Going to the Source in Success

Lennon Cihak
Aug 27, 2017 · 2 min read

I don’t want to be cocky — I never intend to come off that way — but I’ve had a string of recent success in the past few months and I wanted to share what I’ve done to achieve it. Fair?

It all started when I picked up a contributing writer gig at EDM.com. Since then, everything has been rolling into this massive snowball. At times it has rolled too quickly for me, but I’ve managed to soak it all in, keep myself organized, and stay positive — to an extent...

Anybody that’s succeeded at anything in their lives has also experienced the darker side of that rewarding feeling: Failure. Everybody fails, including me. I may not like to admit it to other people but I’ve been admitting it to myself a lot lately, and that’s what’s important. If I can’t recognize the problem, then I’m not going to continue to receive the success I work so hard on a daily basis to achieve. Period.

Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. — Winston Churchill

My string of successes comes from a concoction of things: Tenacity, determination, will power, support, failure, forward-thinking, and passion. When I’m out looking for some freelance or contractual work, all of these traits play a huge part in my everyday life, especially when I’m working (especially when I’m working — I’m a workaholic).

It takes time whenever I’m searching for a new and exciting opportunity, but that’s because I’m going to the source. For example, let’s say I’m searching for a job at an online music publication (like EDM.com or Noiseporn). Rather than contacting one of the contributing writers, I contact an editor, the editor-in-chief, or even the founder of the publication. I then find out some more information (stalk but don’t get creepy). I find out where they’re based (this helps sparking a conversation — perhaps we have something in common?). Then I send them an email detailing who I am and what I’d like from them. In this example, to be a contributing writer.

It’s tedious work, but once I figure out a strategy, then it’s a cake walk.

If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary. — Jim Rohn

My successes have come from a handful of things: Tenacity, determination, will power, support, failure, forward-thinking, and passion. I always keep my eyes on the prize (my Tesla Model S), and that’s what keeps me motivated to do my best each and every day.

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Lennon Cihak

Written by

Entertainment media professional specializing in music journalism, podcast production, and music production/distribution.

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