Psychology Says There's 2 Rare Factors The Most Successful People Have In Common
There are no quick hacks to success.
Tamarcus Brown | Unsplash I often get asked how I built a following of over 1.3 million people and a podcast that gets 500k downloads per month. Where did I get lucky? Did I go viral, and that changed it all?
Everyone is looking for a quick way to become an "influencer." They want the algorithm hack to go viral. They want a strategy that will make them bank quickly.
Sure, there are one-off stories of this happening. But for the most part, these hacks don't work, and there are no quick strategies that will make you influential overnight. There are two truths I know of successful people I committed myself to embody in how I show up to the world.
Here are the rare factors the most successful people have in common:
1. Their content and contribution is powerful
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It's significant. They don't tend to filter themselves, and they are in their power. Their words embody their lived presence, as shown by a study in the Journal of Business Venturing.
2. They outwork everyone
They show up. No. Matter. What. I never missed a day of posting on socials for eight years. I created new content constantly. I sometimes post two to three posts in a day.
When I took a month off in October of 2021, it was because I'd hit the edge. I needed a break. I was exhausted. In hindsight, I should've taken breaks earlier. But you don't know until you know.
What I do know is that when you're deeply rooted in your passions and building something you care about, it's easy to pour yourself into it. I had forgotten to pour into myself fully too. I had shown up to my mission fully, but not myself.
Here's what I've learned about these two principles of successful people:
1. Being authentic doesn't take energy
Being inauthentic does. Being in your power doesn't take energy but shrinking and giving it away does. Speaking your truth doesn't take energy but censoring yourself does. To speak and be willing to shake systems creates the type of content that shakes souls. Instead of chasing the algorithm, become it, as suggested by research in the Journal of Digital Marketing and Communication.
2. Show up every day
Yes, you must outwork others. However, when you're in your passion, it's not work, it's contribution. If it feels like work, shift until it pours out of you with more ease. 2020 research explored the importance of showing up every day for your life and what you love — and something I have learned in the last 10 years is how essential it is to include yourself.
Have daily morning rituals that are about filling your cup and filling the relationships in your life.
My rituals came and went when I needed them... but that is living reactively. If you want to create magic in your life, almost everything you do must be proactive. (Within reason, of course.)
The world changes fast. Platforms will constantly change and evolve. But what won't is the need for people to live from their hearts.
When you come fully alive, your family, community, and the world come fully alive.
- Where are you not fully alive?
- Where are you directing your energy?
- Where are you letting other people's beliefs about what's possible for them become your beliefs about what's possible for you?
Mark Groves is a Human Connection Specialist, founder of Create the Love, co-author of Liberated Love, and host of the Mark Groves Podcast. Mark's work bridges the academic and the human, inviting people to explore the good, the bad, the downright ugly, and the beautiful sides of connection.