blogging – Page 9 – Success Strategies

What Does It Take To Be A Good Writer?

Don’t Waste Time Trying to Please People. -Stephen King.

Wanting to do their best work, new writers are naturally anxious. They ask questions. They probe. They Gorge. They sweat. It’s hoped they sweat while writing and not about how to start. Stephen King in his memoir titled “On Writing” stressed don’t waste time trying to please people. Indeed this is applicable in many situations as individuals attempt to develop their own Identity.

In a public authors forum, the question was asked “What does it take to be a good writer?” Writers chimed in. Here I share a few of their responses.

Writers…On Writing

Read a lot. Write, write a lot
Patience and Perseverance
Finding the connection between your soul and your writing hand. It will require a number of disciplines like grammar, voice, tense and genre. But the key is opening your spirit to the process. Make your writing not a craft, but an empowered purpose in your life.
An empathetic love of both stories and storytelling
To keep writing
Write something. Publish it. Learn from mistakes. Grow
A unique voice telling an untold story that everyone wants to hear
Passion, and drive, as well as supportive people in your life
Persistence, then creativity, then literacy, finally intelligence
Vision, creativity, persistence, stubbornness, patience, a thick skin
Natural ability
Practice, practice, practice, and more practice
Honesty, passion, and courage
A moment alone. A moment alone is where it starts
Willingness to receive critical feedback
Time, focus, imagination
Personal passion, self-confidence, resilience to get it done, and never give up
A good editor
Tenacity
Life experiences and a love for it. Put your heart and soul in it
The ‘write’ attitude
Learn, then learn more. Accept first that you always need to grow
Finish even when you hate it. Even when you don’t want to. Even when you’re uninspired.

Rather Interesting thoughts from authors. Can you add any? Is there any that you would omit? Do share.

Want to plan your writing goals? Join us as we retreat.

Cheers!

Chances: Try. Don’t Miss ‘em

Identity

How The Mind of an Entrepreneur Differs From That Of A Manager…

There’s a difference between the way in which an entrepreneur thinks and how a Manager thinks. How do they differ? The mind of a manager stays on the job mainly for the duration of his/her time at work…the time they are on the job. Though they may ‘carry home the work’, that’s done mainly out of fear-to please his/her boss… to do the Cacophony of things assigned.

On the other hand, the mind of an entrepreneur remains focused on entrepreneurship. Even while asleep the Entrepreneur is strategizing. They plan, think, strategize the next steps to boost the growth of their business.

As a manager, if you find yourself doing this, go start your own business. You’re an entrepreneur.

Need help? Let’s connect!

Cheers!

I Like! I Like! I Like ….

Assumptions close doors. Intrigue opens them – Sam Owen

As I look over the circus of things that I like, I find that they Enlighten and intrigue. I realize that though I enjoy them and they bring me satisfaction, I find myself not doing them as much as I Expect, and in some cases at all. For over two decades I have been caught up in work, work, work. So this prompt helped me pull away and ponder the things I once enjoyed, or get to enjoy on rare occasions.

But even as I finalize and Release the list, I realize that life’s not promised. So I intend to start doing the things I like now, and stop leaving them for …one day soon.

That said, the things I like are:

People watch
Explore the world
Simple things
Enjoy a good laugh
Acting | Participating in drama presentations
Wearing a smile
See people mentored achieve their best potential
Watch movies
Write, ponder, reflect
Decorate the house
Go shopping
Watch HGTV | Travel channel
Learn new things
Read
Cook
Enjoy the company of my two young adult kids
Dream of Venice | Alaska
People watch in downtown Disney, Washington DC Parks
Watch the waves by the beach
Nature – stare at birds, squirrels, and circus of trees
Christmas Lights
Look out at the horizon from a hill or mountain
Capturing candid photos (new experience)
Finding a new route after getting lost in a new place (yikes!)
Quiet time
Solving an Aged mystery or a problem
New baby hugs
Listening to that Still Small Voice Of Faith

Share any of the things listed? Can you add any?

Cheers!

Celebrate Achiever, Celebrate in 13 Ways

The most beautiful things are not associated with money; they are memories and moments. If you don’t celebrate those, they can pass you by. – Alek Wek

I love challenges. I set goals, and do everything to accomplish them. Then when I do, I move on to the next goal. As the head of Head of Human Resources for many years, I relentlessly celebrated the achievement of others on the job, but I never stopped to celebrate my own personal achievements. In recent years I came to value the importance of celebrating life’s triumphs. I guess it comes with maturity. There is something gratifying to it. Besides, it leaves a lasting legacy on those close to me.

Oh how to celebrate? The question was asked and many Bravely Expressed and jumped in. But I found Sarah Starrs list of ways to celebrate insightful. Here I share my top favs!

13 Ideas To Celebrate Achievements:

Make a booking at a restaurant you’ve always wanted to eat at.
Invite all of your friends over for a pot luck and before you sit down to eat, go around and ask everyone to brag about something (big or small) that they’ve achieved recently.
Spend an entire day doing whatever you find most relaxing.
Dance! Honouring our emotions through movement is powerful.
Write a list of everything you learned from this experience.
Start success journal.
Spread the love: offer to help someone who is chasing a similar dream.
Write a blog post outlining how you achieved your goal.
Take a selfie to memorialize the big moment. Share on Instagram
Get dressed up… just because.
Have a staycation and spend some time exploring and enjoying all that your city has to offer.
Write a letter of gratitude to someone who helped you get there.
Take a few long, deep breaths and ask yourself: what does celebrating look and feel like to you?

Need help setting Goals? A mentor or coach can help. You’d be wise to get started and not forget to celebrate small and big wins.

Cheers!

Be Brave Writers…

Brave

Entrepreneurs’ Dilemma…How Can I Reach More Clients?

How Can I Reach More Clients in My Local Community?

The new entrepreneur often asks the question…”how can I reach more clients?” Marc Bowness posed the question on their behalf to gather feedback for their Interest and use. Many replied. Here are a few:

Run local workshops. Speak to local groups (e.g. Rotary). Get involved in the Community. Joint Venture with other businesses.
You can easily target your ideal clients locally via Facebook Ads and easily catch their attention with something that is super relevant and interesting to them.
You can follow the blueprint of Webinars that sell. However, rather than hosting an online event, you can demonstrate your ability to help them by actually helping in a live setting.
Get them to register for a FREE workshop in your community, then send them lots of value …#indoctrination before the event to build even more goodwill/affinity. Then remind them of why they really wanted to attend the event and what they will get out of it.
Partner with someone who has same target market in your local area and run workshops for their clients. Facebook Ads targeting your local area to give massive value online and also to promote any workshop or event you run …maybe some gyms, mom’s groups etc
Run meetups. Join with local council for events. Do pop ups at markets or local events. Approach schools, partner with local cafe, etc.
Offer FREE coffee at a local cafe, then have people write their emails down. Partner with others and offer a goodie bag with other gifts and details.
Put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes. Who are they? What problems are they trying to solve? Where do they spend their time (online/offline)? Then position yourself in these locations.
Attend events. Ask questions. Ditch the pitch and just ask.
Ask for business cards and have a follow-up system (write a note on the back to followup with intro)
Don’t go to an event for the first time and offer to present. Give event host a copy of your book and ask if there is anything you can do to help them.
Network at least once per week.

Not yet an entrepreneur but thinking about making the shift? Don’ Deny your dreams. Let’s connect!

Cheers!

Top 11 Goal-Setting Quotes That Inspire…

If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there

Just drive! Hit the road! It doesn’t matter where you’re going. Just drive! There’s not much to that. With no plan, anything you do will get you nowhere. But that’s more than likely not your intention. There’s more Interest and satisfaction for example when you plan your career, or a vacation…knowing exactly where you’re going; researching the cost of airfare, hotel accommodations, tours, not to mention the ton of fun you’ll get from the planning exercise itself!

Here are 11 Goal-Setting Quotes selected that will inspire you to achieve:

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight. – Jim Rohn
When you say ‘Yes” to others, Make sure you aren’t saying ‘No’ to yourself.
If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. -Jim Rohn
The greater danger for most of us isn’t that our aim is too high and miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. -Michelangelo
This one step…choosing a goal and sticking to it…changes everything. -Scott Reed
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
It’s not about the goal. It’s about becoming the type of person that can accomplish the goal. – Tony Robbins
If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan, but never the goal
People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. – Earl Nightingale
A goal should scare you a little, and excite you a lot. – Joe Vitale

CHALLENGE:

Adopted from MoveMe. Set one Goal that you can commit to achieve. Then, make sure you put it in a place where you can be reminded of it every day. For example, you could turn your goal into a poster and place it on your bedroom wall, or you could make your goal your smartphone background, or you could put your goal on your work desk – anywhere that you will see it often. Finally, try to tell somebody what you’re doing and tell them to hold you accountable. The power of accountability can never be overemphasized. When you have somebody to report to, you will be more likely to push through on days when you don’t feel like it and see your goals through to the end!

Need help? Let’s Connect

Me Time…

CNN headline news reported that a Mom left her Kids Alone at Home for a trip to Europe! Witty? Unbelievable? Hilarious? Crazy? Call it what you wish. But in this age of focus on self, it’s not uncommon to see people taking things a little too far (well…very far as in the case of Europe…no pun intended). Let’s make sure that we are not doing things for ourselves to the detriment of our own lives, and those of our loved ones. Now that mom will be jailed as a result of her time away. Read story here

Time Out

It’s important that we take time out. Whether it’s as a parent, entrepreneur, career professional, writer, or other. Taking a retreat will help you to refocus. This may be to attend a conference, group getaway, or self-retreat. That’s why we have planned a small group 2018 Goal-Setting Retreat at the beautiful Sanibel Beach Resort on Captiva Island in South Florida. Book your space now and put your goals into gear for next year.

Cheers!

First Things First…

Ever spent time searching for something that you know will not add any value to your day? The crazy perfectionist in me does that sometimes. Today, I searched for information and went crazy trying to find something that was like a needle in a haystack. I search, and searched, and searched. An hour later I said let me try this database just once more…maybe it’s here. Another hour later, another database…maybe it’s there. E-filing problem? Definitely!

The thing is …what I was searching for was just something that if I used it in a project, it would be a nice to thing to do. But that search lasted hours and I drew precious time away from the things I really needed to focus on.

Coming up I have a Launch, a presentation, book signing events, and group sessions that needed my attention. Yet….all these goals were lingering while I wasted time on the unimportant.

Putting First Things First

Has this ever happened to you? I’m sure (smile). But though it irks, we need to focus on the important things first, then the other things will eventually fall into place. To answer your Witty thoughts…no, I did not find the document I was searching for. But I was reminded of the principle of putting important things first before other things. Your goal maybe an entrepreneur venture, it may be financial, family, career, or other. But putting first things first, will help you get things done.

What about you? Have you ever experienced this? Do share! would love to hear.

Need help in managing your goals? Reserve your seat at the 2018 Goal-Setting Retreat

Cheers!

Success Is No Coincidence…

Success is no Coincidence. It’s the Result of Hard Work and Dedication.

Destiny: Is Your Passion Worth Dying For?

“the football field is the perfect place to die”.

CNN shared the findings that Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy ((CTE) disease was found in 99% of deceased ex-NFL players. A Rookie NFL 🏈 player said he is willing to die for the game. More directly he said “the football field is the perfect place to die”. Was he being insensitive? Possibly naive like a tethered Toothbrush? Arguments differ.

But it caused me to think …is your passion worth dying for? Substandard? Possibly….but what do you think?

Do share.