Just Venting A Little

Feel free to ignore this post.  I'm writing for me and to get something off my chest.  I'm absolutely not writing to you.  Nor am I disappointed with anyone in particular.

I am often asked by software developers and other consultants about how to be successful.  Now, I don't consider myself to be successful.  I enjoy my career and like where it's at.  I'm excited about where it's going.  I enjoy the process of learning new technology and making new friends and meeting new people and advising customers on how to be successful and profitable.

With that said, I'm often asked about how to be successful.  When I have these conversations, I find that everyone already knows everything I have to say.  They know how to make more money, how to gain recognition, how to achieve...and they knew it before they even asked me the question.

They don't need answers from me.

Their answers all come from within.  Yet time and time again, they fail to execute.

I am consistently disappointed at the small percentage of people willing to execute the simple daily self-disciplines needed to reach higher levels of success.  They know exactly what they must do to bring about their dreams and yet they fail to execute.  It's not a failure of vision or knowledge...it's a FAILURE OF ACTION AND COMPLETION.

They chart their work by the progress they've made, not with any specific goal.

I know that the person who achieves in this business is the person with passion....the person who wants it the most.  They are the people who wake up at 5am to read Hacker News.  They are the people who are writing blog posts at 11pm.  They are the people who spend their weekends speaking and learning at Code Camps and SQL Saturdays.  They are the people who volunteer and attend user groups.  They accept no excuses.  While others are watching TV show after TV show, they are learning, reading, digesting, blogging, tweeting, and writing.

It seems that there are very few people who are willing to put forth the effort to get from where they are to where they want to be.  Most make excuses and blame others for their own poor choices.  They kill the messenger.

Some of you will discredit me.  Some of you will say things like "Who is Ike to say these things to me?"  or "Ike isn't perfect either.  I know he makes mistakes."  Some of you will find other ways to ignore what I'm saying, belittling me or my success.  That's totally fine. 

But others of you will take this opportunity to look inside yourselves and ask if you are doing everything you can to learn, grow, market, achieve, raise bill rates, provide value, write, and succeed.  Others will humbly ask "If I know what it takes to succeed, what excuses are getting in my way of taking ACTION and actually achieving?"

I know you know what to do.  You have all that you need to be self-sufficient, to earn more money, to achieve respect and recognition, to contribute value to your community.  GO FORTH AND DO IT!