As children, we have unbridled aspirations.

We dream to be astronauts. We dream to be explorers. We dream to be princesses. We dream to be the world’s greatest sports star. We dream.

Looking back at our childhood dreams, we rarely feel we failed because we didn’t become the astronaut. Or marry the prince. Or found new lands. Or had stadiums cheering our name.

Instead, we look back and remember a time when dreams had no limits, and anything was possible, even if (in reality) it never was.

Yet we never use the fail word. Because, in truth, we never failed.

Just because something didn’t happen doesn’t mean it’s a failure. Far from it.

That failed astronaut? Perhaps he became a doctor and found a cure for cancer.

That failed princess? Perhaps she became a politician and ended global hunger.

That failed sports star? Perhaps he became an author and wrote the book that changed the world forever.

Failure is simply a word. A perception of what might have been versus what is. Another path on an ongoing journey. Something that only exists because we allow it to.

And if we allow failure to exist, then we can also disallow it. And if we disallow it, then we can think the way we did as children. Where one dream not realized becomes another dream still to happen.

Because if something can still happen, then it hasn’t failed. And if failure hasn’t yet happened? Then perhaps it never will.

image: JoePhilipson

Because We Never Failed originally appeared on Danny Brown - under a Creative Commons license.

For many of us, long term vision can be a scary concept. This is understandable, because it usually means that we’re having to put faith in something we’re doing now not showing a return until much later.

This could be our businesses; our blogs; or our budding relationship with a new lover.

It’s scary, because while we believe in our hearts that everything will work out, often we get impatient for results that we can see now.

We want our business to be profitable right away; we want our blogs to have hundreds of comments, subscribers and social shares; and we want that new love to be the one, and to fall in love with us so we can start living our lives together.

The problem is, very rarely is something a home run out of the gate. Instead, it takes time to truly get to where the real gold is.

It takes time to build a brand. It takes time to build an audience. It takes time to earn trust.

And it takes bravery to allow the luxury of that time. Something that’s hard to do in this instant result economy, where you’re considered a failure if you don’t have Number X within Timeframe Y.

But here’s the thing – today’s big successes all failed to start with, in one way or another. Household names now were nothing but hopes and dreams at one point, and they didn’t suffer because of non-instant success.

Instead, they succeeded because they saw the bigger picture, and believed the path to get there was worth the tough times they might endure. And they were right.

You can be too. You just have to embrace the concept.

image: Steinar Johnsen

The Scary Concept of Long Term Vision originally appeared on Danny Brown - under a Creative Commons license.

Why do you want to kill your competition (this is a generic you)?

Why do you want to put on your size 42 boots, kick them in the sack and then trample them into the dirt?

Why do you want them to fail so badly that the only people left they can come to is you? Is your alternative really that much better?

Maybe.

But if it is, then isn’t it the competition that’s helped make you so much better? If not, why not? If the competition is who we want/need to be better than, then why aren’t we using them to improve ourselves?

This doesn’t just need to be about business, either. Your competition can be other bloggers; other poetry writers; other breadmakers; others that are after your objects of desire.

Anything that is after the same thing you’re after is competition. It could be a lot, or it could be miniscule – but either way, it’s all good. Because you watch, and learn.

What decision lost a business customers? What blog post got a slew of criticism? What bread became staler first, and why?

Learn why the things your competitors are doing are backfiring, and adjust your approach to benefit those left in the dust. And you don’t even have to lace up your kicking boots to do this.

Don’t hate others for doing things wrong; make them hate you for doing things right.

image: Jordan.A.

If You Want To Kill Your Competition Then You May As Well Kill Your Goals originally appeared on Danny Brown - under a Creative Commons license.

Ideas are the platforms for greatness.

Ideas are the moments in time that will find the cure for cancer.

Ideas are the ingredients that become a recipe to feed the world.

Ideas are the words that join a melody and make a grown man cry.

Ideas are the architects that build shelters for the abused.

Ideas are the intent that lead to mission accomplished.

Ideas are gold. Don’t let yours be wasted.

Ideas Are Gold originally appeared on Danny Brown - under a Creative Commons license.

Some folks will say you need to blog every day, or every other day.

Others will say once a week.

Others will say only blog when you have something useful to say (I’m not too sold on the last one – one person’s definition of useful is another’s definition of crap).

To be honest, there’s no right or wrong answer. Or at least, no standard right or wrong answer.

There is a right answer for you, however, and that’s the one you need to look at.

Questions and Answers

Blogging’s a funny beast. It can be personal; it can be corporate. It can be funny; it can be sad. It can be a sales tool; it can be a simple connection tool. It can be written; it can be media.

Simply put, blogging is in a world of its own when it comes to set parameters. You can’t say what works for one blogger will work for another; it just doesn’t roll that way.

What it does do, however, is make it easy to choose how often you’ll blog by asking two must-know questions before you start.

• Are you passionate about the topic?
• What time can you realistically allocate?

These are just two questions, but they offer the best idea for you as to how often you’ll blog. If you’re not passionate about your topic, blogging will soon become a chore, and once something becomes a chore… Well, we all hate chores, right?

If you can only allocate a few hours a week (and this includes promoting your blog and responding to comments on the post), then you’re probably only going to post once or twice a week. An hour a day would see you post daily; a couple of hours a month, you’d probably only be able to blog bi-weekly. (These are just rough stats – they don’t necessarily relate to your timescales).

So these questions kind of dictate how often you might blog.

It’s Not Worth It Then, Is It?

Now, depending on who you read and who you listen to, if you’re posting infrequently then you’re never going to grow your blog or get the readers/subscribers you’re after. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Not necessarily.

I blog pretty much every day. I don’t do it just to “get more readers” – I’ve never had a subscription run here and I don’t plan on having one, ever. I’d rather grow my readership and subscribers organically as opposed to giving faux reasons why you should subscribe.

Instead, I blog as frequently because I genuinely love blogging. I love the interaction with you; I love being able to bounce ideas off each other; I love being able to offer an alternative take on something and then invite you to offer yours.

My friend John Haydon blogs a little less frequently, but still pretty regularly. Chris Garrett, co-author of the ProBlogger book and owner of the popular new media site ChrisG.com, has been posting fairly irregularly over the last few months.

Now. Take a look at this chart from Compete.com, which shows the monthly traffic for all three sites over the last 12 months.

As you can see, while there have been dips and gains, Chris has the most traffic, while John and I have swapped it back and forth as to where the higher traffic has been on a given month.

The blog that posts less is more “popular” than ones that post either daily, or more frequently. Kind of blows the whole “post every day” argument out the water.

So.

Listen to you, and write for you. Everything else is a bonus – readers, commenters, community, subscribers. Get what feels right for you, and that comfort will come across in your blog.

And that’s when it starts being fun. And when others see it’s fun? Well, there might just be no stopping you then…

photo credit: markhillary

Why You Don’t Need to Blog Daily originally appeared on Danny Brown - under a Creative Commons license.

They can be small and simple enough for a child to use. They can be intricate and building-sized for an army to use.

They can hit a target a few feet away. They can zone in on a target hundreds of feet way.

Catapults are built to hit whatever you’re aiming for with the least amount of fuss.

Couldn’t businesses benefit from more catapult builders?

Building Catapults originally appeared on Danny Brown - under a Creative Commons license.