The Runaway Guide

Run Away & Travel The World

Duration On The Road:

6113 days

Countries Visited:

86

Current Location:

Stockholm
  • HOME
  • START
    • START A BLOG
  • DESTINATIONS
  • TOURS
  • RESOURCES
  • RUNAWAY GEAR
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT

How To Be Successful In Blogging & In Life

July 20, 2011 by The Runaway Guide 16 Comments

sleeping in the basementOver the last couple of months, I have been in my basement working night and day towards the success of this blog. I have been so obsessed that I have rarely paid visit to my good friend the sun. However, in the past two weeks, my motivation has drastically begun to wane.

Worried over my lack of determination, I couldn’t sleep last night. As I laid awake until 6 am, I tried to figure out why this was happening. And in my drowsy deliberations, I came to realize a few truths that I had always known.

The first being, people need the sun and socialization. But more than this, life requires balance. If you think about it, everything in this world is constantly oscillating to obtain equilibrium. The physical laws and equations that govern the universe directly reflect this. And so we too must recognize the need for balance in our lives.

The second truth I realized is that it is not the fear of failure that inhibits our success but the fear of change and success it’s self. Failure is easy. It takes no effort. And most of all, it is comfortable.

Peace CigarettesIt is so comfortable that we continually utilize distractions or make excuses in order to prevent change. For me, I use tobacco, play video games and watch anime. And when I do think about working on the blog or my future, I tell myself that I will figure it out later. Ironically, while this technique allows me to forget about the future and feel relatively comfortable, it keeps me rather depressed.

The reason why I have been doing this lately is because I feel like I don’t deserve success. I feel as though many foster a similar tragic flaw. And unfortunately, the longer we hold on to this mindset, the more comfortable and life defining it becomes. The more change and success appear not only frightening but unachievable. And the more we continue to actively prevent ourselves from becoming happy and successful people.

How do we stop fearing change and achieve success?

the secret bookThe first step in breaking the cycle is to recognize the cycle. We really need to pin point exactly why we are afraid of change. When we come to realize that there is actually nothing to fear and that we deserve success, we need to be active, vigilant and determined about making that change occur. Most of all, we can’t keep making excuses and we need to realize that everything depends on ourselves.

A few years ago, I watched the movie “The Secret.” While I found it’s overall message to be a positive one, I was disturbed by it’s primary mechanism for success. That being, in order to become successful one merely has to ask the universe. The problem with this is that it furthers the conception that success is predicated not upon your own efforts but rather on some kind of higher power. Unfortunately, it is this kind of thinking that makes people unaccountable for their own failures. The kind of thinking that makes realizing success implausible.

Epitomizing this distressing yet growing trend in our society is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. Curiously, as soon as ADHD was conceived, the pharmaceutical companies had developed a cure. More curious, the cure was a highly addictive amphetamine known as Ritalin.  And even more curious, the symptoms of ADHD were very broad. Meaning everyone could potentially be diagnosed with this new disease. If you ask me, it seems just a little too convenient and lucrative for the “compassionate” CEO’s of these pharmaceutical companies.

In the result, millions of Americans are now convinced that the reason they can’t concentrate is because they have a “disease.” More, due to the addictive nature of the drug, many remain in denial, and become reliant on it. However, improving your concentration takes will, discipline and practice. And the longer one relies on a drug to do this for them, the harder it will be to learn to concentrate for ones self.

Hindu brahmanOne of the reasons why I love Hinduism is because it recognizes the power of the self and its potential for success. It posits that within each of us, there exists an Atman or god. When Hindu’s greet each other, instead of saying hello, they say “Namaste” or I honor the god within you. And so, in order to obtain success, we must look towards the “god” within each of us.

Overcoming your fear of change and achieving success is no easy undertaking. It requires that you recognize your flaws and stop making excuses. More, it requires that you make a constant effort to change. You need to envision yourself in a future where you are surrounded by and worthy of the success you desire and deserve.

I know none of this is new stuff. We all know of these truths yet, like the hangover, we so easily forget. We experience these moments of enlightenment, and can see the path to success, but all too often fall back into our old routines. However, life is too short, and if we don’t make change now, it will only get harder and harder.

Good luck,
Leif
P.s. If you want to get in touch, you can contact me through Facebook.

358
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

READ MORE

  • Overcoming Your Travel AnxietyOvercoming Your Travel Anxiety
  • How Traveling Got Me Into CollegeHow Traveling Got Me Into College
  • Do You Really Need Travel Insurance?Do You Really Need Travel Insurance?

Filed Under: Health & Spirit Tagged: blog, health, Leif

Let Me Know What You Think!

  1. Kerarrant says

    April 19, 2012 at 1:53 am

    Have you thought about adding some videos to your article? I think it will really enhance my understanding. =-=

    Reply
  2. Pinkie Ascensio says

    March 27, 2012 at 10:57 pm

    Really very good blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m somewhat lost on everything.

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      March 28, 2012 at 3:06 pm

      Hey, I wrote this guide on how to start a travel blog, check it out here, http://www.runawayguide.com/work-abroad/become-a-travel-blogger/
      Also, in terms of writing, I would say try and be personal, write from the heart, and get pumped up before you sit down to the keyboard.
      Best,
      Good luck,
      Leif

      Reply
  3. Dani says

    November 9, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    Salutations! I hate to say it but sometimes I feel the same way, pushing things aside made me feel depressed and kinda worthless, /: in a way,
    But it’s all good,

    I was super inspired by your blog a month ago, I’ve spent hours re reading all your blogs, it’s so inspirational really (:
    I’m from Mexico, but I’ll be backpacking in a bit,
    What I was going to say was, I was SO impressed by how awesome this blog is, and I had a heart attack when you I saw you also honor The Secret,
    It’s such an amazing book and film! No wonder you’ve had so much success (:

    Anyways greetings from Dani! :D Bonne Chance!

    Reply
  4. Matthew says

    August 29, 2011 at 11:46 pm

    Gee dude, your makin a nice blog. Tellin peeps how to run away, sleep on the street (I’m scared of that the most) and just telling them stuff that gets to the point and gets the job done. Keep em coming please Leif!

    Reply
  5. Micamyx|Senyorita says

    August 25, 2011 at 10:15 pm

    I don’t comment often on your posts, but you really have what it takes to collect loyal readers to keep on coming back to your blog. I guess its ok to just slack and take it slow in blogging from time to time. Although i’ve been blogging for many years now on my personal and other niche blogs, i am still a newbie in terms of building my travel blog. Too many backlogs gah. Making excuses and procrastination is two things that we must avoid if we really want to success. I dunno. Maybe we should just balance life and blogging although that can be a bit hard in reality, really.

    Just keep it up, Leif! I am waiting for more updates at the S/D section LOL. Strong yet pleasing persona+good sense of humor = WIN.

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      August 29, 2011 at 4:53 am

      Hey Senyorita, thanks for your support! I really appreciate it. Your right, I gotta stop procrastinating. I think your blog will be successful as well. I will keep it up!!!

      Reply
  6. nakedplanet2 says

    August 3, 2011 at 3:52 am

    I arrived at this post in a roundabout way while researching something entirely unrelated. And yet, this is the search that I wanted to make when I sat down to my computer this afternoon. Great post. Very motivating – I will check out the rest of your blog. Thanks!

    Reply
  7. flipnomad says

    July 23, 2011 at 6:34 pm

    great post leif… i believe that you’ll be succesful blogger soon… i can see your contributions and presence in a lot of blogs thru interviews and some post… in my case man, i worked three months straight building it up (when i started) … now only a few hours a day keeps my blog running (after 1.5 years)… the challenge now is to keep up with all the never ending changes etc and now im not sure if its really what i want… im experimenting now with other business models too that might require less effort but with maximum returns…

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      July 26, 2011 at 8:22 am

      Thanks Flip. Sounds like you got a good deal, all the hard work paid off. Let me know if you come up with some new good business models! -Leif

      Reply
  8. Raymond says

    July 22, 2011 at 1:01 am

    Another great post Leif! I agree that change must come from within and not just “asking the universe”. If only it were that simple…

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      July 23, 2011 at 2:19 am

      Thanks Raymond!

      Reply
  9. Brock says

    July 20, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    I appreciate you being open about this stuff. Well written. Simply know that you are not alone in these challenges. Stick at it and thanks for the honesty Leif.

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      July 23, 2011 at 2:20 am

      Thanks Brock.

      Reply
  10. Nomadic Samuel says

    July 20, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    That’s a great post Leif. I’ve been struggling with a few issues since I got home as well. It’s so easy just to pack it in and give up. I think though that the breakthrough comes when you keep at it for a while. I agree with your point about needing a degree of balance. It would be easy to see how a blog could take over your life completely. I’m still trying to find the right balance myself.

    Reply
    • The Runaway Guide says

      July 23, 2011 at 2:19 am

      Thanks Samuel, glad its not just me.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Who Is The Runaway Guide?

When I was 16 I ran away from home and traveled the world with nothing but the clothes on my back. Over 10 years later and I'm still "on the run," surviving in style, thriving off adventure, searching for that elusive road to enlightenment, and cultivating the life of travel that I want to live. More...

Run Away To Guatemala!

Nov 4th - Nov 12th, 2019

Sign Up For Airbnb & Get...

More Runaway Resources






All Runaway Resources

Best Countries For Backpacking
Visa Requirements World Map
Top World Travel Experts
Best Travel Blogs
Runaway Tours
Resources

FEED ME

Budget
Prepare
Illicit
Work
Hideouts
Gear
Books

Contact / Partnerships

If you have any questions about traveling, Runaway Tours, or anything surrounding The Runaway Guide, send me a message through my Facebook page.

If you're interested in working with The Runaway Guide in any travel related capacity, please view the Partnerships page or email me at TheRunawayGuide (at) yahoo.com

Connect With Me On:

YouTube Twitter Pinterest Facebook

LinkedIn RSS RSS RSS

© Copyright 2012 The Runaway Guide · All Rights Reserved · Terms of use · Contact