Look at the Success, not the Failure

Actually in my life, there is one person who inspire me so much. She is Michelle Phan, the most subscribed beauty guru on Youtube. She has achieved many things in her life and she is just 25 years old, the same age with my sister. If you don't know who is she, let me tell you a little about Michelle.

Michelle Phan was born in Boston, April 11, 1987. Her parents are Vietnamese and she has a brother and a half-sister. Originally, Michelle's mother wants her to become a doctor but she convinced her mother to allow her to major in illustration since she was inspired by her mom's career as a nail technician. When she was just a student, she worked as a part-time waitress at a sushi restaurant.

In 2006, Michelle join Youtube and has created over 200 videos. As of February 2012, she has garnered over 585 million views and over 1,900,000 subscribers, making her channel the most subscribed beauty channel on YouTube. Her success on YouTube has produced attention from the media and people internationally. She often appeared at many magazines and TV shows, such as Seventeen, St. Petersburg Times, the Sun Sentinel, Forbes, etc.

In 2010, Michelle was hired by a famous beauty brand, Lancome to be the spokesperson of the brand. And in 2012, Michelle launched her own network, FAWN (For All Woman Network) which is a network to inspire every women in this world.

source : Wikipedia, Youtube

Michelle's success doesn't come so easily, it comes through hard work and determination. And here are some points which I think are her success' factors :

1. Decide what you want. A wise man named Ben Stain used to say "The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want." Actually this is my favorite quote. That's true to get the things you want in your life, you should decide first, what you really want. If you still don't have any ideas with what you desire, you will never know where to step.

2. Look even the smallest thing around you. This is very small thing but sometimes makes a huge impact and this is what happen with Michelle. She was inspired by her mom's career as a nail technician so she wanted to take a major in illustration. See, that's just a small thing and who would have thought it will result in a great success. I often tell you "Inspiration may come from everything, even the smallest thing" that's why you should never neglect every little things around you.

3. Know how to communicate your ideas. In Michelle's case, in the beginning her mother wanted her to become a doctor. Then she convinced her mother to allow her to take a major in illustration. In this point, I believe she was also going through a hard times convincing her mother. But she did it. That means she used a good way to communicate her ideas to her mother. I can't say which one is called good way, but if you want to communicate your ideas to parents, make sure you said them clearly, with appropriate words and manner.

 

4. Don't ever feel ashamed with what you do. This factor is really important. Don't ever feel ashamed with what you do. Like Michelle, when she put her first video on Youtube, I bet she also have her own thought. And I think doing something like that is not easy. You should perform in front of many audiences, world wide. But don't let 'ashamed' being your obstacle.

 

5. Willing to work hard. In Michelle's case, before being famous like now, she worked as a part time waitress at a sushi restaurant. That's also a point; you should have a will to work hard. Make it as your learning and experience to be your stock in the future.

6. Take every opportunities. In order to be success, you should watch clearly what opportunity is there around you. Like what Michelle did. I believe she didn't thought at first that her videos on Youtube can make a huge impact towards her life. That's why don't ever miss even the slightest opportunity, because you will never know what and where life will take you.

7. Look at the success, not the failure. This is a critical factor. People usually look at others who fail and then they become scare to step forward. They afraid of the risks and afraid of becoming like them who failed. They never thought how if they become success after they tried. Remember, don't ever make a failure as an example; make success as a hope.

Hope you found this article helpful and feel free to comment & follow here :)

Be What You Are MEANT To Be

When we were kids, the older usually asked "When you grow up, what do you want to be?"

That question is tricky, seems like we should think and decide what we are going to be.. But when we grow up, we should face the reality.. If you have decided what you want to do and you have done that pretty well, then lucky you.. I wish you can keep up your good work..

But most people are not as lucky as that.. Some of those have tried doing what they really want to do but they fail.. Some can't do what they want because of personal matter, like a family condition, economic situation, or any personal problems.. But the worst are those who can't do what they want because the objection by someone else, usually parents..

Then, what should they do?

1. Keep persistent. If you have the chance to do what you really want to do but then you fail once, keep persistent with what you're doing. By having a chance to feel the pain of failing, you have the chance to learn more. Remember, there are no success without any fail.

2. Know when to let go. You also have to know when you should let it go. What I mean is that you should know how much you can endure. If you have done everything you can do but you still fail, then maybe that is not your destiny. You should looking for other option. It's not a big deal, actually, young people often make mistakes. And who in this world never made any mistake? At least you have done your best and trying. It's better to fail after trying than never try at all. By letting go, you'll gain more. If you never let go, you'll gain nothing.

3. Solve your problems. If you can't do what you want because of other problems, then you should solve it first. If the problem is family condition, you should have a good conversation with your family member. For example, if your dad sick and you can't leave home to take care of him, then you should have a good conversation with him. You can try dividing your time to take care of him while doing your job. Or if it's possible, you can do the work at home. But if it's economic situation you face, then you should think about other option. For example, if you want to study abroad, you can try searching for scholarship. Or maybe you can try to find the major you want to study in your hometown. Although perhaps it's not that good but I believe the true quality depends on yourself.

4. Know yourself. I know a lot of people who don't have confident with themselves. They often get afraid with something that will be faced in the future. Hey, come on, who knows the future? But of course we should be prepared well.. Before starting your life adventure, first, you should know yourself. You should know, what are your abilities, skills, and personality. Then make sure yourself that by all you have, you can do it. And don't forget to think positively. That will raise your confident. Remember, the biggest enemy in life is ourselves.

5. Say your opinion. Many parents often object what their child want to do. They often take their child's ideas as day-dreams who will not come true. But who knows, isn't it? That's why you should say your opinion (as long as it makes sense) to your parents. If you didn't say anything, they will not know what you are thinking and they just think as their own opinion. If you have said what you should've said but it's still not working, you can ask help from your other relatives. Tell them your opinion and ask them to tell it to your parents. But of course, you should also listen to your parent's opinion. I believe they think what's best for you so don't ignore it. You can consider it too.

6. Prove that you can. One of the reason why parents like to object their child's ideas is because they don't believe that their child can. So, make your parents know that you really have the ability to do that and not only day-dreaming. If you only talk without proving yourself, your parents will never believe in you. I've read a book before, it's said that parents will always treat their children as a kid, regardless of age.

7. Be what you are meant to be. This is the hardest, because we never know what we are meant to be. But that doesn't mean you can't do this. This thing needs time to come true. What you should do is expressing yourself. Do what you love and follow your passion, do that not only for yourself but also for the people around you. By expressing yourself, life can lead you to your destiny and you can be what you are meant to be.

Finally, hope I can motivate and inspire you. Wish you a good luck in your life. Remember to always smile. You'll never know how magical a smile is. :)