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While this is a GREAT trait to have, the downside is that our confidence can sometimes get shaken when we are pulled in too many directions and things start falling apart. Add to that the fact that we are ALWAYS reaching for bigger and bigger things, and we see quickly that we start LIVING outside of our comfort zone.

Today I decided it would be a good idea to step back from the reaching and take some time to build up our confidence. To do that I want to share with you 3 things that I do [or try to do] that help me when I’m feeling overwhelmed.

1. Write a short, reasonable list of things to do today. For example, today I need to return a phone call, email 3 people who wanted a quote from me on doing projects, reply to my designer on a book I wrote, send an invoice and write this blog. Anything I do beyond that is gravy. This is a manageable list of tasks that bring in revenue [the invoice], help grow the company [the bids], serve others [the phone call], create streams of revenue [my designer’s question on my book], and markets me [this blog]. I’m working a full day, but I only scheduled about ½ of it. That allows me to have interruptions, breaks, and follow research trails while still feeling a sense of accomplishment from work.
2. Achieve PERSONAL goals. For me this has been taking 1 “trouble spot” in my home each weekend and dealing with it. So far NONE of these projects have cost money. The first week it was cleaning the homeschooling corner/bookshelf in our homeschooling room. The next week it was cleaning off that surface in my house that seems to catch EVERY piece of paper. The next was cleaning out my closet. This past weekend we found a new place to store all of our board games and reorganized the hundreds of teaching CDs and DVDs I’ve accumulated over the last 8 years. By taking control of one area of my house at a time I’m setting a great example for my kids and I’m feeling accomplishments. I also have a daily, visible reminder that I set a goal and reached it. Finally, it allows me to get my eyes off of work all of the time.
3. Limit the time you’re allowed to work. While this may seem counter intuitive, you will take as much time as you have to complete a task. I must have this blog done 6 minutes from now if I want my assistant to get it posted and up on the correct day. If I don’t, I’ll either have to post it myself [which I hate doing] or it will go up late [which I also hate]. I am not a procrastinator, I just have limited time to get things done. You know the funny thing? I actually get 95% of my stuff done even with limiting myself to working 4 days a week [Friday I attend classes to continue to learn in our industry]. When I gave myself 7 days a week, 12-16 hours a day I got only SLIGHTLY more than I get done now with about 35 hours a week. I have to focus on what is most efficient and trust others to help me.

So, what can you do to build your own confidence? Maybe it is attacking that problem that sits out there, intimidating you. Maybe it is having that tough conversation. Whatever it is, dig in to it.

In closing, despite all that I’ve said here, remember that your worth is not found in your accomplishments, it is found in who you are. Take time to spend real time with those who celebrate you. I decided a few months ago that I would NOT sacrifice those who matter most for those who matter least. You’ve heard me blog on this before, but I want to say it again. When you are feeling good about yourself, they will see it too. You’re better to be around. So, go for it. Apply these three things to your schedule and get ready to build your confidence.

One other thing that might build your confidence, the spring forward proposal writing contest. If you’ve ever thought of writing a book [or just got the idea] this is for you! The top prize is $750 gift certificate. Every, single person who submits a qualifying entry will get a $75 gift certificate. Full details coming this week.

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter, The Writing Career Coach

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

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WOW!! Does that limit the imagination! I mean, honestly, no one really thinks they HAVE money. I know people earning over $100,000 as a couple who feel like they’re perpetually broke. I know others who think they’ll be rich if they are earning $25,000 a year. Writers would be thrilled to earn ½ that on a book in many cases.

So, no matter your definition of a “limited” budget, I wanted to give a few ideas that I’ve used over the years of growing and contracting budgets. For those of you who DON’T know my story, my husband was diagnosed with cancer in December 2005, just 8 months after bringing home a special needs child from Russia. For the next couple of years he either couldn’t work or couldn’t work much. My writing wasn’t earning us much more than a couple hundred dollars.

That doesn’t seem like the right time to launch, does it? How about if I tell you that I opened my company in May 2007 when we had $165 to our NAME!

Well, while it may not make the ideal conditions to start a company, it does show that you REALLY don’t need huge sums of money in order to build a strong company. So, here are a few things I learned.

1.  Do SOMETHING! My first employee posted blogs for me for $20/month. I took $5/week from my grocery money to pay her. In under 6 months she was earning over $100/month because the consistent posting of my blog was generating more and more attention and, thus, business. So, don’t be limited by what you cannot do. Make a move!
2. Build from there. I love teaching what I call “incremental marketing”. This works really well if you sell products or are a book author. Designate a specific amount of money that goes to buying your start up products. Let’s say, $100. Then buy what you can with that. As soon as you’ve earned back that $100, then stick that money in an envelope for the next time you need to replenish that product. Go ahead and spend the profit. Let’s imagine you buy your books at $5 each and sell them for $15. If you start with $100 then you can buy 20 copies. You only need to sell 7 copies before you have profit. SO, after that 7^th book, put all the money aside and the money from the other 13 books. If you sell 10 and realize you need more, you have that $100 you set aside [remember it].In this way, you can continue to have money when you need it and you don’t overspend by getting emotional.
3. Focus on what you CAN do, not on what you CAN’T. See, the reality is your own limiting thoughts stop you more often than genuine problems. Try to find ways around, over and through obstacles. They’ll help you, and down the line may help your consulting career.

So, what really is a limited budget? It is whatever you define it as. I’ve had as little as zero, then $20, then $100. Now my monthly base expenses for my company are about ½ what I earned in the first few years of my writing.

The key is to take away the limiting thoughts and the blinders and take a small, single step. I hope these have been helpful. For more ideas, click the Webinar tab to watch some free training on this topic.

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter, The Writing Career Coach

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

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1. What message are you trying to convey?
2. What action/response are you trying to get after they read this?
3. Who are you writing it to?

Okay, I’m sure some of you out there are already arguing that there are more things to consider, but let’s be honest. Without these three, you really aren’t going to know where to begin. Strong content is not determined by word count, it is determined by the take away. That is why LISTS are so incredibly popular. They force you to condense things into very short bursts that are then easily actionable.

What are you trying to convey by the content that you’re providing? Are you trying to share new information? Are you trying to persuade them to make an opinion one way or another? What is your overall goal of the text?

The answers to these questions will help focus your writing. If you simply want to inform, your word choices will be very demonstrative. You’ll not clutter the argument with lots of counter arguments or other things. You’ll provide information emphatically.

If, on the other hand, you’re trying to persuade, then you’ll probably compare and contrast options and sandwich your argument in a way that leads the reader to agreeing with you. If you did the standard 5 paragraph essays in school then you’re familiar with persuasive writing on some level.

Remember, persuasive writing isn’t always combative. You can try to persuade a person why your favorite restaurant is great simply by sharing what you like most about it and why.

This leads in to the third part of writing strong content, and that is remembering your audience. It would be inappropriate to speak casually in an academic or very professional setting. You’ll come across as less intelligent [sorry, but it is reality]. If, however, you write your normally chatty blog in 3^rd person or said, “One” instead of “I”, you’ll come off stuffy. If I told people to keep working on their MS, am I talking about writing or a disease? It will depend on the people I’m writing to.

Strong content, as you can see, simply boils down to effective communication. If you know what you want to say, why and to whom, then the foundation is there for connecting with your reader.

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter, The Writing Career Coach

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

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I hear this comment at nearly EVERY writing contest I speak at. I also get emails from writers of all levels saying something similar. That is why I’m making this the topic of my next free webinar. As always, the webinar will be free and registration is required in order to join the event. We will also post the archive of the webinar a couple of days after the webinar for those who cannot attend or if you’d like to post the link to your blog, website or social media.

In this training I talk about the common questions on:

• Getting support from family.
• Questions on Time Management
• Myths writers believe that short-circuit their writing career

We will also address real solutions, proactive solutions, that will get you on the right track to writing success.

Presenter Tiffany Colter is the author of dozens of books, webinars, CDs, and DVDs on earning a living with writing as well as time management, business systems, and marketing.

This webinar will run approximately 30 minutes and there will be time for questions. The class is limited to the first 25 people who register using this link.

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter, The Writing Career Coach

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

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What if you don’t like it as well?

What if others don’t like it?

When you’re in business, you face these same issues. Whenever you step out to do something new you face the possibility—sometimes the probability—that you won’t be good at it. You will make mistakes. Sometimes, even when you’re good at it, people will reject you and tell others about it.

It can be scary.

But that doesn’t mean you should quit.

I love reading about the lives of successful people. One that people like to focus in on a great deal is Thomas Edison. He is known for so many amazing inventions. The thing of it is, however, he was able to conduct his failures in private—away from the prying eyes of the public.

For business owners and writers, however, the failure is many times much more visible. Websites and television shows are devoted to the worst mistakes people make. We like to laugh at famous examples of the Chevy Nova not selling in Mexico or NEW COKE.

But you know something? At least they tried. They took a gamble. They did something new.

What if Susan Boyle had never stepped on stage 3 years ago and took the UK (and the world) by storm. Her chilling entry, “I Dreamed a Dream” was all about the life unlived. She stepped in front of the world after having said her only fan previously was her cat.

She is a great example. Shortly after her discovery footage came out of other times she’d sang and wasn’t recognized. She’d “failed”. Really, she’d only failed to be recognized.

So, don’t be afraid to step out and expand in your business and writing. Don’t be afraid to try speaking or writing in a new genre or to release a new product. You are not guaranteed success if you try, but you’re guaranteed failure if you don’t.

And if you don’t succeed, try, try again. It is the only path to success.

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter, The Writing Career Coach

Are you getting our free webinars? Are you hearing about live events? Keep watching our website. We’ll announce upcoming events on the blog. And when you hear about them, tell others.

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

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Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

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I recently contacted a group of over 2,000 writers worldwide and asked what topic they most wanted to me to address. The answer I received was about the issues covered in women’s fiction.

So, how do I feel about this topic?

I have mixed thoughts. On the one hand, I love that inspirational fiction often allows me to give books to my teenage daughter without fear that she’ll be exposed to vulgar language or graphic details.

On the other hand, we live in a fallen world. Many times inspirational fiction [or even fiction in general] has allowed me to see things that needed to be worked out of me. By living the life of a character I was able to walk through deep pain in a “safe place”. While I was wondering why a certain character kept making stupid mistakes, I realized that I did the same thing.

Does that make sense?

Fiction can be transformational. That is what I love about it.

Therefore, I really wish that inspirational fiction would do more to deal with real issues. Not all people are saved. Not all unsaved people are bad. Not all saved people are kind. Some Christians lie! [something some inspirational publishers will not allow in a book.]

Until we deal with real issues there will be a huge part of our demographic who are not able to experience the healing that can come from fiction.

Also, many people will be turned off by characters who are too perfect.

Does that mean I want the f-bomb dropped in the middle of a Christian Spec-Fiction novel? NO!

I really don’t think we NEED to have cussing necessarily, but as Stephen King would argue, sometimes it is stupid to have a bad guy stub his toe and say, “Oh, Sugar!” What is ridiculous is when we are not only prevented from dealing with real issues, but also dealing with them in real ways.

“Oh my goodness!!” is not a cussword.

Having sex outside of marriage will not take a saved person and throw them in the pit of hell any faster than a church elder talking ugly about their pastor after service.

When we are unwilling to address real issues in real ways that our reader can truly relate to we are surrendering that demographic.

We don’t need to preach at people. I never want to read a novel that stops the story to preach me a 3 point sermon. I am a Christian. I read my Bible almost every, single day. I want to live a life that reflects the love of Jesus. I do NOT want to be preached at in a book. Whether that preaching is Christianity or environmentalism.

So, I’m not advocating here that we turn the genre into a self-help off shoot. Sometimes we just want a great story. One that doesn’t have a character that tries to fix the reader. One that just has a fun adventure.

I hope this makes some semblance of sense. I’d love to hear your thoughts here or on our Writing Career Coach FaceBook Page.

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter, The Writing Career Coach

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

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• If you’re a florist, your understanding of flowers, colors and seasons would dazzle most of us.
• If you repair cars, your ability to diagnose a problem is akin to many doctors.
• If you write books, you’ve learned about people, cultures and topics that some of us may never have heard of.

But you keep all of this information bottled up in your mind. Instead, people start blogs talking about their favorite restaurants or their daily chores.

When I started Writing Career Coach, I used to feel a constant need to prove myself to other people. I spent countless hours each week studying books, blogs, and magazines trying to learn all I could on my topics. Then I’d talk to a client on the phone and feel that I needed to “prove” I was worth working with by spilling everything I knew.

Many people hired me. Many more took all of my ideas, did it themselves and made lots of money.

It took a couple of years of this cycle happening over and over until I realized I actually had something worth talking about. I had something worth compiling and selling. I had information that helped other people have a better life, earn more, sell more, and be happier.

You do to.

You have a wealth of information inside of you that could be used in marketing, website content, in webinars and in books.

These last two weeks I’ve looked over my company and my business model. I looked at what I really loved doing and what I spent a good deal of my time doing.

I also looked at the things I wanted to do, but had no time to do.

I’ve decided to start doing webinars and conference calls again. These are one of the most popular things I’ve ever done, but I stopped doing them a while back due to cost.

What do you do when you are limited by a circumstance? Find a way around it!

And that is what I did.

If you’d be interested in being a sponsor of one of our 4 Webinar series, contact me. It is very affordable and since the webinars will be available for free AND archived, there is long-term, residual exposure.

The webinars will be targeted at 4 different groups:

• Business Owners
• Writers
• Speakers/Business Developers/Consultants
• Students [public school, private school, homeschool and even some college topics]

I will post these on my blog with a link to sign up. Each group is limited to the first 100. I will also announce in my next newsletters the topics and the dates.

These webinars will be free and will run 20-35 minutes most days. For those who would like to dig deeper in a topic I’ll also offer longer webinars for a nominal fee.

I hope many of you will be inspired to look at what it is you’ve learned in your industry and how it can benefit those around you. And I hope to see all of you at future free webinars!

They’ll start in mid-April. Help get the word out by sharing this blog post and encouraging those you know to sign up for my newsletter and my blog.

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter, The Writing Career Coach

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

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The key to this is to tweak your message to focus on that group. I don’t mean lie [although unfortunately many people think marketing is nothing more than creative lying]. What I mean is focusing on the products and features that particular group will want to know about.

Let’s do an exercise together to see what this practically means for you. In order to demonstrate this I’ll use my business as an example. You do the same with your business.

Give an elevator speech:

Writing Career Coach teaches individuals, authors, speakers, businesses and writers how to use written communication to reach their target market.

That is great, right?

Maybe not. Do you really know what I could do for you? If you are a writer, what is it I’m offering?

I’ve given you a broad overview and hopefully made you want to know more. The next thing you’ll need to do is

you’ll need to list what those things are for each group.

Writers:

Editing

Coaching

Copy edits/critiques

Marketing ideas

Businesses:

Using Content marketing to market online and other places

Using your website more effectively

Creating products for your target customers

How word influence buying.

Speakers:

How to create books and products to increase back table sales

How to earn a living with speaking

Starting out as a speaker

Developing your brand

Individuals:

What is your dream?

Overcoming adversity to attain your goals

Becoming the person you thought you never could be.

These are just a few ideas on ways I use the larger topic to break it down in to smaller areas. Now do the same thing for business. In all of these areas I’m focusing on how the words will be used differently by different people and how the concepts of using written communication will be different for each group.

Once you’ve done that, work with your marketing or advertising person to implement your message for each group. This is actually the fun part because you’ll get to know the people you are serving. As that relationship develops you’ll learn even more ways to serve them and you’ll be able to better articulate how you can help.

This is a longer post this week, but I hope it was helpful. If you’d like help with this Writing Career Coach offers a number of products like Audio CDs and personalized coaching to help you with this. Also, read back through the archives. We have almost 5 years of knowledge available to you at no charge!

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter, The Writing Career Coach

Don’t miss a single posting! Subscribe here to receive these postings by e-mail. Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at writingcareercoach.com.

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