"Following your passion" isn't enough

      

Google "follow your passion" and you'll be bombarded with a million, sticky sweet inspirational quotes. Yes, they all say to be successful in life you must do what you're passionate about. Ok, sure, I believe that. However, passion is only one piece of the magic equation. You can be passionate all you like, but without these seven things, you'll never be truly successful.

Knowledge
The "fake it 'til you make it" mentality will only get you so far. Unless you know your stuff, you'll be found out quickly. 

Persistence
It's all about keeping it up. Go, go, go. On good days, on bad days, just keep going. No one ever says, "He's a real quitter! I've got to meet him!". 

Consistency
Put out your best work--all the time. When people know you can be counted on in a consistent manner, that's how they learn to trust you. 

Good Timing
Sometimes you can create your own good timing with research or by being agile. Other times things are just out of your hands. Timing is a variable that can fluctuate like the weather, so don't get caught without your umbrella. 

Uniqueness
No one wants a carbon copy of what's already out there. No matter what your product, service, or brand, shake things up a little! Nobody's ever made a huge difference by playing it safe.  

Champions 
The fact of the matter is people achieve greater success when they have someone to champion them or their cause. If someone lends you a hand, cares about you, or supports you, don't take it for granted. Champions are hard to come by. 

Luck
Good ole' Lady Luck comes into play with many things we undertake. You can do everything right and still fail. Sometimes, you can mess up and come out ahead. Luck is real and it can play a role in your future. Ask anyone at the card tables in Vegas.  

Sure, passion is the foundation for success. However, these seven things are your building blocks and mortar. Better than straw. Better than sticks. Just ask the three little pigs...

Do you think passion is enough? If not, what would you add to the list?  

Is your favorite blogger a dirty, rotten thief?

I hate thieves. Being taken advantage of and deceived are things that fail to make me all warm and happy inside. That's why I didn't enjoy getting spammed by a fellow blogger who stole my email address.

I recently commented on someone's blog for the first time. Within a few days I received a spammy promotional pitch from the blogger. I didn't sign up for his email list and I responded to the note, asking him to remove me from his list. His response? By commenting I was bound by his comment policy and agreed to opt into his newsletter. 

I checked out his commenting policy and there was nothing that said by commenting I agreed to opt into mailings. Nothing. Was his response an intentional lie? Hmmm. I emailed him again and once more asked to be removed from his distribution list (since there was no way to remove myself). He said there was no list; it was a plug in. He went on to say I was the first person to ever complain about it.

I asked yet a third time to be removed from his distribution list. He finally said he'd "try" to remove me. Never, not once, apologizing for the situation. Did he really think forcing me to be on his list was winning me over? Is it smart to make someone ask three times to be removed from your list? Is that the way to create meaningful online relationships? As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Spammy McUnethical stole my email address and used it without my permission. Dirty, rotten thief.

Those of us who have blogs are sometimes privy to people's email addresses. Depending on the commenting system and the way a commenter chooses to log in to comment, email addresses may be visible to the blog owner. I've seen many of my commenters' email addresses when they leave comments and, you know what? I don't collect them, sell them, or do anything unethical with them. I delete them. It's someone's private information and I take that seriously. My mama didn't raise a thief.

But, apparently, some bloggers out there are a little fast and loose with your private information. Beware. And, most of all, don't put up with it. If someone betrays your trust, move on. If you condone their lapse in ethics, you enable them to continue. Data theft is no different than property theft.

What do you think? Even if it was in the commenting policy (which is was not), does that mean a person can never ask to be removed from someone's distribution list? Isn't the whole point of having email lists to help strengthen the bond with your community, not alienate it? Is it alright for a blogger to use your personal information any way they choose? Have you ever been the victim of data theft?

Print is dying, but are more people reading?

I have a couple dozen sites in my Google reader with many more bookmarked. I have some RSS feeds emailed to me, I read content that's tweeted, Facebooked, and Google+ shared. I read a lot! I bet you do, too.

Although print publishers are starting to embrace mobile, kindle, and blogs, they're late to the party. No news there. However, I think the irony is that content is more easily shared and consumed than any other time in history. We're smack dab in the middle of the information age and people are more engaged than ever!

Within a few minutes on Twitter, I know the day's headlines. A few more minutes going through my RSS feeds gets me the latest tech news, social media trends, and business highlights. I read first thing in the morning, all throughout the day, and I begrudgingly turn off the computer or smartphone before I shut off the light for the night. I'm a readaholic.

I'm smarter than I've ever been in my life. I know more, I'm more well-rounded, and I'm exposed to a greater variety of ideas, viewpoints, and voices. I'm more business savvy and more marketable than at any other point in my career. I'm an educated woman of the 21st century and information is my BFF.

Do you read more today than you did five years ago? Do you know more? Are you relying on print less, but smarter than you once were?