How Did You Find Success?

I worked twelve hour days, even when I didn’t feel like working twelve hour fucking days. I refused to give up on myself and I believed I was more successful than I was, because I saw the potential for what could be. – Devon J Hall

That’s exactly what I am going to say when I do my first television interview and they ask me how I made LMBG so profitably successful, because it’s fucking true.

Last year I put myself out into the world, the real non digital world in ways I never thought I could. I built and am building a following on being authentic, even when authentic means I look and feel less than perfect.

I ignored phone calls, texts, family and friends because the work is the mission and the mission is what matters, as Buffy the Vampire Slayer once said while explaining why having a vicious vampire on her side was more important than killing him because he killed someone’s mom.

I did what I did because I see a future for LMBG that few others can understand, that few can comprehend. When people ask what I do I say “I’m a Blogger” and I can tell they are trying to decide if I am serious or not.

I am absolutely serious. Blogging to me is a job, it is my nine-to-five every day job, not just because it’s what’s keeping me healthy but because I want that future that I can see for this website.

I want to turn it into a magazine filled with the voices of Black and Brown voices from around the world. I want very much to have other women share their thoughts on this website, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be about being Black.

I remind myself that little steps are big steps, every little thing I do is progress, even when it doesn’t feel like it. I remind myself that my voice is a part of the conversation even if people can’t hear it. My voice matters and LMBG is my platform to make that voice matters.

I remind myself that I am building with every post I make, a larger table for other women to join me at, and that those women will become the backbone of everything that I build here. Their lessons, their friendship, their inspiration, their help and guidance is all going to be a part of what LMBG is to become.

That’s how you find success. You refuse to give up, and you continue to push yourself even on days when you’re one hundred percent exhausted and you want to go to bed, because if you want it you have to want it.

You have to decide that everything you are going to do is going to be about building yourself up, not just your brand, but you as in your very own individual self. Even on days when you want to slit your own throat because you just don’t think you can handle it.

You have to push the idea that you deserve to be happy and you have to be willing to call yourself on your own bullshit. When you are over reacting, when you are acting in ways that encourage the worst version of yourself, YOU have to decide that you’re going to stop putting up with that side of yourself.

That’s how you find success, keeping yourself accountable to your self is absolutely paramount. If you wouldn’t accept negative behavior from other people why would you think that you have the right to get away with it?

Keep to a schedule. It’s hard in these days of Covid-19, but it’s absolutely and utterly important that if you want to successful the work comes first. that means having a reasonable amount of work hours, and a reasonable amount of relaxing hours.

Twelve hour days will increase to thirteen and fourteen hour days if you are not careful and it’s important that you have time to chill out and decompress from the work stuff.

The bigger you build your table, the more room you make for other voices in your community, the more engagement you participate in, the more people will want to help you rise. It’s just the nature of humanity.

But the initial steps? That’s all you baby!

Sending all my love,

Devon J Hall