Today I was fortunate enough to be part of a four hour question and answer session with Leo Babauta from one of my favourite blogs, Zen Habits.
Zen Habits (as if you haven’t heard of it!) is a very successful site that covers topics like achieving goals, productivity, being organized, motivation, eliminating debt and successfully implementing good habits. I really appreciate Leo’s down to earth nature and insight into the many different topics he writes about.
I was pleased to have the opportunity to ask Leo two questions that he answered very well, I thought I’d take a moment to share one of them with you (the other was on market saturation and blogging, you can read his response on the site; link is at the end of this post):
Question: Leo – with your recent success you must have days where you feel sky high.. Apart from the tips found in great posts written on this subject, is there a way you stay so grounded/humble?! You seem to be so good at it! I’m always looking for ways to better myself and part of that is taking advice from those that have been there / done that….
Answer: Well, I have to admit that things have definitely changed for me as a blogger … success brings amazing new opportunities but also some new challenges … bloggers who want me to link to them, authors who want me to review their books, websites that want me to be their partner, people who want to buy links within my posts (which I don’t do) … I’m not complaining, though, but just pointing out that I definitely have to change the way I operate to stay sane. I don’t get to answer comments as much as I used to — I used to respond to every single comment! Those days are long gone, sadly.
But as for staying grounded … I think the key for me is gratitude. I try to remind myself of all that I’m grateful for, including my wonderful, encouraging readers, my simple lifestyle made possible by a full-time blogging job, the ability to do what I’m passionate about for a living … these are amazing things and I’m truly grateful for all of them.
When you remember to be grateful, you also remember that any of it can be taken away by circumstances. So I try to remember all of that and not think that I’m invincible or anything.
I also remember that I’m not perfect, by a long shot. I try not to think I’m better than anyone else. If I’ve been successful as a blogger, there are dozens of bloggers who’ve actually done better than me … and for those below me in the blogging ladder, I remember what it was like to be on their rung. It’s a struggle, when you’re first starting out, and I know that. So I try to be kind to those who want to promote themselves on my blog, just as others were kind to me when I was in that position.
Thanks again Leo for making yourself available, and for taking the time to produce such heart-felt genuine responses to questions. You can find the rest of the questions and answers from the session at Write To Done. I hope that you were equally as impressed as I was with Leo’s response.
Leo is by far one of the nicest bloggers I’ve had the privilege to share emails and content with. From the get go he was willing to help when I had questions and gave me great opportunities to share my words with his readers.
So I can attest to his generosity as a very popular blogger who, I’m sure, is always bombarded with emails pining for his attention.
Thanks, Ross, for sharing this wonderful Q&A with us! Eric.
Eric Hamm’s last blog post..Stories Of Blogging Comaraderie | Community Insight
That’s a great question you’ve asked, Ross. With success, it’s easy to lose sight of our “grounding”. And, it’s good for us all to hear, anyway, what works. Good stuff all around!
Lance’s last blog post..Don’t Worry, Be Happy
Hi Eric, Lance… Cheers for taking a minute to comment, you guys are great. It’s nice to hear responses from people who have interesting, well received blogs, and both of you certainly fit that bill! Leo’s response re: how he handles success is really food for thought – what a great guy.
You might be interested to know that Leo has an article in the premier issue of Productive! magazine, which was just released. It has 17 great articles on productivity, along with an exclusive interview with productivity guru, David Allen. I’ve posted a link to the free premier November issue at
http://johnkendrick.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/john-kendrick-online-featured-in-productive-magazine/
John
John B. Kendrick’s last blog post..~John Kendrick Online Featured in Productive! Magazine
Thanks John, I’ll be checking it out!
JEALOUS (of your opportunity)
)
APPRECIATE (you sharing
MizFit’s last blog post..What the (bleep) do we know?!
Gratitude is a great habit. The days where I struggle is when my gratitude feels low. I try to think outside the box by increasing and improving my ability to appreciate my present circumstances.
I might put myself in a new environment or talk to someone that I know will help me expand my limited perspective. I actually ask the person to help me find ways to appreciate a certain situation. Both really help.
@MizFit – Ha! APPRECIATE your comment
@Karl Staib – Hi Karl, thanks for visiting. I like how you mention thinking outside the box, it’s great to hear different ways people tackle things when they feel down or low, or gratitude is lacking. You also mention directly asking people for suggestions – this is something I probably wouldn’t have thought of. Thanks for your comments.
Hey Ross,
Great Q&A with Leo. Fellow bloggers and writers can definitely learn much from Leo who run a successful blog at Zen Habits. Thanks for posting the Q&A, Ross.
Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger
Vincent’s last blog post..The Secret About Getting Others To Agree With You