Success Advice
How I Wrote 4 Books in One Year and How You Can Too

I wrote 289,755 words in the last 365 days. A good business book is around 60,000 words, which means that in the last year I managed to write 4 books. Here’s the catch – I did this by committing to only one easy and simple action each and every day.
A little more than a year ago, I decided to become a writer. I knew that becoming a writer was a hard mission and that it wouldn’t fall from the sky – I had to earn it. So I studied what the biggest writers of the past and present did to become great writers. And there it was, a single habit that all of them shared which made them great.
Every single day, no matter if it was raining or snowing, cold or hot, traveling or at home, they wrote at least 500 words. A habit of writing at least 500 words daily made those people and all I had to do to become a great writer is to do the same. No matter how much it took me, if I just made it a priority of writing those words daily, I would become good enough. So that’s what I did for the past 365 days.
I wrote at least 500 words a day and it accumulated to 289,755 words in one year.
This writing brought me to Addicted2Success, Lifehack.org, Goalcast and many other platforms where my work was seen by hundreds of thousands of people.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to become a great writer:
1. Rely on a system and ignore motivation
Let’s say you want to write 500 words a day and you skip the first 3 days, thinking that you will cover it all on Thursday. That means that on Thursday you need to write 500+500+500 from the previous three days +500 more for that day. That is a whopping 2000 words that you have to write that day.
Now, if you rely on motivation to keep you through this, you will fail. You will probably write inconsistently as motivation is simply unpredictable and we can’t base our lives on it.
In order to truly succeed, you need a system. So ignore the fact that you are not always motivated to write and simply just write. Even the greatest writers don’t have the motivation to always write, but they still did it because they made it a habit.
2. Do the work
Today’s world is all about the next new hack such as how to make a 10-year vision come true in 6 months. However, writing is different. No matter what kind of a teacher you have and what kind of tips and tricks they teach you, it still requires hard work.
You can learn about great writing from books like On Writing by Stephen King or by William Zinsser On Writing Well, but you will never become a writer by only learning about it. You need to do the work and there is no going around this. 500 words a day is simple to do but it’s also simple not to do.
“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.” – Thomas A. Edison
3. Resistance will always be there
There is this notion that the better you become as a writer, the easier it is to simply sit down on your laptop and churn out a War and Peace. Well, the fear you feel when you sit down to write for the first time is the same fear Stephen King, Haruki Murakami or Neil Gaiman feel when they sit down to write.
It doesn’t matter if it’s your first blog post or your 47th book you are writing, you still feel the fear. It’s so strong and pervasive that it was immortalized in a book by Steven Pressfield called The War of Art. This fear got a name in the book – Resistance – and it’s the main culprit for things like writer’s block, lack of ideas and topics to write about, not knowing what to write about, etc.
Resistance will always be there, every single day, looking at you and trying to fight you off from the goal you set out. But the best way to defeat it is by doing the one thing Ernest Hemingway said will make you a writer: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
4. Quality comes from quantity
Henry David Thoreau wrote seven different manuscripts for Walden. Hemingway wrote 47 different endings of “A Farewell To Arms.” Jack Kerouac wrote “On The Road” in 3 weeks but then spent 7 years editing the piece.
“The only kind of writing is rewriting,” was said by Hemingway and Stephen King added “To write is human. To edit is divine.” All of this teaches us that even the big wigs in writing spent time getting better. Because of this, they achieved that quality of work by the quantity of it.
The first thing you write is usually called “The shitty first draft” (quote by Anne Lamott) but you can’t edit a blank piece of paper. That’s why you need to write a lot and then from all of that writing and rewriting, good third and fourth drafts will appear which will be a great foundation for an amazing 7th draft and the 8th published draft.
“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” – Stephen King
If you want to write quality, you first need to go over quantity. Nobody gets better by just picking up writing – it takes consistency, time, and effort. By simply writing 500 words a day, you can become like that. Remember, all you have to do is sit every single day and, as Hemingway said, bleed on the typewriter. Or just write 500 words a day and you will get there.
Have you tried to write before? Let us know in the comments below so we can all help one another.
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
Success Advice
Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)
The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)
Success Advice
What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)
Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)
Entrepreneurs
The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025
Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”
While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.
Why This Gap Exists
Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.
What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.
Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap
Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.
1. Practice Mutual Empathy
Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.
2. Maintain Professional Boundaries
Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.
3. Follow the Golden Rule
Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.
4. Avoid Micromanagement
Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.
5. Empower Employees to Grow
Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.
6. Communicate in All Directions
Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.
7. Overcome Insecurities
Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.
8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship
True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.
9. Eliminate Favoritism
Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.
10. Recognize Efforts Promptly
Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.
11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews
When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.
12. Provide Leadership Development
Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.
13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles
Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.
The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role
Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:
-
Build diverse talent pipelines
-
Embrace flexible work models
-
Design compelling career paths
-
Simplify HR processes
-
Redefine the value HR brings
The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.
Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff
When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.
Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.
Entrepreneurs
What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators
Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)
-
Change Your Mindset4 weeks ago
Why Ideas Are More Valuable Than Resources for Entrepreneurial Success
-
Entrepreneurs3 weeks ago
Building a Business Empire: Lessons from the World’s Boldest Entrepreneurs
-
Health & Fitness3 weeks ago
The Surprising Link Between Exercise and Higher Income
-
Entrepreneurs2 weeks ago
What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators
-
Entrepreneurs2 weeks ago
The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025
-
Change Your Mindset1 week ago
7 Goal-Setting Mistakes That Are Secretly Sabotaging Your Success
-
Success Advice1 week ago
What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)
-
Success Advice3 days ago
Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)
1 Comment