Find what makes your heart sing and find a way to use this as a service to the World

I was reading the book Happy Money by Japanese Author Ken Honda. In one of his chapters, he says that everybody can be a millionaire and/or successful. It may take time but find- ing the place where your skills and talents shine is the most important you can do to guarantee your success.

It is perfectly ok to spend ten years trying to figure out what to do. But once you find it and do it well, there will be nothing to stop you from being successful. It matters not what you do but how you do it. You might think that what you are doing now is a joke, a hobby.

You might think that there are no people interested in what you have to offer and that’s where you are wrong, especially in a world so connected and with over 7 billion people.

You are not alone and who you are and what you do matters. Once you have found it and are becoming more and more of your authentic self, know that there are people out there who are looking for what you have to offer.

Everybody needs to read the essay by Kevin Kelly 1000 true fans:

To be a successful creator you don’t need millions. You don’t need millions of dollars or millions of customers, millions of clients, or millions of fans. To make a living as a craftsperson, photographer, musician, designer, author, animator, app maker, entrepreneur, or inventor you need only thousands of true fans.

 

A true fan is defined as a fan that will buy anything you produce. These diehard fans will drive 200 miles to see you sing; they will buy the hardback and paperback and audible versions of your book; they will purchase your next figurine sight unseen; they will pay for the best of the DVD version of your free YouTube channel; they will come to your chef’s table once a month.

If you have roughly 1000 true fans (aka as super fans) you can make a living. If you are content to make a living but not a fortune. Here’s how the math works. You need to meet two criteria. First, you have to create enough each year that you can earn, on average, $100 profit from each true fan. That is easier to do in some arts and businesses than others, but it is a good creative challenge in every area because it is always easier and better to give to your existing customers more, than it is to find new fans.

The takeaway: 1000 true fans is an alternative path to success other than stardom. Instead of trying to reach the narrow and unlikely peaks of platinum bestseller hits, blockbusters, and celebrity status, you can aim for direct connection with a thousand true fans. On your way, no matter how many fans you succeed in gaining, you’ll be surrounded not by faddish infatuation, but by genuine and true appreciation. It’s a much saner destiny to hope for. And you are much more likely to arrive there.

Do not be fooled, 1000 fans is just a number chosen to show you that this is all you really need to make a living. It does not have to stop at that. Celebrities nowadays use the same principles of creating great content and being closer to their fan base (to a lesser extent).

The 1000 true fans can be complemented with a few other principles. Seth Godin and his Tribe concept. A group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader and connected to an idea. Watch the video for more.

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