Originally posted 3/4/22

Have you ever watched TikTok or YouTube or scrolled through Pinterest with a specific interest in mind? Maybe it's fashion or homes or cars. Perhaps it's business-related, like home offices, logos, or design. Have you ever used these sources to measure yourself? I used to. To be honest, I still sometimes do. I am not talking about just possessions but people's success as well. I watch these journeys and fool myself into thinking that if I do exactly what they did and exactly how they did it, I will have the same success. I am here to tell you, and if a blog post could scream it, I would; it's a TRAP. Their success isn’t a trap, and their possessions aren’t a trap, but the idea that we must go on the same journey they have… is.

I have seen that some newer notaries try to mimic the path of those who have gone before them. The idea is that unless you meet the same benchmarks, you won't be as successful. I am here to tell you that mindset is the trap, and it will keep you from finding success and happiness with your business. I have been guilty of doing the same.

We can gather much information about successful peoples’ journeys from books, articles, interviews, and resources galore. I mean Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more. The research capabilities are endless. So, falling into the trap of trying to recreate their success is tempting and easy. However, there are problems with that plan. The pitfalls in trying to copy someone else's success are many.

The website; Happily Globalized published an article titled “Why We Should Stop Copying Successful People.” Such an excellent and to-the-point article outlines why we must focus on our journey. The writer makes excellent points here;

• “ If we all know what it takes to succeed, why do so few of us do?”

• “You will never know the entire story.”

• “Copying other's paths has a serious downside.”

I highly recommend you read the entire article. The writer made some fantastic points, and it can help bring some focus to your own success journey.

Before I continue, I want to be precise. Researching and reading about others' success isn’t a bad thing. It can open our minds to new ideas. I encourage you to read a lot. Read about all types of different things. That's not what I am suggesting you abandon. What I am trying to encourage you to do is develop your own journey. Your pace and your success should be just that. Yours.

If you called me today and asked me how to become a notary in California, I could give you the road map you need to take to be commissioned. If you asked how I achieved the success I did in my first 6 months of business, I would tell you what I did. I would tell you about the training I took, the mentors I contacted, and the attitude I adopted. Could my success be yours? No. Because I am me. The training program I picked isn’t for everyone. There are many options for good and qualified training programs. So many, in fact, your perfect program is out there. But you have to find it. Can I share my mindset, my affirmations, and my vision statement? Sure. Can they be yours? No. Why? Because they are mine. They work for my situation and my life. Your situation and your life are not going to be exactly the same. The timing of starting your business will be different than mine. There are so many personal parts of one’s success that duplicating them is nearly impossible.

I want to encourage you. Your journey will be yours because you are trying to learn and discover. Take the steps needed to glean any information you need to take the following steps. But remember that no one knows you, and no one knows your business like you. Own that, take pride in that, and never stop growing. Some day, someone in your industry will be new and sees your journey and success as something they want to model. Remember where you were today. Your journey is not like anyone else; it's yours.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.

And Check out my YouTube Video All About This Topic Here

Jennifer Cooper

JKC Mobile Notary.