(Photo Credit: Adriano Agullo on Flickr)
Barbara had a healthy discussion going on at her site last week about blog commenting as a traffic generating strategy. Her post followed the interesting observation that Tina Su, owner of the site Think Simple Now, seldom used this strategy, unlike other bloggers; and yet experienced phenomenal growth in online readers and visitorship.
To be honest, I had the same question on my mind too about a few weeks back. I was also wondering how Tina did it. Tina had a full time job, just like a lot of bloggers. The strategies she shared openly about getting 5,000 subscribers in a short space of 6 months were nothing short of new. Yet, many of us cannot claim to share the same level of growth as what she has experienced from her site. Short of paid advertising or outsourcing for assistance, it would require more man-hours than just an average of 6 months for the same level of results.
I came to the conclusion that Tina’s success was caused by something more than just mere strategy alone. I shared it by commenting to Barbara’s post…
“My opinion is that Tina got her success because of the energy that she exudes. As we all know, her record is not quite the norm. She does not have the time to be commenting on every blog or digging (social bookmarking) for every one of her voters. I’d say that here is one person who has successfully attracted more abundance (in terms of subscribers) into her life, through her intent. There are energy forces at work, even over the web!â€
After posting the above comment, my curiosity was aroused: Does Tina agree with my conclusion or is it really a case of just hard work and strategy in her experience? I wrote her a short email. Thankfully, she replied as such….
“Yes, I agree with what you wrote. I commented on the post with my point of view. But yes, I didn’t really think twice about how to spend my time… I never once questioned: comment or social media? .. I just had a clear vision, I had faith and I did whatever it took for my intention to be fulfilled. And in the end, the universe gave me more than I had asked.. much more. Law of attraction baby!!â€
I know…I know. There will still be the naysayers who are going to dispute what she just said. Who are we to say, anyway, what we cannot really see or prove? On all accounts, skeptics are not going to attribute her success to the law of attraction; but rather a simple case of knowing what one truly wants and going for it.
Well, for the benefit of those who are open to new thought ideas and whom I believe form the majority of readers to my blog, please continue to read on for further study. It sure seems that whatever she has applied, is in congruence to what the law of attraction says.
Since Tina’ site is titled Think Simple Now, I am going to use the bestseller Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill for reference to deduce her metaphysical ingredients for success. Just in case you are wondering, Jerry Hicks from The Teachings of Abraham revealed that the original Think and Grow Rich edition or manuscript had the word “attraction†several times in the book. This word was subsequently edited out by its publishers for reasons unknown (my guess is that it is the fear of public outcry at a time in the past when such ideas were less acceptable).
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Tina’s Ingredients for Success:
1. Strong Desire. Desire is thought impulse and thought impulse is energy. It simply means that when you have a thought so strong, you draft the resources of the Universe to make things happen for you.
Well, as Tina had shared, she knew what she wanted. Her desire must have been so strong that it led to an avalanche of readers.
“Riches begin in the form of thought. The amount is limited only by the person in whose mind the thought is put in motion.”
— Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill
2. Single Mindedness in Purpose. Tina was very clear in her intent. She had no doubts in what she wanted to achieve and she pursued it with single focus.
Can we all claim to the same? What are we intending for our websites? Part time hobby or real business? Do we jump from one business idea to another in a matter of days? What about other aspects of our life – do we stick to our goals or do we keep changing our minds on what they are?
“There is no hope of success for the person who does not have a central purpose or definite goal at which to aim. Ninety-eight out of every hundred of those whom I have analyzed had no such aim. Perhaps this was the major cause of their failureâ€. — Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill
3. Positive Energy Behind The Smile. There is no denying Tina’s enthusiasm and openness in sharing what she knows. You can feel her energy through her replies to emails.
Her site pretty much reflects the same positive energy that she exudes. First, she has a lovely profile picture to boot. I was bowled over by her smile in the same picture posted elsewhere on the web, to visit her blog. On her site, as I began to read her posts, I could feel her buzz rightaway, despite never having met her.
Assuming that you own a site, consider then, what energy your site is transmuting. Let’s not forget a website is made up of digital bytes of information on the internet. But as we all know in metaphysical terms, these are all made up of energy.
Energy frequency, in turn can be raised or lowered by emotions. In Think and Grow Rich, Napolean Hill shared seven major positive emotions: desire, faith, love, sex, enthusiasm, romance and hope. Conversely, the seven negative emotions are: fear, jealousy, hatred, revenge, greed, superstition and anger. He shared that the positive emotions of thought form the side of the stream which carries one to fortune; while the negative emotions form the side that carries one to poverty. In no uncertain terms, he said that riches have to be “attracted”.
“The presence of a single negative in your conscious mind is sufficient to destroy all chances of constructive aid from your subconscious mind.”
— Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill
While I may have explained things in the online world, the same concepts should apply to just about any work, particularly in the area of business, that you do. Hence with regards to whether or not you attract great abundance (including traffic or money), it all boils down to intent. What would you say your emotions are ruled by? Are you truly earnest in wanting to share information and help or are you just hoping to make a quick buck from our readers or customers? Are you jealous of your competitor’s success or are you merely studying gaps as a form of feedback? Do you serve the community selflessly or with every hope of squeezing everything back in return?
Think Simple Now and Grow Rich
In case you are wondering, Tina did not pay me to write this post. Rightly so, we choose to learn from the rich and successful so that we can benefit from their experience. And this is what I am doing - I am using her story as a case study.
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However, my analysis on the stellar record of Tina’s site is less about what method (whether blog commenting or social media) she has used or how many hours of hard work she has put in. Sure these are ingredients that are needed as well. There is every need to put action behind the intention.
My analysis is more on the study of energy forces that go behind the success. Tina’s case is a clear example to me on how energy forces also work through the web. It holds the key to why so many entrepreneurs fail, despite trying so hard. It is very likely what is needed for the leap to great riches.
“When riches begin to come they come so quickly, in such great abundance, that one wonders where they have been hiding all those lean years.â€
— Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill
Still I have to contend that today’s article is merely my own analysis. Once again, I may or may not be right. But as I’ve always put forth, the only way to know it for yourself is to investigate anything questionable deeply and to derive your own conclusions.
Well, do you know of Tina and the phenomenal growth of her site? What do you think are her secrets to her success? Just a case of strategy-and-hard-work alone or coupled with a metaphysical application of “think-and-grow-rich†principles invoking the law of attraction? Do share your thoughts below.
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I have no doubt that energy and single-minded purpose is a huge transmission of attraction.
If you can have a singular thought, a mantra that your are desperately focused on, you will attract insurmountable resources to attain that goal. =)
My blog: http://illuminatedmind.net
Hi Jonathan, it’s nice to know that you believe the same way too!
Evelyn
Evelyn, I have to agree that energy and purpose play such big roles in achieving the success we desire. When I have felt at most disarray in my life has been when I haven’t had a clearly defined purpose. I still internally struggle with continuing to define my purpose, and devote the energy necessary to be successful. Is this common? I think so. But I’m not looking for common. I’m looking for extraordinary, and for me, I think that means first a deeper awareness of self, and then the guts to put the energy behind it.
You’ve provided a great example here of what can happen!
Thank you, Lance, for your feedback.
Hi Evelyn,
This is really intriguing to me. I’ll be up front and say I haven’t read The Secret or LOA by Hicks. Also, the last article I read about LOA was from Zen Habits, and it wasn’t very flattering.
I’m a science/tech person by nature, so it’s in my nature to dissect things analytically. It seems that a lot of the proponents of LOA rely on arguments based on intuitions and emotions, which does not suit someone with an analytical approach to things.
However, just because it can’t be proven doesn’t mean it’s not true. It’s not knowledge, but simply faith in me that believes that emotions do somehow manifest itself in the physical world. I can’t prove love, but it’s more real to me than the body I inhabit.
I own the book by Hicks but have not read it. Your post has inspired me to finally start reading it to learn more. Thank you
Another clear example of why we should pay attention to what goes on in our internal world. Defining our goal/purpose we can then see how in line with this goal we really are. Nothing else matters as much.
Hi Evelyn,
Thank you for this case-study! =)
I have to admit that it did boggle my mind when I read that Problogger post because none of it was new to me.
At that time I remember having only 27 readers in 3 months! HAHA!
Anyways, I agree with what you said.
The intent behind the actions is very important =)
Keep getting the great posts in Evelyn!
To CANI,
SaiF
The World’s First Teen
Personal Development Video Blogger
I think it’s not necessarily what you do, but how you do it. Of course you have to pay attention to the content you post on your blog and focus on providing value to your readers, but you often see two blogs with similar content and one is doing extremely well while the other has a low subscription rate and few visitors. You need to decide what you want, create a clear picture in your head, and focus on that image continuously, with gratitude. This was a very well written post.
Hi Evelyn, this is a very interesting post! I don’t know much about the intentions of bloggers, really. All I know is that I’ll read whatever resonates with me, comment when I feel like it, and write my own posts when I feel like sharing something. It’s really as simple as that - and I don’t worry too much about how good or bad the traffic to my site is, LOL! Perhaps I’m just a naive person in this blogging world, but I do feel Tina’s AUTHENTICITY towards her own beliefs and intentions is really the key to her success. You’ve said it very well - “Can we all claim to the same? What are we intending for our websites? Part time hobby or real business?” - what is our REAL intention when we blog? Why is the blog stat meter soooo important to some people, as opposed to the quality of subscribers?
I measure the success of a blog not based on traffic or number of comments - but by its ability to reach out to the type of audience that it was originally intended for. Can we really settle for less-than-phenomenal blog stats compared to Tina’s? I’m perfectly fine with that (like I said, maybe I’m just an idiot, haha). It does not make me feel envious or sore about Tina’s success … on the contrary, she has my full admiration for being true to herself and her cause.
I really applaud that.
Attracting abundance, to me, is also about coming to terms with what you already have, being able to count our blessings, no matter how big or small.
Really love your take on this post. Thanks!
Hi Evelyn,
First of all, thank you for referencing my blog post. I appreciate the link.
After you emailed Tina, she came by my blog. Here is part of what she said:
I agree with you that it was her “clear vision” that set her apart from others.
I do believe there is “something” to be said about the LOA, but often we forget to practice it.
For myself as a blogger, my goal has always been to help others by sharing what I’ve learned. Where that will lead, who knows? But I can say, I love the community that frequents my blog as they give me the energy and motivation to continue on.
Hello Al, I can understand about the “analytical” thing. I still am. But what I choose to do now is to walk on the side of uncertainty; that not everything can be proven by conventional science. The science that I have come to know is to prove or disprove things myself. That is why I am spending so much time investigating my thoughts, emotions and energies on a deeper basis. I invite you to do the same. So do go ahead and read Hicks books. I can only say that while I am far from being enlightened, through hours of meditation and introspection, the insights I’ve gained is tremendous.
Evelyn
@Jarrod and SaiF, well said!
@Marelisa, glad that you have observed the same.
@Irene, I very much agree to being able to “feel” Tina’s authenticity. She definitely shines in her energy!
I guess each of us set different goals and targets for our own blog. Wanting to have more success is nothing wrong. A lot also depends on what we take from our own experience.
You’ve taught me much about being abundant today. It’s about also being grateful for what we have achieved so far. I’m also glad to have you as a friend! It’s funny how we “attracted” each other around the same time.
@Barbara, I guess my point is that sometimes the reason why someone is more successful is not to be studied from mere strategy alone but by the energy that he or she exudes.
In any case, I love the community built on your site. You have a way of highlighting blogging issues that I sometimes privately ponder over. They seem so trivial to me and I’m always amazed that you somehow “read” my mind. Your passion is obvious enough. You’ve got wonderful energy and I am sure that’s why the buzz has been so wonderful on your blog
Evelyn
Hey Evelyn, I’m very glad to have you as a friend too!
Totally agree with you that everyone has a right to pursue the success they want. My personal point of view on success and abundance is that it’s unique for every individual. While it’s probably good to observe and learn how others achieve their successes, we do not necessarily need to measure ours against another person’s. Recognition comes from within first. 
So many good blogs out there to read … so little time, LOL!
I think Tina’s site is really special and I’ve been reading it for a while. Her energy really does shine out from her pages.
Another example of a blogger whose love of life is apparent in every post is Karen Cheng at karencheng.com.au. She has a massive following and recently leveraged her popularity by raising money for charity with “Doing the Karen Cheng” event in Singapore recently.
I think the key to these bloggers popularity is that their sole motivation is to give. Unfortunately too many fall into the trap of thinking first about money and how their blogs can be used primarily to take.
[...] 15 07 2008 I was inspired by a post written by my good friend, Evelyn, yesterday on Think Simple Now and Grow Rich, where she discussed about the phenomenal blogosphere success of Tina Su, and how energies come [...]
Very interesting stuff, Evelyn. I’m with Irene - Tina is a very authentic person. She’s open and friendly, and I learned a lot about online networking from her! I do think her personality shines through in her writing, and it works!
Blessings,
Andrea
Good stuff Evelyn! Tina is definitely an up and riser and her success is phenomenal. And she deserves it too, a really cool person.
@Andrew, yes, I visit Karen Cheng’s blog every now and then. I like her buzz too and read about her in the Singapore papers. I really should visit her site more! How true…your observation about bloggers like Karen and Tina!
@Andrea and Albert, we are pretty much “attracted” to Tina’s energy, aren’t we??
Evelyn
Hi Evelyn,
I am humbled by your kind words. Thank you again.
Interesting! I visited Tina’s blog a few times, but I have to admit: once I realize that a blogger is not in a position to create a relationship with me (meaning reciprocal commenting and stumbling), I tend to lose interest. There are exceptions of course: I regularly read Zen Habits and Dooce. Having said that, I do agree with your theory. Blogs must give SOME kind of value to readers. If it’s not a mutual relationship, then it can be a very helpful content or lots of positive feel-good energy (Zen Habits, Tina), or a highly entertaining content (Dooce).
Vered, I find your views interesting. Now when I think about it, it is not so much the content that I now go to Tina’s site for. Sure…she posts great articles. But I think it is more like the feel-good energy that she exudes!
It is the same with Karen Cheng’s site. She blogs about fashion and she does look fantastic! But there is no denying that energy and the magnetic smile!
Then, when I go to sites like Problogger, I am hoping to really learn something. I’m not saying that Darren doesn’t have an energy that “attracts” me but I’d say I’m more lured by the energy of learning opportunities via his site.
It’s also true that I prefer to go onto a site that has some kind of community. I’m always interested to find out what people think. In the end, they may all agree with what the blogger says; but what’s interesting to me is what they take from the post or whether they’ve resonated to what was written with their own experience.
It sure seems like every blog fulfills a certain need I have.
Thanks for sharing!
Evelyn
Hi Evelyn - I think these are very interesting points you are making - and I really do think she is attracting her success-path with her mind. It’s so interesting - each person’s/blogger’s path is so individual! (BTW I can’t get into Tina’s blog - I think I don’t relate to it very well, or something.)
Just a note on your comment above about ProBlogger - I noticed I liked clicking on it’s bookmark, and decided it gave me a “warm” feeling! (I think Darren is a very warm person, and that comes through, for me.)
Thanks, Robin, for sharing about your blogger’s “path”. Yes, you are right to point out that the energy must resonate well before you keep going back to the same site.
Evelyn
I have never thought of the idea that energy can have an effect on things. It is so true when you said that you can feel the energy on Tina’s Think Simple Now website.
I am going to strive to have a more positive, focused energy now.
Hi Evelyn - I too have been totally in awe of Tina’s blog since my first visit. It’s a fantastic blog but like many others, I couldn’t fathom how she built it up so quickly.
Your explanation is a brilliant one and it’s great that Tina also confirmed that your thoughts were correct.
I love Think And Grow Rich and I really love to hear about people who have been amazingly successful by applying the principles in the book.
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