5 Steps to Help You Get Onto The Success Loop

Success builds upon success. But how do you get onto the success loop when you’ve been knocked off your game or you’re just starting out?

Success builds upon success. But how do you get onto the success loop when you’ve been knocked off your game or you’re starting out in a new game?

I recall the frustration of so many young graduates who say, “how can I get experience when potential employers only want to hire people with experience?” And what about people who are changing careers or launching a new business?

Or maybe you’re trying to secure writing gigs but you’re brand new to the game. And potential clients appear to be looking for writers with at least 5 years of experience.

It’s the frustration I recall feeling when I first started my freelance writing career. Where you know you’re good but you need something to show for it!

Build the evidence

Start working or volunteering at any place where you can develop or showcase your skills. If you're starting out as a writer, start submitting articles to platforms with a low entry.

If it’s a business you’re launching you may have to sell your product at cost and even donate some of it to businesses that can showcase your products.

Law students often work pro-bono at law centers, offering legal advice to people who cannot afford established lawyers.

If you’re an artist, you will have to build a portfolio of your artwork.

You may not get paid much initially for your skills but you’re getting experience and building evidence of your capabilities.

Learn from the pros

No matter how much you think you know, you’ll never know as much as someone who has been in the game for years.

Ask someone experienced in the business to mentor you. And learn as much as you can from them.

Attend seminars or watch youtube videos from the pros. No matter what stage you are in your career, there is always something new you can learn.

Be enthusiastic but not desperate

Where you lack experience, make up for it with enthusiasm. Genuine enthusiasm is a desirable quality that many employers seek in potential employees.

When asked what they look for in potential employees, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston says, “I’m drawn to people who really love their craft, and treat it like a craft, and are always trying to be better and are obsessed with what separates great from good.”

This obsession is enthusiasm.

But make sure it is the enthusiasm that you feel and not desperation. Employees can smell desperation and it is not an attractive quality.

Get support

Trying to break into a new path can be daunting. At times it can be downright discouraging. Surround yourself with people who can support you as you try to launch on this new path. You will need them.

Join a community that is in a similar field. You will be able to learn from others in the same phase as you in your career as well as those ahead of you. Encouragement goes a long way.

Believe in yourself

The greatest quality, I believe, that separates those who make it and those that do not, is self-belief. No one can take that from it.

Studies consistently show that success is directly linked to self-belief. As Henry Ford says: “whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

It will give you fuel and sustain you when the “chips are down.” Believing in yourself is what will motivate and inspire you. Self-belief is what will keep you in the long game. Because life is a long game!