You Can't Do Nothing for a Living!

Work is a good thing. You are designed to work and success only comes through effort.

I've come across many people (I've been there too) who are looking for an easy way to make money. The get rich quick scheme, the method by which they will be able to retire by the time they turn 30 or 40. What I've learned though is that there is no such thing as easy!

I am not saying that there aren't some ways to make money that are easier than others, but success takes work.

People will point out that there are successful people out there who have "jobs" that seem like a dream. They suggest "if he/she can do it, so can I."

Take someone like Darren Rowse. Darren is a full-time blogger, I don't know how many hours that means, but it is what he does for a living. Many look at that and think, if I could only do that for a living my life would be great. The truth is, success like Darren's doesn't happen overnight, it takes hard work. Darren has been blogging since 2002 - that's nearly seven years now, and I'm guessing it wasn't all money from day one.

Ask Darren the question "did it take hard work for you to get to where you are?" My bet is that the answer is "YES".

Darren is just one example, it's not limited to blogging either. Take "Social Media Consulting", another area that people seem desperate to jump into. Just because you know about Twitter, doesn't mean you are qualified (I'm not qualified by the way) to label yourself a "Social Media Guru". Becoming an expert in something (anything) takes time and effort. There are experts in this field that I trust, such as Chris Brogan or Mitch Joel among many others. If you were to ask any one of them what has brought them to the point they are at, most of the time the answer would be a combination of hard work and a passion for the field they've chosen.

Opportunities will come your way and you will have chances to be successful, but in my experience success will not fall in your lap.

If you are looking for a way to be able to sit at home and do nothing while that money just flows in, you will be disappointed. You can be successful by doing something you like, an it might not feel like "work", but you will still be putting in the effort. The reality is that success takes work and successful people are those that know how to work hard, it is part of who they are.

This is the reason that many CEOs don't retire. Sure, they leave their CEO role, but most go on to sit on different boards or to participate in charity efforts. They are not content to sit around and do nothing.

My hope is that you will find something that you enjoy and that it will bring you success. If you are willing to work, I'm sure you will find re opportunities are out there.

What do you think?