Why be sad when you can be happy?

Why be broke when you could get rich?

I think people have an oversimplified perception of what it takes to be successful in reality.

You look at blogs, Youtube videos and posts on Instagram, and envy their large fan base, their seemingly perfect lifestyle, and their ability to always be happy and always take selfies at the perfect angle.

But that is not the whole picture. Believe it or not, there is more to the picture than the square-cropped one they had posted on Instagram.

Being successful does not start with the amount of viewers you have, how nice the lighting in your photos is, or how fancy your camera is.

Being successful starts with an idea: it starts with coming up with something great, being consistent with it, and constantly developing, expanding and improving it as you go.

If you are not actively working towards something, and picking apart the steps necessary to obtain said goal, you will not have it.

You get what you give.

If you want to start your own business, you'd better know the steps backwards and forwards, start reading books by the tons, and save money by the thousands. As time goes on, you can begin small production of different product/services by providing local services for people in your social circle, start selling goods on eBay or Etsy, and purchasing a small amount of business cards.

You can literally start anything, if only you take the first step, and start.

The first step is always the hardest.

But don't be overwhelmed. The next five years of your life will go on whether you spend it busy, working hard and learning about different tricks and trades that will get you to the top, or if you spend it lounging comfortably in your own incompetence.