The other day I was putting together a guide for my clients on how to succeed in social media.

All of a sudden, I had an epiphany – a life-changing moment of clarity that was so incredibly rare.

I realized that the things I’ve learned about social media actually apply more broadly to life.

The key differentiator between those who achieve a lot of success online are these 5 characteristics:

Characteristic 1 – Humbleness

Achieving success on social media leads to a large number of messages from all sorts of people. Remaining humble and talking to people like you’re on their level has helped me to get people’s respect.

Humbleness creates beautiful conversations that touch your soul and make you and the other person feel phenomenal.

A bit of success can easily make you feel superior and so humbleness is the way to stay grounded and not forget who you are, and where you’ve come from.

Humbleness is a brilliant decision.

Characteristic 2 – Gracefulness

The world of social media is fast-paced and often frantic. Being graceful has allowed me to move slower at times and reflect on each thing that I do in my life.

“Rather than trying to walk over the top of what everyone else is trying to do and charge through the battlefield of social media like an out of control soldier who’s gone rogue, I’ve learned to be more graceful”

Being graceful is difficult to explain at times. I see it as making moves with composure, calmness and keeping balance between the many tasks that can pull us from side to side (such as distractions).

Slow down, think about your decisions carefully and be graceful as you make your moves.

Gracefulness is a decision that will make you calm.

Characteristic 3 – Kindness

The secret ingredient of all of my online success. It’s also the same ingredient that many of the people you look up to use.

When you meet a stranger, you be friendly.
When someone praises one of your Facebook posts, you be kind and say thank you.
When you see someone struggling and you can help, you offer your time.

Kindness is a characteristic that bonds all of us together. It will bring more good things in your life than any other trait.

“Kindness is a belief in yourself and your fellow humans to do the right thing”

Kindness is a belief that we can all be better by helping each other and doing so in a generous, friendly and considerate way.

Above all else, kindness is the best decision you can make.

Characteristic 4 – Vulnerability

There’s a temptation with social media to hide behind a mask and pretend you’re happy and living this amazing life that everyone else should be envious of. Vulnerability has been a trait I’ve used to bring people in and show them the real me.

Vulnerability is when you share your epic failure.
Vulnerability is when you’re not afraid to show weakness.
Vulnerability is admitting something made you cry.
Vulnerability is admitting you’re not okay.

Putting vulnerability into everything you do makes you human. People want to see you be vulnerable and it shows huge amounts of courage at the same time. Rather than getting attached to your critic’s opinions, vulnerability can help you go further and be authentic.

When you crush your fear (like my well-known public speaking one), you should share that vulnerable moment with your family, work friends and online connections.

You’ll sometimes experience some fear when you attempt to be vulnerable and that’s usually a sign that you are going outside your comfort zone which is good.

Breaking your comfort zone is how you grow and that’s what will give you the strength to attack bigger goals in the future. Don’t back away from being vulnerable; face into it.

Vulnerability is a decision to stand out from the crowd and be you – warts and all.

Characteristic 5 – Willingness To Share (no strings attached)

Sharing is the act of demonstrating you have enough. It’s a form of gratitude.

As an example, the other day, a guy asked me how I do my video posts and within a few minutes I sent him back, step-by-step, how I do them.

He was shocked!
He couldn’t believe I’d tell him step-by-step and want nothing in return.

I embraced a willingness to share because I realized like most of you, that no one has a monopoly on information or ideas. Anyone can find anything out thanks to the Internet. So, what’s the point of hiding your knowledge? There is none.

Share what you know, and maybe one day they’ll return the favor. All of us have useful lessons, failures, stories and ideas to share. Rather than hide them, share them for the world to see.

This willingness to share has worked for me and it’s fuelled my side business but I’ve only found it to work when you share with no strings attached.

“The moment you expect something in return, people can sniff out your selfishness like a dog at the airport sniffing for drugs”

Most of the knowledge and strategies I’ve obtained that are responsible for my success have come from other people’s willingness to share. It’s only fair that I return the gift and that you do the same.

Sharing is a fantastic decision to make.

Why these 5 characteristics work.

These five traits have led me to discover my version of success and I believe they are most of what you need to succeed at any pursuit in life.

Once these traits become habits, you’ll do them without thinking. These traits are what have compounded my success and I honestly believe they will do the same for you.

These five traits are the foundation for anyone wanting to do something big and bring the rest of us on the journey. They are also the same traits that will help you build a tribe of people who want to achieve a common mission.

You don’t need piles of money.
You don’t need millions of followers.
You don’t need to overwork and burn out.

What you need is to make a decision to be humble, graceful, kind, vulnerable and willing to share.

These traits work because they each have an element of selflessness about them.
These traits are not about you as such; they’re about what you can do for all of us.

Embracing these five traits is the best decision I’ve made. Will you make the same decision?

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