29. First Blog – h3sean.com
Bought and Built on August
2009
Committed to God
Today: 500 - 600 Daily Visits
Back then: 0 - 6 Daily Visits
What Happened?
Good Morning, my name is Sean Si. I’m a born-again Christian. I’ll be your speaker for today for the topic Developing your Career. I just want to know you guys better so I was meaning to ask what year level you guys are – Who among you are __ year students?and what courses are you guys taking?Know the years level and courses they are studying
I need to hear some answers – Career? Business? Fame? Success?Who here wants to have a business someday?Howbout a good career – climbing up the corporate ladder?
According to the book ‘Outliers’
Invest your career – your future – your finances – on something you believe 100% will work. This doesn’t mean that you have a brilliant idea and you impulsively invest. It means that you make investigations, measurements, risk managements, case and market studies on what you believe in – Keep filling that vision up with studies and interest and then proceed to doing it.
I Invested my life in something I believe in – that’s SEO Hacker. My first business. We deal with internet marketing – giving companies and brands perpetual and relevant search and social media traffic.
Let me tell you a story about how SEO Hacker Started
I Graduated February of 2010 on a 3 year course in DLSU – ICTM. Sadly, the course has been renamed twice – now it’s IS – meaning, my course technically doesn’t exist anymoreI took that course for 5 years. Why?Well, the simple answer is…
I got addicted to computer games – which is really my passion since I was at the tender age of 8. I played computer games ever since I can remember.
I’ve never failed in Highschool. Failing in college was the toughest thing – until it became the norm. I didn’t care about my classes because I found no interest in them. I found more interest in computer games.
In all that, I found myself passionate in Two things
Writing
And playing computer games – and I knew I was talented and well practiced in both. I was writing since I was in gradeschool – more on fantasy fiction & creative writingBeing passionate about computer games of course means I knew a lot about computers! And I love using computers
So I figured why not Write
On
A Computer – where everyone can see my articles
And so
I started a blog
It was my last money – 2,000 phpI bough a domain name and hosting
I Bought God and You and built it. I committed my last money to God – I said “Lord, I just want to blog for you” And that’s exactly what I did. I wrote about the things I learned through my walk with God and shared it with other people. But I wanted more people to read these things. I wanted people to realize these truths I was learning for myself too!God helped me through it all – He led me to stumble upon SEO in my OJT.
SEO is search engine optimization – making sure your site is visible in the search engines. So that when someone searches for something and you have it in your website, you’ll get found – specifically on the first page. When those searchers click you – of course, they are already looking for your stuff – chances are, they will be the exact traffic you want.I did SEO for the company I was working in on my OJT – and I applied all the techniques I was doing on my own website. At the same time, I learned more and more about SEO as no one was really guiding me in that company. The SEO Manager resigned a week after I came in, and it was up to me to do all the SEO work for 5 different clients.
I left my OJT and God and You was gaining more search traffic and scoring higher metrics on Google. I realized I can do SEO
Then it dawned on me – why not make it a business?God opened opportunities for me to earn from it.I will not tell you that it’s all hard work – because it’s not. It’s a matter of God’s sovereignty in your life – His opening doors for you and closing doors for you. His placing you in your family. In your school. In your course, etc.It took guidance from the Lord for me to make SEO a profession and then a business
Just a little background, my family is not rich – we are a middle income family. March 2010 I was already working in HP (A month after I graduated). My dad wanted me to build my career – he didn’t want me in business (he’s a businessman btw – his reason is for me to have a fallback if my business fails). I had a good salary, a great working environment… But I didn’t like what I was doing. Let’s face it, it’s hard to do work that you don’t like – even if it pays well.
So I prayed hard. I asked God for His leading – does He want me in HP and obey my dad or does He want me in business and continue SEO Hacker? My heart’s desire is leaning towards the latter. It was July - the fourth month I was in HP and the fifth month I’ve been doing SEO professionally.
I made a tough choice – I sacrificed that sweet, secure monthly income to leave for a business which I was growing on the side. God told me to leave HP and continue on with SEO Hacker. He made a way for me and my dad to reach an agreement – I already had a fallback – by that time, companies were hiring me for double my salary in HP to be their SEO specialist because they’ve read my blog (SEO Hacker) and seen my expertise in the field of SEO
I spent everyday studying SEO and testing principles, strategies and tricks out on my blogsite (SEO Hacker was created April 2010). I was spending more and more time honing my craft and my knowledge of the SEO industry.
In time, God gave me clients to work with – some were hard earned clients, and yet some were miracle clients just popping out of nowhere and asking our company for our services.
God’s sovereignty in your life is not a matter of your choice – it was God’s choice to put you where you are now. Your free will is contained in His sovereignty.
Remember the 10,000 hours of practice? Keep on practicing what you want to be good at.
Developing yourself involves these things – and we’ll go through them one by one
My passion is writing and computer games – God made a way for those 2 things to go hand in hand through SEO. Several other passions were sparked on my journey as an SEO specialist and business owner such as marketing in general and social media marketing.Follow your passion – keep investing in it. If you put enough time and practice honing your craft, sooner or later the world will recognize you and pay you for it.
Predicting what will happen at least in your industry – and knowing what you can do about itVision Leaks – you always have to fill it by sharing it with other people and immersing yourself more in your visionWhen I was envisioning our first office, I was talking about it with several other people and I immersed myself by already canvassing on office furniture even when I didn’t really have the budget
Always remember that this world needs people who are strong enough to act beyond their capabilities because they believe in something. I want to have my own building someday for SEO Hacker – I believe it can happen by God’s grace – I will pursue that goal and work hard towards that hope.Fuel your hope – even small ones.
Always know that if you are working and developing yourself like how others are, you will sooner than later be average. That one more hour everyday might just be what will differentiate you to be a star player.
Always ask yourself – In light of my current situation, is this the wisest thing to do?If not, Don’t. Others can --- but you may not. Discipline requires sacrifice. This breeds leadership. If people see that, they will follow you.Discipline to read booksTo study your marketTo Delay gratification of buying something or resting
Keep on learning – always have a never-ending quest for wisdom. In this life, your potential to learn is limitless. Chances are, until you die, you can keep learning.Pursue wisdom – read books a lot of books. Not fantasy fiction novels or love story books. Read self-help books about where you want to be in your career or business. Read about leadership, financial intelligence, and other self help books. I recommend starting with John Maxwell
The hardest job in this world is ministry – helping people out in their needs spiritually and otherwise. Jesus was the busiest man when He was alive. And yet he always made time to pray. Oh no, it wasn’t his spare time – he really made time. Slipped out of the crowd, woke up early in the morning, went fasting and praying in the desert. He knew the importance of prayer. In your business and career – chances are, you are going to be a lot less busier than how Jesus was – never forget to pray to God and ask Him for guidance in developing yourself
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.Give Back to God because all we have is His. We own nothing and we will die with nothing. Giving back to God has a promise“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”Not because God needs it but because it shows loyalty and faith that He is able to provide. It also loosens your grip to your success and worldly things that are so easy to get attached to.
The world will only reward those who are exceptionalAnd God will only reward those who are faithful