A debut author constantly sends me links to articles that usually begin with “Simple Steps…” followed by clichéd DIY literary success topics such as “…becoming a bestselling author,” “…getting traditionally published,” or “…marketing and selling your books.” He then wants me to tell him whether any of these strategies are worth trying. But the keyword he really wants to hear from me is FREE; as in, do any of these marketing strategies actually come without a fee?
Yesterday, after seeing an ad about dropshipping, he even asked me if that was something he should do with his books to increase sales. He isn’t alone in daydreaming after reading these so-called “steps to success” articles. We’ve all done it at some point or another.
In a world full of self-proclaimed experts, the internet is overflowing with “simple steps” to success.
Simple steps to make your first million dollars. Simple steps to become a successful trader. Simple steps to write a bestselling book. Simple steps to make money from writing. Simple steps to build a successful business, lose weight, become productive, retire early, and, apparently, transform your entire life before lunch.
The formula is almost always the same: follow these five, seven, or ten steps and success will supposedly become much more predictable.
But is it really that simple?
Or are “simple steps” simply a clever way of getting our attention?
There is nothing wrong with breaking a complicated subject into manageable steps. In fact, that is often the best way to learn. The problem begins when we confuse simplicity of explanation with simplicity of execution.
Writing a book can be explained in a few steps: get an idea, write the manuscript, edit it, publish it, market it.
Sounds easy.
Actually, doing it is an entirely different story.
The same applies to investing. Someone can tell you that successful trading requires research, discipline, risk management, and patience. None of those words are particularly complicated. But consistently applying them when your money is on the line is anything but simple.
And then there is the famous “make your first million” advice.
Work hard. Build a business. Invest wisely. Create multiple income streams.
There you go. Simple.
Except millions of people are working hard, starting businesses, investing, and trying to create additional income. They don’t all end up with a million dollars.
That is because success rarely depends only on knowing what steps to take. It depends on circumstances, timing, resources, access, experience, persistence, competition, luck, and countless variables that don’t fit neatly into a seven-step infographic.
This is particularly obvious in the world of writing.
The internet is filled with advice telling aspiring authors how to write a book, publish it, market it, and make money from it. Some of this advice is genuinely useful, while other claims can be downright atrocious; think “make money from books without actually writing one” nonsense. Let’s keep the obnoxious ones out of this discussion. There is, however, an enormous difference between knowing how Amazon works and actually selling thousands of books.
You can follow every recommended step and still struggle.
You can have a professionally designed cover, a carefully edited manuscript, appropriate categories, a marketing strategy, social media presence, advertisements and positive reviews, and still not become a bestseller.
Why?
Because publishing isn’t a vending machine. You don’t insert “seven steps” and receive success.
The same problem exists in almost every online success story.
We often see the finished product rather than the messy journey behind it, or the amount of money that was invested into making it a BEST-SELLER.
Someone tells us how they built a successful company, but we don’t hear about the opportunities they had before they started. Someone explains how they made money trading, but perhaps we don’t hear about the trades that went wrong. An author explains how they sold thousands of books, but the story may leave out years of writing, previous books, an existing audience, professional connections, advertising budgets, or simply being in the right place at the right time.
The steps may be real, but the guarantee implied by the steps isn’t.
And this is where we need to become more skeptical consumers of online advice.
Whenever you see a headline promising “simple steps to success,” ask a few questions.
Simple for whom?
Under what circumstances?
How long did it actually take?
How much money was invested, and how did they source the said funds?
What resources did they have?
What went wrong along the way?
How many people tried the same strategy and failed?
Those questions don’t make the advice useless. They make it more realistic.
Perhaps the most dangerous thing about the “simple steps” culture is that it can make people believe that failure is entirely their fault.
If the internet tells you that becoming successful requires only ten steps, and you followed all ten but didn’t succeed, you might conclude that you didn’t work hard enough or weren’t smart enough.
Maybe.
But perhaps the process was never as simple as the article suggested.
Success isn’t usually a straight staircase where every step takes you closer to the top. It is more like walking through a maze. Sometimes you move forward. Sometimes you take a wrong turn. Sometimes you have to go back. Sometimes you discover that the path that worked brilliantly for someone else simply doesn’t work for you.
The irony is that the most useful or realistic advice is often less exciting.
“Here are some things that might help.”
“These are mistakes I’ve made.”
“This worked for me, but here are the circumstances.”
“Don’t expect immediate results.”
“Be prepared to change your approach.”
None of those statements make particularly spectacular headlines.
“DO THESE 7 SIMPLE THINGS AND BECOME A MILLIONAIRE” does.
And therein lies the business model of much of the internet.
Attention is currency, and the promise of success is the motivation.
The simpler and more definitive the promise, the more likely we are to click.
Perhaps we should stop looking for simple steps to success and start looking for useful principles.
Principles give us direction without pretending that everyone’s journey is identical.
Work consistently. Learn from failure. Understand your craft. Manage risk. Keep adapting. Build relationships. Be patient. Recognize opportunities. Accept that luck plays a role. And, perhaps most importantly, understand that there is no universal formula.
There are steps. There are strategies, and lessons. But there are very few shortcuts.
Attaining success by following these articles is a lot like buying a lottery ticket: the chances of winning may be one in a million, yet billions of people around the world continue to buy tickets regularly, their fingers crossed.
The next time you see an article promising you the “simple steps” to achieving something extraordinary, read it if you find it useful. Just don’t confuse a simple article with a simple journey. Because the steps may be simple, but the journey rarely is.
Remember, the R in S.M.A.R.T. goals stands for Realistic for a reason. Whatever you read or choose to follow, be realistic about what is actually achievable.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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