The YOU Ingredient
March 13, 2026
Occasionally I go back and find a past article that I’ve written and I see potential for expanding and adding new information. That’s what this week’s article is. Originally titled “Create Your Own Path”, I edited out parts and added in new ideas. Sometimes I need to go back and put in the things I should have said in the original article but didn’t think of until the article was published. This is now a better version. Enjoy...
Everyone has THE answer to your success. You see it all over YouTube, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, etc. “How To Create A 6 Figure Income”, “The 10 Steps To Become Rich”, “Getting 6 Figures On LinkedIn”, “Read these 10 books to become a Millionaire”. Sound familiar?
First of all, these videos, articles, tweets, etc., all have good points to make and most offer good information. But any one of these in itself will not make you successful. Reading 10 books will not make you a millionaire and following the directions of any of these people, while valuable and worthwhile to listen to, will not make you successful.
Are They Being Truthful?
For the most part, yes. Most of these people have actually used the methods they are suggesting to you. The books they recommend are worthwhile to consume in your personal development journey. In short, they are not being dishonest.
The YOU Ingredient
They are however, missing one very important ingredient. YOU. You must create your own path. Take what you can use from those sources and create the rest based on you. I like to tell people “This works if it’s done right and you’re willing to do the work.” But there is always the YOU ingredient. That’s the missing thing that no one else can give you. Only you have it and only you can use it. So, what is it?
The action YOU choose to take
The style YOU exhibit
The image YOU project
The relationships YOU build with YOUR audience.
These are the things that attract people to you and your business. With those people come transactions, money, profit. You build momentum. It’s not usually quick. It can be a slow process.
Keep Going
Don’t beat yourself up because you tried all the things the social media gurus told you were the keys to success and they didn’t quite work out. They aren’t you. Some of their ideas probably got you some progress and others did not. That’s the learning process. Learn what works. Set the rest aside. Maybe they will work at another time.
Keep building on what works using Your Own Special Ingredient. Improvement brings momentum.
The 2 Business Owners
Here’s something to think about. Take 2 people, both with equal skills and abilities, and equal assets. They start identical businesses. Their particular business type is in high demand.
Business Owner 1
In 10 years business owner number 1 has expanded his business to multiple locations, has bought other businesses in the same industry and consolidated them with his original business. His competitors all ran their businesses the same old way. He chose to do things in a new and different way than his competitors. He set up a recurring revenue model using subscriptions and service contracts, added new services, and came up with a new delivery model. Now he is buying out his competitors and he is making millions of dollars.
Business Owner 2
Business owner number 2 after 10 years is making a nice living. He still has one location and still operates much the same as most other small business owners. He conforms to the expected way of doing business. He is happy. What’s the difference? Business owner number 1 created his own path. He studied all the ideas from other successful people but he made those ideas his own by adding in the YOU ingredient.
The YOU ingredient is the most important asset in your business. And what I’m about to say doesn’t sound right but- it is duplicatable. You set the stage for your business. Your values, your business philosophy, and your energy all combine to shape the culture of the business and that determines which direction your momentum is headed.
The YOU ingredient is contagious. Your team will pick up on it and it will become part of their behavior. So if a team is in constant chaos…this is the part nobody wants to hear- Your YOU ingredient might need some adjustments. The mess starts at the top. Coaching and training the team won’t help unless their leader goes first.
Take a look at your YOU ingredient. What does it look like? How is it affecting your business or your job? Or your relationships? Are those uncomfortable questions? They should be. That’s growth.
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