I’m adding a new title to my professional belt, and bringing your attention to a new aspect of my work. Author Business Mindset Teacher and Coach. I’ve been working on building my website into an educational hub for quite some time now. It started out several years ago with the Creative Literature Hall for Writers. It went the way many things go when a creator has a vision for what they want, but don’t have any idea how to make it happen. I’ve come a long way since then and things are finally starting to look how I wanted them to way back then.
I’ve been watching and working with a great number of authors coming up for a long time now and I’ve learned and seen a lot of things. I’m asked for help and advise on things, and when it comes to books, I’m still learning, but when it comes to business things, like organizing, building, maintaining, and professionalism, I’m a great resource for information. I’m also more keen on providing more permanent fixes to problems.
I’ve got answers, but people are people. They like to hear what they want to hear. Things like, the market is hard, but try this list of tricks or take this course, and you’ll be soaring in no time. They want to solve their problems now and don’t want to hear any hokey miracle shit, or that they are their own problem.
Thee problem with tips and tricks is that they work , but they are a band-aid on a bone deep cut. A temporary fix. It will solve the problem right now, but doesn’t keep it solved. A few weeks later, they are scouring the internet to solve that problem or another problem with a new tip or trick. It isn’t as helpful as they think it is.
I approach things a little differently. Mindset work. Not the what many would call the hokey meditation and manifestation approach. A practical, educational approach. I give practical tasks to complete that will change the mindset for you. We modify expectations and concepts so that tasks are less of a chore, and success happens more frequently.
I include a few customary tips and tricks, like sitting down to write every day, but the meat and potatoes is really is to change the way of thinking about things. The ultimate goal is to set expectations so they match reality, result in more victories and less disappointment, and reduce stress overall.
The process is simple, but it takes work on your part to do the tasks. I lean toward and apply them to writing aspects like , writer’s block, editing, marketing, and etc, but they can be applied to anything you struggle with. The results are profound.
Allow me to give you an example here. Take out a piece of paper and write down a task you loathe doing. Something like, doing the dishes or doing homework. Think about 3 reasons that you do it anyway. Be realistic and focus on why you do the task. Write them down.
For example, your paper might look something like this:
Doing the Dishes
I like walking into my kitchen and not seeing dishes piled up.
I like finding things where they belong when I go to look for them.
I like how accomplished I feel when there are no dishes piled up.
Now, hang that piece of paper up somewhere away from where you complete that task. Somewhere you will see it frequently as you pass by, but not like on the bathroom mirror where you will be bombarded by it every time you wash your hands. Then, go on about your business as usual for 7 days. Don’t ignore the paper, recall what is on it from time to time, but don’t stop and give it a read through every time you pass by.
At the end of the 7th day, sit down with that piece of paper and think about all the times you did the task this week. Ask yourself it if was a little easier to complete the task this week than usual.
Some tasks suck. They just do and you can’t positively think your way out of it. Repeating to yourself “Doing the dishes is great!” 1,000 times isn’t going to change it and make it great. So, trying to change the suck factor doesn’t help anything at all.
Subtly changing the focus and expectation about the task, like from I hate this task and having to do it is stupid to the task is necessary to get a result I can live with, can make all the difference.
I can tell you first hand that when you choose to become a writer, you take on a long list of disappointments and discouragement that you can’t control. Publishers, critics, and even people meaning well can be cruel. This is a reality of being a writer. You have to take the wins where you can get them, and sometimes, you have to create them yourself.
I can teach you how to do that. Check out the For Writer’s section here on the site, browse through the workshops and see if I cover any of the areas you are struggling with and try one. They are deeply discounted at $10.00 per workshopright now, but worth their weight in gold if you are struggling and can’t figure out how to get through it.
The discount is limited time only. On May 1st, they are going up to full price, $40.00 per workshop. I’ll email you a link to a live chat where you can ask questions and get answers in real time from Noon to 8pm 7 days a week when you order between now and May 1st. The live chat for the workshops won’t be available after that.
Check them out.
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