Added on April 17, 2021 in 30-Day Writing Challenge
A fellow writer and long-time friend of mine reached out yesterday to ask me about how I charge in my business. She went on to tell me that she has a tendency to "undersell" herself as a writer, still offering for the most part, entry-level pricing to clients who engage her. We DM'd back and forth for a while and she really got me thinking about business, pricing, and perceived and actual value. Know your worth When you're first starting out, it's a good idea to tread the waters. Feel it out. See what types of clients are coming your way and quote according to your experience, skill level and the market. In the beginning, my prices were far lower than they are now. (Naturally. Hey, if car insurance goes up every year even though nothing on your record has changed, why should service providers, who are perfecting their offering… Continue Reading »
Added on April 16, 2021 in 30-Day Writing Challenge
Take a step back and look at your life. Do you like your home? Are you happy with your career choice? Do you have a strong support network you can count on? How are your personal relationships? Are you and your partner in sync? Is single life all you want it to be? Do you feel fulfilled? Are you happy? Or... Are the days getting you down? Do you struggle with something? Is there no one you feel comfortable turning to for help? Do you feel lost? Alone? Sad? Unfulfilled? Evaluate Every so often, it's good to take a look. See your life for what it is and assess how you feel about it. This might take but a moment, or it may require a more deep dive into your existence. Whatever the requirement, get to the bottom of it. Life should feel like...well...life. You deserve to feel alive, well… Continue Reading »
Added on April 15, 2021 in 30-Day Writing Challenge
It's easy to become accustomed to saying certain things in a certain way. Let me give you an example. I want this...I don't have this...I have to do this... These phrases may sound all good and dandy to you, but if you look closely and pay attention to the way they sound, you may just see what I see: the fact that they each bring with them a slightly negative connotation. The simplest word changes in the world Do you know how powerful even a single word swap can be in a phrase? The entire feeling and sentiment behind the sentence alters right before you. Instead of "want" say "would like". (This is a big one with my kids.) "Mom, I want to leave now.""Mom, I would like to leave now." See the difference? Now, of course, ideally that second one also has the word "please" at the end, which… Continue Reading »
Added on April 14, 2021 in 30-Day Writing Challenge
It's the place where we eat, change our clothes, relax and rest our heads for sleep at the end of the day. It's the place where we have laughs, tears, screams, stories, cuddles, fights, conversations, love, peace and harmony. It's the place we always come back to, no matter where we are or what we're doing. It's the place that knows everything about us ... and we know everything about it. Feel good No matter what your home is to you, one thing is for certain. Big, small, new, old, stylish or waaaay old fashioned, our home is the place that makes us feel like nowhere else in this world. There are no words for it, but it's that indescribable comfy coziness you can't help but crave when you're not there. Funnily enough, if you're in it for too long, you'll feel the need to GET OUT! But watch out,… Continue Reading »
Added on April 13, 2021 in 30-Day Writing Challenge
Today. What do you really want out of today? Let's set aside the worldly dreams for a moment (which are wonderful and all, but this conversation is for right here, right now). The way you answer the question "what do you really want?" can, and should, dictate how you plan and spend your day. List off your things of importance We all have things that are important to us. These things of importance ought to shape and define the way we live our lives. If they do, that means we're fitting those things nicely into our daily routines because they matter to us. If they don't, we need to ask ourselves why. Why are the things that I find important NOT shaping and defining the way I live my life - and more importantly, what changes can I make to ensure that they do? Here are mine: Spending time with… Continue Reading »
Added on April 12, 2021 in 30-Day Writing Challenge
It happens. To all of us. There's no such thing as being happy, excited, elated, ecstatic, positively non-melancholy every single day. If the days you feel content outnumber the days you feel less-than-good, you're doing well! Better yet, if you can say you feel generally happy on most days, carry on! You're doing something right. Inevitably, however, there will come a melancholy day. Recognize it Denial? Forget about it. The first step is to see your melancholiness and look yourself right in the face. Yup, it's there alright. Say it out loud, if you need to. Yell it, perhaps. Write it down. Journal it. Do whatever it is you do to acknowledge its presence. Accept it There will be times when you can actually flip your whole day around. In these somewhat rare and awesome cases, a melancholy morning does not mean a melancholy afternoon. You manage to recognize your… Continue Reading »
Added on April 11, 2021 in 30-Day Writing Challenge
Who's old enough to remember the little sticker on every VHS tape you would rent out from the video store? (I am well aware of how much I am aging myself, here.) Quick side note: look at how much we can tell that the world has changed, just from reading that one question: 1) no more VHS tapes, but that's not all, and 2) no more video stores! I remember even just 15 years ago, if you wanted to watch a movie on Friday night, you needed to make a trip to the video store and keep your fingers crossed that the one you had your heart set on wouldn't be fully rented out. What the sticker actually said The sticker I'm talking about on the VHS tapes said: Be kind. Rewind. For all you young'uns who have no clue what I'm talking about, it was a prompt to rewind… Continue Reading »
Added on April 10, 2021 in 30-Day Writing Challenge
For me, I don't look at the lives of others and think their grass is greener. As a matter of fact, I think my grass is pretty damn green...better yet, amazing. I love my life and I'm grateful for everything in it. However. Here's what I do... Missing out? I'm the person who looks at the "other scenario" and I think to myself, "maybe I should be over there", where perhaps the grass is greener? But maybe it isn't. Let me explain. At a get-together, I might be talking with one person but thinking about how I ought to be talking with another. I'm giving my kids a bath (which is fun and I make the choice to do it) but I'm also thinking about the adult conversations I'm missing downstairs.I make the decision to take some time to answer a phone call from a friend while I'm at someone's… Continue Reading »
Added on April 9, 2021 in 30-Day Writing Challenge
"I'm scared." "Too much of a risk." "I don't feel comfortable." "But if I do that, then this might happen." "I can't. I just can't." We've all said or shared these thoughts at one point or another. It's normal. Early beginnings Did you know that as human beings, we are ingrained with an innate feeling and goal that we need to survive. Early times on earth demonstrate so many instances where we found ourselves in challenging (a.k.a. fearful) situations that made us decide: fight or flight. In both scenarios, the objective was, quite simply, to get away from the fear - or, combat it head on. Great lines to help you combat To all those lines above that we either say aloud or think in our minds as proper and smart reasons not to proceed with something, take these: "I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of… Continue Reading »
Added on April 8, 2021 in 30-Day Writing Challenge
When did we start becoming seriously attached to our phones? When did it become okay for us to go to dinner with a friend who we haven't seen in months and slap our phone down right in the middle of the table as though it were deserving of its own seat? (Does it deserve a bite of our food, too?!) When did phones become more important than people? When did it become socially acceptable for someone to look down at their phone and answer a text or an email right in the middle of your sentence?! It's not only you Creating space between yourself and your phone sounds like an easy enough task, right? Except that it's not. And the fact that it's not, isn't even entirely your fault. A "phone" is so much more than a phone these days. It's a work outlet, a social outlet, a news outlet,… Continue Reading »
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