Sometimes I stand in the mirror and look at myself and say – out loud – “Girl, you need to do better!”
There are so many things about my writerpreneur life that I need to whip into shape.
(more…)Why You Don’t Need to Be Perfect to Succeed
goals
November 2020 Goals & Plans
Here’s the thing, November — October will be a tough act to follow.
Last month I welcomed 33 new members into the See Jane Write Collective.
I was featured on BhamNow.com and xoNecole.com and I was quoted in Oprah Magazine!
I wrote a piece for Reckon South on how breast cancer both ruined and restored my confidence.
I landed my first paid Instagram brand collaboration. And I was invited to contribute a chapter for a book being curated by a high-profile journalist (and I will be well compensated).
Also, I got my taste buds back! (Along with killing cancer cells, chemo also temporarily kills your sense of taste.)
After a month like that, I’m ready to take on a BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS GOAL.
(more…)How to Achieve Your BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS Writing Goal
Let’s talk about your BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS WRITING GOAL!
A BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS GOAL (or BHAG) is a concept developed in the book Built to Last. A BHAG is a goal that’s clear and compelling and once that requires building for the long term and creates a sense of urgency.
So what’s a big, hairy, audacious writing goal?
I think it’s that writing goal you have that’s so big it scares you. The one that’s so ambitious that you’re afraid to tell anyone about it because you think they’ll laugh at you. Or maybe when you think about the goal you laugh at yourself.
That was me less than 2 years ago. I secretly wanted to quit my teaching job to be a full-time freelance writer. I have other BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS GOALS and I knew that being a full-time freelance writer would give me the flexible schedule I needed to pursue them. But I was convinced that there was NO WAY I could make enough money to pay my bills and maintain a comfortable lifestyle on freelance writing income.
But guess what? I’ve done exactly that for over a year — in spite of cancer and in spite of a global pandemic that has rocked our economy.
There are three things that I think helped me achieve this goal.
(more…)Goals and Plans for October and the Last 90 Days of 2020
When I was an English teacher, I kept a quote board in my classroom, and each October, I’d display this quote from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
Football, fall weather, Smart Party, my husband’s birthday, and Halloween – I have many reasons to love October. Yet considering what a dumpster fire 2020 has been, I’m hesitant to get excited about anything these days.
(more…)My Secret to Getting Things Done
Originally published October 19, 2016 // Updated September 8, 2020
How do you do it all?
People used to ask me this question a lot back when I was juggling teaching full time with freelance writing, blogging, running See Jane Write, exercising daily, and being a wife, daughter, sister, and friend.
Even now that I’m a full-time writerpreneur, people still want to know how I manage my time.
“What’s your secret?” they ask.
My answer: the Day Designer!
I believe that the keys to productivity are planning, process, and positive thinking — and the Day Designer helps with all three.