Growing up, my mom always said “readers are leaders.” I think that statement is largely true. Reading and consuming information helps us grow and expand our knowledge.
However, with so much content to consume – through blogs, books and social networks – we’ve become bloated by digesting a bunch of stuff that’s not getting us any closer to our goals.
You see, we can read, scan and tweet all day long, but that practice will NOT help you succeed.
Before you jump on my case, let me explain.
A few years ago, before I started my business, I was in a job I despised and I was trying to determine my next move. During that time, I spent a LOT of time reading. I consumed blog posts and books. I immersed myself in social networks. I devoured everything I could looking for the answer….the yellow brick road that would lead me to a successful career.
But guess what? That answer didn’t come.
Sure, deep down I knew what I wanted to do. Yet, I wasn’t doing anything to make it happen.
I was stalling.
I have a feeling you might be too.
There are no secrets
While there’s nothing wrong with reading blogs or books, many of us do this looking for answers. We hope that there will be a secret magic formula or silver bullet that will help us grow our business or map out the path to success.
But, like most things, to achieve success, you have to do the work.
You have to put in the time.
You have to answer the tough questions.
You have to do the things you’ve been avoiding.
And, you have to apply what you’ve learned in all that content you’ve consumed.
There are so many fantastic, free resources out there today that can help you grow and market your business. However, if you don’t take the time and effort to actually implement what you’ve read, your business will never get anywhere.
As we get closer to the end of the year, you may be thinking about your New Year’s resolutions, the goals for your business or next year’s marketing plan (at least I hope you are).
As you embark on that effort, I challenge you to take a look at some of the most recent blog posts you’ve read and find one thing that you can implement TODAY. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. It can be as simple as tweaking your next blog post headline or signing up for an email marketing account.
The point is to take action.
And, as you continue to read various e-letters, blog posts and books in the coming weeks, keep a notebook handy and write down ideas and tips you’d like to try. From there, you can determine the actions you are going to take to grow your business in 2012.
Laura Click