Yes We Can Be A-List Success Stories
Posted by Mitch on Jan 3, 2010
The other day, I read a post on a blog called WordPress Theme Customizations written by a guy named Costa on the topic Are You Still Dreaming To Be Famous Blogger. His point is that people will read what these A-list bloggers have to say, buy what they put out, and often you’re not only left with a product that didn’t really tell you anything you could use to try to get where they are, and not only are they not really even blogging anymore as much as managing, but you will never reach the level these guys got to, and that maybe it’s time for you to just be who you are.
He makes some interesting points, and I hope you click over and read what he had to say. I, being me, do take some exception to some of what he had to say, but not because of the reasons he chose. Here’s my take on it all.
Any one of us can be an A-list blogger. What that means, however, is that at some point you’re going to need one of two things. One, you’re going to need a major break of some kind. Two, you’ve got to be set up to capitalize on that big break when it comes.
This post isn’t about any of that, however. What it is about is not giving up on a dream, no matter how big, no matter how small (yup, now I’m channeling Horton the elephant). Anthony Robbins once said “if you have nothing to live for, you die.” If you’re not trying to accomplish something with your blog, why bother with it at all? If you’re willing to be less than your potential, why bother?
True, based on reality, everyone can’t be an A-list blogger. Does that mean you can’t be? Not at all. You could be a famous blogger without being an A-list blogger. You could make a lot of money without being an A-list blogger. You are whatever you are, and you can potentially be whatever you strive to be. Even if you never made it to the A-list, you will always feel secure that you have gone all out to be the best, and you can never take anything but pride in that. And there’s a lot to blogging; just check out these stats from The Future Buzz.
I do agree with Costa on one point that says a lot of what you purchase doesn’t end up giving you exactly what you want. For instance, that Beyond Blogging book on the side there isn’t a book that’s going to give you step by step instructions on being a better blogger. It’s tales of how some bloggers who have made a lot of money did it. It’s motivational; nothing wrong with that.
It’s like networking, for those of you who work for yourself; it is what you make of it, and if you leave a networking event without meeting at least one person, most of the time it’s your fault. Some people join organizations thinking those organizations are going to help them make business contacts that are going to bring money into their pocket. But that’s not what most groups are about, so it’s their fault for thinking that.
Now, if you want some free ebooks that may or may not help you, you can check out this post of mine offering some ebooks on affiliate marketing, and then this other post with more ebooks on affiliate marketing. These are free; go for it.
Back to my premise. I’m shooting for great success in 2010. After all, I’ve just been named one of the Top Baby Boomer Men of 2010, thank you very much.
After that other post of mine on publicity, this is a nice start to the new year. But I don’t have to be the only one shooting for the stars. The world is big enough for all of us to try to be as big as we want to be, whether it’s A-list blogger, famous movie star, or just rich person without any notoriety whatsoever.
Just don’t give up on your dreams because it seems like a hopeless cause. Remember this quote from Winston Churchill: “Success in life consists of going from one mistake to the next without losing your enthusiasm.” Now let’s get out there and conquer the world!
I'm Just Sharing is where I share my thoughts on internet marketing, writing, blogging and many other things. You never know what I'll be posting on. So keep coming back, read, enjoy, and buy! ;)






I think what’s missing from the original is this: The other thing that all the A listers have in common is that they worked like dogs in the early days. You cannot break through into the big time as a blogger by playing at it part time – ain’t going to happen.
Every single A lister we interviewed for the book you mentioned went through a one to two year phase of working crazy hours, writing more posts than anyone else, commenting more and guest posting more – until as Gary Vaynerchuk says “They’re eyeballs were bleeding.”
That’s the key factor – hard work, allied with an ability to write and yes, a piece of luck in many cases. It’s not about buying books (even mine!) or courses, although they can help, it’s about rolling your sleeves up and delivering day in, day out.
Mike CJ´s last blog ..Product Reviews
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Mitch Reply:
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:37 PM
You’re absolutely right, there has to be a lot of work involved in the whole process. I wrote somewhere else here that when you look at Darren Rowse’s early blog posts, he was sometimes writing up to 10 articles a day, occasionally more. Some of those were very short articles, linking you to a resource you could use, but it still counted because he was really working it.
It’s a reason I write consistently on this blog; I notice that my numbers improve if I have more posts, although sometimes if I have 2 posts a day it suffers a little bit. I think if I have two posts in a day, both can’t be overly long. Good thing I try to write some of them in advance so I can hopefully plan their release a bit better.
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Mitch Reply:
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:31 PM
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Nathan Hangen Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 12:24 AM
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Thanks for the mention. I would love to have add something here but as Mike has commented on that post, and I have given my point of view in my reply to his comment, I do not want to repeat myself here.
Anyway, I fully concur with this paragraph.
You are whatever you are, and you can potentially be whatever you strive to be. Even if you never made it to the A-list, you will always feel secure that you have gone all out to be the best, and you can never take anything but pride in that.
Cheers.
Costa´s last blog ..For The Year 2010
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Mitch Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 10:17 AM
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What many people fail to grasp is that there is no magic pill or step by step blueprint…you have to study what works, mold it to what you do well, and start working.
People always want a magic pill…it’s just not there. The magic pill, as I wrote on Problogger, is hard work and busting your tail day in and day out. You either want it or you don’t, it’s as simple as that.
Nathan Hangen´s last blog ..Weekend Update – Entrepreneur Style
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Mitch Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 10:20 AM
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Nathan Hangen Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 10:39 AM
Nathan Hangen´s last blog ..Weekend Update – Entrepreneur Style
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January 4th, 2010 at 11:58 AM
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Mitch Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 10:21 AM
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January 4th, 2010 at 6:30 PM
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January 4th, 2010 at 6:32 PM
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Mitch Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 7:29 PM
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[...] Mitch @ ImJustSharing.com [...]
I realize what he is saying and I think this touches more on what I’ve been talking about. What makes someone an expert?
By the way I’ve gone to my once fame of being a B list blogger to a D. Sitting at a D I have more knowledge now then I did when I was a B.
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Mitch Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 8:50 PM
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January 5th, 2010 at 1:35 PM
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Mitch Reply:
January 10th, 2010 at 12:25 AM
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