ve got to offer in a way that has your ideal peeps stopping in their tracks to say, “YES! I want that!” When you can make that connection in your marketing between what clients want and what you have to offer, you’re as good as golden. Clients will seek YOU out instead of you having to constantly chase them down (and feel like a total sleazeball in the process). Can I get a hell YEAH?
And here’s a bonus tip, for good measure: Learn from others’ successes and failures. Lastly, you can vastly shortcut your journey by taking advantage of the right tools to put you on the path to YOUR version of success. As entrepreneurs, we often try to pioneer our own paths out of some sense of pride. Trust me, I speak from experience! But there’s no need to reinvent the wheel when the end result is the same. So if you want to run a profitable business, for example, learn the ins and outs from someone who runs a profitable business. And save yourself weeks, months, even years of heartache, mistakes, and stress.
The bottom line is that you don’t have to put yourself at Lady Luck’s mercy. You CAN step forward and boldly claim your space as a successful entrepreneur without sacrificing who you are in the process.
If you’re ready to stop taking the road less traveled and access proven roadmaps to help you get “lucky” in your biz, I invite you to check out the selection of templates, trainings, and get-it-done-action guides to help you create powerful, effective marketing that connects you with your ideal clients.
Until next Sunday, March 23rd, 2014, at midnight EST, you can get your hands on any of the products in my “Make Your Own Success” Store for 17% off the regular rate, in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17, in case ya didn’t know :)) and the “luck” of the Irish. Just enter coupon code luckoftheIrish to knock 17% off the investment of any (or all!) of the products in my Success Store. Each of these products, including:
• Instant Web Copy Generator: a swipe file of fill-in-the-blanks website copy templates that helped the VA mentioned earlier attract 6 new clients in 1 week! Click here to get instant access to your Instant Web Copy Generator.
• Profitable Newsletters: an A-Z email marketing guide that walks you step-by-step through the steps of launching and maintaining an email newsletter that attracts prospective clients to you, month after month (you’ll learn exactly how I’ve used my email newsletter to build a list of thousands of clients over the past few years, plus get access to use-as-you-wish email templates that were responsible for up to $6,311 in product sales with just one email campaign). Click here to get instant access to the Profitable Newsletter system today!
• Profitable Websites System: a paint-by-the-numbers home study course that shows you exactly how to turn your website into a list-building, client-attracting, money-making power tool in your online marketing resource kit! You’ll discover how to build a profitable online presence for your business; put your marketing on auto-pilot; earn income whether you’re working, sleeping or playing; and transition from PUSHING your products and services on others (all while feeling sleazy and desperate) to PROVIDING your knowledge, expertise, and assistance to the clients you’re meant to serve (and being paid handsomely in return). Click here to turn YOUR website into a selling machine!
Or visit http://writeassociate.com/products/ to browse all products. Just don’t forget to enter coupon code luckoftheIrish to grab your 17% savings on any (or all!) product(s).
Best wishes,
Tammi