How Many People Want To See You Succeed?

You don’t need a million fans to create meaningful things and earn a living.

You want to succeed? Everyone does. What if I told you that you don’t need millions of people knowing your name and screaming crowds when seeing you to make a living doing things you love and fulfilling your dreams?

You need 1,000 true fans. Only 1,000. It is a theory by Kevin Kelly I’ve came across recently and it works, even if you have less than a thousand fans. I’ve experienced it myself building blogs, writing and publishing a book and now traveling the world.

Sounds like an easy to reach number when we talk about followers on Twitter or Instagram or fans on Facebook, but how many of them are willing to give you their time or money when the time comes? In most cases not many, your parents, closest friends and someone who adores you secretly.

So how do you make more people to care about you and your work?

Pay it forward, that’s the mindset I’ve adopted a year ago. I started to practise Dale Carnegie’s idea of getting interested in other people instead of desperately trying to become an “interesting person” everyone wants to know and become friends with.

“You can make more friends in two months by being interested in other people than in two years of trying to get people interested in you.” — Dale Carnegie

I genuinely started to care about people and their work. I get energised talking to them about their hobbies, businesses and dreams. I am lucky enough to have a skill-set and network that allows me to direct people to smarter path and get them closer to their goals. It is spiritually rewarding and fulfilling experience.

Jacques van Heerden, entrepreneur and a good friend of mine who I consider my mentor inspired me to empower people to succeed so I can succeed to. I truly believe in lifting up other people to their potential heights and trust that they will be there for me when I am in need.

Help strangers?

“I have better things to do” you may think.

Sometimes it may seem that you are simply wasting your time but you are going through life once, the path you’re on now is unique and you will walk it only once so make sure you show the world the greatness you have in you and do good, help people out and get the luck points.

Traveling the world I meet a lot of people, mostly passively which means I don’t see their faces for more than a second because there are too many of them. But everyone I meet in person is kind enough to spend their time (which is the only thing in life you can not buy) and tell me where is that supermarket, street or ATM I am looking for. Most of the people I meet are not very good in English and they still show their biggest effort to help me out using gestures, broken English, drawing or writing. It is incredibly fascinating.

When I ask someone and get or don’t get an answer I don’t realise that people are doing good, everywhere in the world and not thinking about getting something in return. I realise things like this when I think of how can I pay forward and make other people day better just because of me.

Do you have true fans?

Will they be there for you when you need them? Or it is time to start thinking about others and paying it forward?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. If you have any questions or simply want to keep up with the things I am working find me on Twitter or Facebook.

Inspire and be inspired.