Tag: writing

    Journal Entry – What’s your Why?

    Some people think your Why is you are on the internet because you want to make money.

    That is wrong.

    You are not on the internet to make money. There are easier ways to make money. 🙂

    You are on the internet because you want to improve your life.

    Whether you want to have income coming in to your bank account  so you can work less and enjoy your hobbies.

    Whether you want income coming in to your life so you can help your children go to college or help your children to afford their own home.

    Whether you have an “urge” to share your wisdom so others don’t have to go through health challenges you have had in your life.

    Whether you want to help because the act of helping gives you an emotionally positive feeling when you know you have helped others.

    Your Why is what gets you out of bed each morning to get onto the internet to make some money.

    Your Why can be you want to share your writings with the world.

    Your Why may be an urgent need to get some revenue to pay bills that are piling up in your life.

    Your Why is the reason you get out of bed each morning to go and earn some revenue in order to answer your Why.

    Defining Your Why will make it easier to prioritze what you do each day.

    When you first hung out your virtual shingle, you likely were thinking:

    • “I can’t wait to get away from this awful job.”
    • “I just want to be home with my kids.”
    • “This dead-end job is going nowhere.”
    • “I’m tired of working crazy hours and holidays.”
    • “I know I’m worth more than they’re paying me.”

    These and many, many other thoughts go through the heads of every would-be business owner, and are often the driving force behind that final, “I quit.”

    But while they’re great for lighting a fire and inspiring you to make a scary jump to business ownership, they’re not so fabulous at motivating you to grow and improve. They won’t inspire you to increase your skills and raise your rates and be brave and authentic in your marketing. They won’t help you find the courage to hire a new coach or launch a brand new program.

    To find the inspiration to make your business thrive, you have to identify the real why behind what you do.

    Passionate Whys

    “Passion based” is a phrase that’s found a massive following in the past few years, and seems to be the holy grail of entrepreneurial adventures. And for business owners with a true passion for their field, it can be a strong motivator.

    Some business owners are passionate about a subject, spending all their waking hours learning about the topic. Some are passionate about a market, and would do anything to help their ideal client achieve his or her goals.

    Whichever type of passion-based business owner you are, learning to harness that passion will help take your business to the next level.

    Financial Whys

    Maybe you want to retire at 40 to travel the world, or send your kids to an elite private school. Maybe you love fast cars, and dream of driving a brand new Ferrari.

    Whatever your big dream, you knew you’d never make it while putting in time at the day job. While everyone seems to go on and on about those passion-based dreams, the truth is there’s nothing wrong with wanting financial fulfillment. Money is a necessary tool. We need it, and the more we have, the easier life is. And wanting more of it is nothing to be ashamed of, as long as you maintain your integrity and authenticity in pursuit of it.

    Philanthropic Whys

    Plenty of online business owners go into business so they can have more to give. You’ve no doubt heard of—or maybe even know—marketers who use their earnings to fund mission trips, build schools in war-torn, third world countries, and support a variety of charities at home and abroad. Others use the time freedom they’ve built into their business to volunteer with local hospitals, animal shelters and children’s organizations.

    If you have a heart for a cause, a philanthropic why might be the driving force that takes your business to the next level.

    To find your own why, consider your biggest dreams. If money were no object, what would you be doing?

    Categories: Journal, To Write Tags: Tags: , ,

    Day Zero – Do a Journal Post per day challenge

    pen in hand writing in a book day zero

    In a way to increase my writing, I am going to challenge myself to write each day about my internet activities.

    Yesterday, it was Victoria Day, so I had a day off from work.  I have some pressure to get clicks on my email and social media posts. When I signed up for Proven Email Formula, I don’t remember any mention of doing a giveaway but it was the first thing we did.

    So I had my book “7 Steps to produce your first show” as a freebie but it is very niche-related. It is for people who know they need to get more visible on the internet.

    So I created an email where I screwed up the shortlink by adding a period in the hyperlink so it gave a 404 error. Also, I have two affiliate links for the giveaway so that’s going to confuse.  When I sent a sample email given for the giveaway – swipe mail- I made a mistake and I copy/pasted the Hi [first name] into my email that is what showed once I sent the email.

    So, I learned

    1. Never to copy/paste code as it just shows as text.
    2. Keep the hyperlinked short link separate from surrounding text so you don’t capture a period.

    Another issue with my website was my SimpleClick Tracker wouldn’t add any new shortlinks into it ‘s system. It’s probably a conflict with one of the other plugins or the ?  I turned off the latest plugins that were added but it didn’t stop the issue.  So, I added Pretty Links in which was quick and easy. Even though it is been years since the last time Pretty Links was added there were old shortlinks in it with the stats on the number of clicks history.

    The website is so large with 700 posts, mostly video, that I have to pay for a larger server. Nothing I can do about it as each Facebook broadcast gets put on the website. Then if I was to delete the Facebook plugin, I would have 500 empty posts!  So, I need to finish editing the HOME page so it links to other websites based on topic.

    T0 do this week:

    1. Finish the look of the HOME page for the website.
    2. Do a social media post every day.
    Categories: Journal Tags: Tags: , , ,

    5 Tips on How to Learn How to Write

    Can Anyone Learn to Write?

    This is a question that gets asked frequently, so is it really possible for anyone to learn how to write? Most people assume that you must have a certain knack to be a writer. While it is true that certain people do posses a flair for writing, it is something which anyone can do.

    Of course it helps if you have the desire to want to become a better writer. As with learning anything new those students who are motivated and driven will learn better than those who have no desire to learn.

    A quick search online will bring up tons of writing tips and suggestions on how to write faster and produce more content. Some of these tips are extremely useful and helpful while others are not. Let’s take a quick look at some of the top writing tips.

    1. Make time to practice writing each day – this is probably the best advice anyone can give you. It is true that the more you write the better you become. So set aside some time each day and get writing.

    2. Read every day – another great tip which is definitely helpful. By exposing your mind to fresh content daily your vocabulary and your knowledge increases.

    3. Be prepared to write lots of drafts – this is again very true and something that you must get used to doing. By rewriting your work you are improving it each time. What may have started out as a vague idea can easily be turned into a compelling piece of content.

    4. Edit and proofread – valuable tips and something that every writer should get into the habit of doing. By editing your work you can find silly mistakes such as writing breast instead of beast. Plus you can check the flow and meaning of your work as well. Always edit your work after it has sat unopened for at least one day.

    5. Research and check facts – another helpful tip. Researching your content can help you state accurate facts and figures in your work. There would be nothing more embarrassing than quoting a wrong saying or date in your work. Researching is also a great way of discovering new topics to write about.

    As you can see it is not difficult to put these 5 tips into action. As long as you have the motivation to learn there is absolutely no reason why you can’t become a published author.

     

    Categories: Writing Tags: Tags: ,

    Adding Your Personality to your Writing

    taking a walk

    Adding Personality to Your Writing, Yes Please!

    It is quite easy to write a short article on almost any subject these days, but have you thought about adding some of your own experiences into your articles?

    When you inject personality into your writing it can take on a whole new life.

    Today is a Friday and I’m thinking about what to do this weekend.

    What long walk can I take the dogs on so I can lose weight without damaging my knees? It is supposed to be the hottest day of the year so if we go at 7 a.m., I shouldn’t sweat too much.  The dogs, Angus, my Cairn Terrier and Cookie, my California Rescue pinscher chihuahua cross look at me with imploring eyes and wagging their tails in the morning as they know we are going exploring. (Will have to add a video here. 🙂 )   Some days, I disappoint them as it is raining heavily or it is “Garbage Day” with several garbage trucks zooming around our streets but other days…. when we turn right down the path and on to the long stretch of road that lasts, they know it is a good day 🙂 . 

    The minute you start writing about something that has personally happened to you, you start using words which convey more feelings. The reader picks up on these and can identify with them. This also helps build a connection between the reader and you, which is definitely a good thing!

    Let’s say you were writing an article on having to make a decision about putting your dog to sleep. If you have been through this you can add more feeling and depth to your article. Instead of reading like a factual article, your article will become a short story and deal with the heart break of having to make this kind of decision.

    Readers love to feel an emotional connection to whatever they are reading. If they can feel your struggles and pain they immediately feel the same way. By the time they have finished reading they will remember your name and want to read more of your work.

    Some writers stay away from adding that personal touch to their work. Yes, it can be difficult to include some experiences. This is especially true for those experiences that evoke unpleasant reactions such as losing a loved one.

    On the upside though, you are letting the human side of you come to the surface. You have allowed your vulnerability to come through and honestly, readers love this!

    Of course you don’t have to write heart breaking stories all the time. It would be very draining to do so on a regular basis. Instead draw from some of your experiences so that you can add those deeper feelings into your content. May be you have struggled to lose weight at some point. Talk about it and remember the way you felt frustrated and how you found the motivation to keep going.

    When readers identify with your work they are more likely to become a loyal reader. This means that they may subscribe to your RSS feed or they may sign up to your newsletter. When this happens they are letting you know that they want to hear more from you.

    If you haven’t opened yourself up and let your personality come through why not try it the next time you write?

    To get weekly tips on writing sign up here.

    &

    nbsp;

    Categories: Writing Tags: Tags: , , ,

    Writing Strategies for Blog Posts

    notepad and ink pen

    The more you blog, the quicker you’ll grow at writing effective, punchy blog posts.

    Eliminate distractions

    Disconnect from the internet and don’t go near Facebook.  Turn off the ringer on your phone.  Shut your home office door, if you can.  Put up a “Do Not Disturb ” sign.  Use “Full Width” setting in your computer writing software or WordPress so you aren’t distracted by what tags or category you need and H1 or H2 to make the words pretty.

    Tell the kids it is “Writing Time.”

    Bribe the kids with one hour of computer time games before school.  Prepare lunches the night before.  Put an alarm clock on for 30 minutes writing time.  Get up at 5 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. each morning for time to write in your pajamas. Write about your pajama time!  You don’t need to watch “Real Housewives” with the kids.

    Go in the back room and shut the door! Set up a table in the bedroom with your computer or even just paper and pen.  Keep everyone away from this table and keep every pen and where you finished writing off on the computer  ready for you to sit down and just write!

    Pick the same time every day

    Try to pick your ideal time of day to write – for example, at 9:30 a.m. , when you’ve got that freshly-made cup of coffee sitting on your desk, the kids are safely in school and the dog is fast asleep after his morning walk.

    Or as mentioned before, get up while everyone is sleeping, brush your teeth and sit down at the kitchen table and write for an hour with a cup of coffee. Your family will be amazed at how much writing you are getting done even if you aren’t happy with it. It is the habit of writing and of thinking about writing which will get your brain awake and doing the good writing.

    Make that time slot sacred.  You’ll be amazed at how easy it becomes to start writing creatively, when it’s a daily habit.  You can become conditioned to be ready to write by making sure you pick the same time or the same day of the week. If your brain knows it is 5 a.m. so wake up your writing muse, it will become easier to write, write and write.

    More writing strategies tomorrow as I do my own Writing Strategies Blog Challenge with 30 days with 30 posts..see I am making it a habit. 🙂

    For more on writing, opt in for “52 Weekly Writing Tips” sent by email with your name and email and get in the habit of writing!   here

    Categories: Writing Tags: Tags: , , ,