Did you know the TED website is a mountain of inspiration for bloggers?

If you are ever stuck for something to write about, need a different angle on a business idea or would just like another view on life. I’m certain you’ll find it there.

This lunchtime I was procrastinating over my next blog post; to kick start myself into action I chose a random video on TED.

This is where I came across Richard St. John and his talk about success. Richard is the author of The 8 Traits Successful People Have In Common and is a “serial success” in his own right. A milionaire entrepenuer, with a black belt in Judo, 50 marathons to his name and having reached the summit on 2 of the world’s highest mountains, the guy is Mr. Success.

In his talk he takes us through the 8 traits of success, gained from 10 years of interviews with over 500 people, all in just 3 mintues!

Whilst watching it I recognised a reflection of good blogging practise; the things we write about and encourage others to do every day online:

1. Passion

To blog successfully you must have passion about your subject matter. It’s what keeps you running on empty, the keyboard clicking into the early hours and the relentless shipping of blog posts regardless of reward.

2. Work

Blogging is hard work. That virtual lifestyle, passive income or 4 hour work week, it’s all attainable, but to get it you have to put in the hours. You know what though, by the time you get any good at it you won’t notice how hard you’re working.

3. Focus

To keep on track and blog on a daily basis takes focus. Blogging isn’t just about the writing, it’s about networking and engagement. To do this well and consistently, to give enough time to each area requires you to have a focus on the task at hand.

4. Persist

You have got to keep going. When your last post flops or nobody Re-Tweets your link, you need to have the stubbornness to shrug it off and carry on regardless. Through persistence you will break through the invisible wall, the other side of which is a downhill ride.

5. Ideas

Learn to be creative, you’ll need to generate idea after idea. A lot of bloggers fail because they run out of ideas. If you want to succeed you need to get good at spotting opportunities to comment. If you want an endless pool of ideas to draw upon, you need to read widely and often. Learn to notice the world around you, how it impacts on your area of interest, take extensive notes.

6. Good

Not only do you need passion for your subject matter you also need to be proficient at it. The web is full of bloggers writing about how to make money online, most of which have never made a penny. Avoid giving advice on things you know little about, you stand a chance of getting found out. Nothing will destroy your credibility quicker. If necessary study your subject matter, blog about your journey, make it real.

7. Push

Push the boundaries of your abilities, if you’re blogging 3 times a week try blogging daily. Set yourself targets for comments, subscribers and page views. Improve your writing skills, vary the type of posts you write, set yourself challenges and offer to do talks for free. It all helps you maintain interest and stops you from getting complacent. Live outside your comfort zone, permanently.

8. Serve

Before you can expect to receive anything from your efforts you need to give, and give without condition. Continualy help others to get where they want to go, serve them well and before you know it you will be rewarded many times over.

The main theme that runs through all of this is passion; if you have passion for what you do in abundance, the pathway to success is easy. Enjoy the video and be inspired:

What will you watch on TED today?

If you are starting out with a blog for the first time then this free guide on How to Start a Blog may come in handy.