Jeff Goins's Blog, page 64

020: Navigating the Maze to Become a Full-Time Writer: Interview with Margaret Roach [Podcast]

The path to becoming a full-time writer isn’t always a straight one. Sometimes your career will wind through a maze of experiences and you will be left wondering one thing: Do I have what it takes?

Photo Credit: stevemonty via Compfight cc

In all likelihood, your career won’t be built on the success of one idea and a few followers you met online. The Internet does make it easier to build a community around a common cause or passion, but it doesn’t happen overnight. We still have to pay our dues, create great content, and connect with the right people.

Margaret Roach has done all three.

In this episode of The Portfolio Life, Margaret and I talk about the lessons she learned through a variety of interesting writing assignments that led her to where she is today. We also chat about how she was able to integrate her life and art with a passion that might surprise you.

Listen to the interview

To listen to the show, click the player below.

You can also download it at iTunes or on Stitcher.

There is no overnight success

As old-fashioned as it sounds, the old ways still work. The tools and technology we use to spread ideas may have changed, but two things remain. We still need content and we need connection. Or maybe that’s just one thing, really: people.

If you want to make a splash in this world — as a writer, artist, or entrepreneur — you need both people to pay attention and friends in the right places. You need influence in your industry and an audience that wants what you have.

Margaret learned that it takes hard work and determination to be a freelancer. You have to piece together enough assignments in a way that pays the bills while gradually growing your own credibility as a writer. You need to be open and willing to accept opportunities as they come, even if they aren’t the book deal or featured article you’ve been longing for.

In her case, she spent years editing sports and fashion pieces. And in doing so, she learned a valuable truth. Sometimes, the subject of your work doesn’t matter nearly as much as the way in which you do it. The key to success lies in the skills you develop when you’re in the trenches, tackling unrelated projects for the sake of experience.

In other words, you can’t earn your stripes if you stick too closely to a niche. You must experiment. The voice you hone through practice will be what sets you apart, but in the beginning you have to be willing to do some grunt work.

If you eventually want to jump ship and pursue your passion, this is what will carry you through the waves.

Develop that voice and reputation, and eventually people do start coming to you to hear from you.

—Margaret Roach (tweet this)

Three things every writer must remember

To boil it down, here are three lessons we learn from Ms. Roach:

Take every assignment seriously. The same devotion you’d put into an assignment for The New York Times should be spent on creating a PTA bulletin.
Practice every day. If you want to be a writer, write for anyone who will have you. Strengthen your skills by putting in a little work every day until it becomes habit.
Earn the right to be heard. You can establish your authority both by connecting with an audience and with others who are doing the same thing. If you don’t do this, you run the risk of irrelevance. We miss your work before you ever have a chance to share it.

Learn more

During our chat, Margaret and I spoke about everything from how she uses social media to the holistic approach she takes to blogging (or what she calls “horticultural how-to and woo-woo”). Whether you want to simplify your life or improve your writing, I think you’ll enjoy following her stuff.

To find out more about Margaret’s work, visit her blog, A Way to Garden, and check out her latest book, The Backyard Parables: Lessons on Gardening, and Life.

And if you enjoyed this episode of The Portfolio life, please leave a review in iTunes or Stitcher. Your feedback helps us know how well we’re doing and also lets other people know about the podcast.

Let’s connect

Are you near New Orleans? I’m going to be speaking at #FinCon 2014 September 18-20 and I’d love to meet you while I’m there. Get the details of my public meetup (feel free to bring a friend) and RSVP here.
How about the Pacific Northwest? I’m going to be speaking at Moody Bible Institute in Spokane, WA September 8 & 10. I’ll be gathering with others at another public meetup. Find out more and RSVP here.

Special Announcement: Are you walking through the maze of building your own tribe? Tribe Writers is the online course that helps you discover a unique writing voice, find the audience already waiting for you, and build a powerful platform to reach them. It will be available for a limited time starting today at Noon (Central.) Learn more about Tribe Writers here.

Have you made a career move toward one that is based on your passion, or are you considering it? Share your experience in the comments below.

What Writing a Book Could Cost You

Editor’s note: This is a guest article from Anne Peterson. Anne is a poet, speaker, and author of 42 Bible studies and 25 articles with Christianity Today as well as her book, Broken . Find out more by visiting Anne’s website, blog, or Facebook page.

Okay let’s be honest, most of us would love to see a book out in the world with our name on it. We’d imagine book signings, interviews, and all the wonderful comments. You know we would. Or at least I have.

Photo Credit: Lívia Cristina via Compfight cc

So what does it take, and what will it cost to write a book? These are two very different questions.

What it takes

Writing a book takes a lot of work. Believe me on this one. You do not just sit at the computer and say to your inner self, Go, watching the words magically run onto the paper, careful not to bump into each other. Words don’t dance onto your screen in perfect rhythm.

It’s more of a stampede, where it’s every word for itself.

Then you have to choose which ones to take out. And they do not leave peaceably. They shout, demanding they have a right to be there.

Wearing the editor’s cap you become heartless. Lining the words up, you dismiss them one by one. Sometimes a whole group. And a lucky few may hear, “I may use you later, I’ll keep you on file.”

Enter technology

As you go through your piece many times then you move onto formatting. Your manuscript has to be presented in a certain way. We’re not handing little dandelions to our moms. Presentation counts.

Plus now we are engaging the other side of our brains, the technical side. And you want it that way. First we let the thoughts just flow out of us, then we choose who stays.

If you have the financial means there are people you can hire for this part. But until you are in that position, it’s your responsibility.

Hit submit

Then you sit with your manuscript completed. Now it’s time to invite other eyes to see it. Fresh eyes. It’s at this point you invite feedback. You’ll hear where your writing stopped flowing. Your mistakes will be illuminated. This is where you’ll learn how teachable you are.

Once changes are made, you’re ready to submit. Resistance is the greatest as you near the finish. Expect it. Fight it with everything you’ve got. Then you’ll move onto the next phase.

Proof

Holding the proof in your hand, you’ll see it was appropriately named. It is proof. Proof you worked hard, proof you stuck with it when you felt like giving up. But you’re not done yet.

If there are additional changes to be made, you make them. And if you’re happy with what you have, you approach one more button. Approve.

Once again resistance shows up. And there you sit feeling the weight on you.

But somehow you remind yourself why you wrote the book. You ignore your fears and get ready to press the button. Don’t think you can postpone publishing till you no longer feel afraid. It won’t happen.

Your book is now visible to the world.

For some, this is the gravy part. The part you’ve been waiting for. For some.

But what if you took Hemingway’s advice?

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. Ernest Hemingway

What if everyone is looking at you all bloody?

Some books are about impersonal topics, or they are instructional. While those books take the same amount of work, writing a personal story is different.

It’s not just your book that is exposed. It’s also you—you are out there.

Now before you say, “Well why did you put yourself in your book if you didn’t want to be exposed?”

Let me just say this. Sometimes we’re called to write the painful things.

What it cost

Putting yourself out there will cost whatever you have. Why? Because you’ve taken a risk.

People could like it.
People could love it.
You could receive praises that expand your head like a balloon.
You could receive no comments.
You could receive harsh comments.

If you’re serious about getting a book out there. You need to expect all of those.

And when the harsh comments come, it’s okay. Everyone has a right to their opinion—everyone.

Note: you may find the harshest comments are written from those who are not authors. Just give grace to others. You have opinions too, we all do.

There you have it. All in a nice package with a bow on top. At least, that’s my experience.

Special Announcement: Tribe Writers, my online writing course, will be opening for registration later next week. If you are a writer wanting to build an online audience and give your writing the attention it deserves, this course is for you.

To find out more and get a free lesson check out tribewriters.com.

Do you have what it takes? Will you spend what it may cost you? Share in the comments.

 

019: Andy Andrews: What a Change in Perspective Can Do for You [Podcast]

What we say has power. Whether we realize it or not, our words have the potential to change lives — if only we knew how to use them. Andy Andrews has a unique perspective on how to do just that.

The Noticer Returns by Andy Andrews

Not too long ago, I had a delightful conversation with Mr. Andrews, who is the author of multiple New York Times best-sellers, a sought-after speaker, and all-around nice guy. We discussed the craft of writing, the magic of storytelling, and why fiction matters more than we realize.

Whether you tell true stories or not, you probably aren’t that different from Andy. We all have the ability to bridge the gap between our experiences and a world in need of inspiration. The trick is figuring out how to reach them, and the answer just might be learning to tell better stories.

In this episode of The Portfolio Life, I talk with Andy Andrews about his new novel, The Noticer Returns, what it takes to tell a great story, and why we all need a little more perspective in life.

Click to listen

To listen to the show, click the player below. You can also download it at iTunes or on Stitcher.

Interview highlights

In this interview (that clocks in just under 30 minutes), Andy and I talk about:

How a real-life “noticer” changed Andy’s life by altering his perspective forever
Why how we think affects who we become
What a best-selling author’s writing process looks like (this was super interesting!)
The reason you should be reading more fiction
How stories teach us far better than facts do

Tweetable moments

“We tend to listen more when we’re forced to.” [Tweet]
“Don’t believe everything you think. What you think is what you know. And wisdom goes beyond what you know.” [Tweet]
“Wisdom is what separates average people from extraordinary people.” [Tweet]
“Motivation is a myth. Encouragement is fine. Proof is better.” [Tweet]
“Stories connect in a way that nonfiction cannot.” [Tweet]

About Andy and his new novel

Photo credit: Christy Haynes

Andy Andrews has been called “one of the most influential people in America.”

He is the author of several bestsellers, including How Do You Kill 11 Million People?, The Noticer, and The Traveler’s Gift, and a popular public speaker.

Andy has spoken at the request of four different U.S. presidents and was called “the best speaker I have ever seen” by Zig Ziglar. He lives in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his wife, Polly, and their two sons.

His latest book, The Noticer Returns, is about how little things can make a big difference — if we choose to notice them. This book, though fiction, was actually inspired by a real person, which Andy and I talk about in our interview.

I hope you get a chance to listen to our chat and take a moment to consider how the stories you’re living can be used to make an impact.

Resources

I love giving you extra resources in addition to these podcasts, so here go some goodies galore:

Watch Andy’s free video series: The Guided Traveler Experience. In it, he talks about goals, time management, and how to live the life you dream of. Sign up for no cost by clicking here (and don’t miss the special bonus that you can download at the end).
Be sure to check out Andy’s latest book, The Noticer Returns, on Amazon (affiliate link). I highly recommend it; it’s awesome!
If you’re wanting to read more but don’t feel like you have the time, I recommend Audible, an audiobook resource I use to read several books per month. Sign up today, and you’ll get a free book.
And if you’re in need of some extra inspiration, check out my friend Grant Baldwin’s podcast, “How Did You Get into That?”, which tells the stories of how people discovered their life’s work. I was recently a guest, and we discussed the topic of calling. Listen here: Shining a Light on Your Calling.

Let’s connect!

If you’re enjoying this blog and podcast, I want to hear from you. Here’s how we can connect:

Leave a review of the podcast. By doing that, you are helping other people find the show and telling me what I’m doing writer, as well as what I can do better. You can do that in iTunes or Stitcher.
Are you near New Orleans? I’m going to be speaking at #FinCon 2014 September 18-20 and I’d love to meet you while I’m there. Get the details of my public meetup (feel free to bring a friend) and RSVP here.

Special Announcement: I want to invite you to a live, online training TODAY, Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 3:00 p.m. (CDT) called “Mastering the Habit of Daily Writing” (convert to your local time zone here). There will be no pitch and no upsells, just an hour of teaching from me. All you have to do is register. I know this is short notice, but if you can’t make it go ahead and register anyway. All registered guests will receive a replay link via email. Sign up here.

How has a change in perspective changed your life? Share in the comments.

How a Daily Writing Habit Makes You a Better Person

When people ask about my writing habits and hear that I write every day, they sometimes say, “Oh, I could never do that.” As if it were a choice. But the truth is it’s not. Writing, for me, is something I have to do. Otherwise, I just don’t feel like myself.

Photo Credit: Amir Kuckovic via Compfight cc

This wasn’t always the case. I wasn’t born with pencil in hand, scribbling stories on a notebook before being able to crawl. Like anything, writing was a habit. But now, years after the first time of forcing myself to get up at 5:00 a.m. and write, the discipline of attacking the blank page feels a little less intimidating.

All habits are this way. The first time is the hardest, and each subsequent experience becomes easier. The effort it takes to begin decreases as your muscle memory takes over. It starts to feel natural, even effortless.

But why should you even care about this in the first place? Does the world really need more words, more blog posts? Maybe not. Even so, I still believe in this habit of daily writing.

Writing every day doesn’t just make you a better writer. It makes you a better person. Here’s how.

Reasons to start a daily writing habit

It builds your discipline. I never played sports in school, and as a result had to learn discipline later on in life. I believe this was why I struggled to stick with anything until later in life – I had never practiced it. Writing for just a few minutes every day can build your discipline, just like running or reading or any daily practice can.
It makes you smarter. Writing makes you think. Some studies even show that writing by hand increases cognitive activity and can actually make you more intelligent. When you don’t know what to write, you get introspective. By sitting down every day to write, you are exercising your brain in ways that it doesn’t always get.
It gives you a sense of accomplishment. We all want to feel like we aren’t wasting our time. And writing for just a few minutes every day – in a journal, on a blog, or even for a book – gives you that sense. If nothing else, you have something to show for your day. And that makes you happy.

Those are just a few reasons why I write every day. Sure, it’s my job and a means of income for my family. But I was doing all of this long before that. I don’t do it because I get paid. If anything, I get paid because I do it every day.

That’s the power of a habit. It takes you to places you could never dream of going. So where will writing every day take you?

If you’ve never considered this, I want to invite you to a live, online training on Wednesday, August 20 at 3:00 p.m. (CDT) called “How to Master the Habit of Daily Writing” (convert to your local time zone here). No pitch, no upsells — just an hour of teaching by yours truly. All you have to do is register (at no cost).

How has a daily habit (in writing or anything) taught you a lesson about life? Share in the comments.

The Small But Soul-Crushing Word You’re Using Every Day

I am notoriously bad at over-committing to things, at misjudging my time and packing my schedule full of tasks I can’t possibly accomplish. My wife will tell you this. So will my calendar. I am obsessed with yes.

Photo Credit: Magh via Compfight cc

I don’t know why I do this. Maybe it’s my people-pleasing nature, my need to be liked and accepted — some accomodation for never being the popular kid in middle school, I guess.

This is why, admittedly, I started a blog. I wanted attention. Sure, I wanted to help people, too, but my motives were far from pure. Which was why when people started asking for my time, I couldn’t say no.

And for the first couple years of pursuing my dream, and even now sometimes, I say yes to too many things. But I’m starting to believe there has to be a better way.

“Yes” can become an awful addiction

I have to tell you: I believe in “yes.” I am a fan of the word. Far too often, we say no to things because we are afraid or unsure. We don’t know what might happen, so we decide to play it safe. As a result, we miss what could have been an amazing opportunity.

So for the longest time, this was all I said. Yes.

Want to go the movies at midnight? You bet.
Want to start a business with me? Sure.
Want to play guitar in our band, even though we don’t have a drummer. Why not?

Yes. It was my world. And it was a lot of fun. Yes got me into a college I never visited, a place that changed my life. It led to helping a couple of girls move one Sunday afternoon when I would’ve rather been napping, which led to meeting my future wife.

I believe in yes. Sometimes.

After deciding to be a writer, I took it upon myself to meet up with just about every writer in the greater Nashville area. Saturday mornings and Monday nights and Wednesday lunches were all reserved for chats about the craft.

It was fun to meet so many people who were in the trenches with me. There was just one problem, though. I wasn’t writing. I was talking about writing, even dreaming about it. But I wasn’t doing a whole lot of it.

One day after two and a half hours and eleven cups of coffee between the two of us, a friend said to me, “You know, Jeff. We just spent over two hours talking about writing, time that we could have spent actually writing.”

After that day, I started saying no.

The liberating power of the word “no”

There is an indescribable emotion that accompanies saying no to something you don’t want to do. It feels liberating.

When I stopped saying yes out of obligation to requests to “pick my brain” or connect for no real reason, I unlocked a hidden treasure. Suddenly, I had more time to write, the thing that I secretly wanted to do, anyway.

It was a beautiful thing.

Here’s the way my friend Lysa Terkeurst describes a similar situation:

I remember the first time I had to decline a friend’s invitation to meet at the restaurant with the indoor playground because I’d scheduled writing time. I felt so foolish. I wasn’t a writer to her. Shoot, I wasn’t a writer to myself either. I’d never written anything of any kind of significance — unless you count that little book of poems I’d made for my mom when I was ten, the one with the poems written on parchment paper with burned edges. I was totally into burned edges back then.

I think we can all relate to these moments of hesitation when we want to commit to something we must do but feel conflicted about something we should do.

So let me ease your conscience. If you are a writer or an artist or someone called to do important work in this world, you have to say no. At some point, somewhere, you will not be able to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. It’s impossible.

So what will you do then? Will you give up, having a mental breakdown due to your stress and inability to fulfill all the demands on your time. Or will you embrace the powerful of a beautiful no?

We don’t say no for the sake of saying no. We say no to something good so we can say yes to something better. [Tweet that]

Every day, we have an opportunity to choose our craft, to grab hold of this thing that we were put on the earth to do. For me, that’s writing. For you, maybe it’s telling jokes or raising three little kiddos in the suburbs. I don’t know.

The point is this: are you saying no to the urgent so that you can say yes to the important? Or are you doing what most of us do? Are you saying yes to too many things and slowly falling apart inside?

Here’s a closing thought, again from my friend Lysa whose book The Best Yes comes out this week:

The decisions you make determine the schedule you keep. The schedule you keep determines the life you live. And how you live your life determines how you spend your soul.

If you’re ready to start taking writing more seriously, join me for a free, no-pitch webinar on “Mastering the Habits of Prolific Writers” where we’ll talk about what it takes to start writing on a daily basis. Click here to register.

Have you ever said no to something urgent so that you could say yes to something important? Share in the comments.

The Small But Soul-Crushing Word You Use Every Day

I am notoriously bad at over-committing to things, at misjudging my time and packing my schedule full of tasks I can’t possibly accomplish. My wife will tell you this. So will my calendar. I am obsessed with yes.

Photo Credit: Magh via Compfight cc

I don’t know why I do this. Maybe it’s my people-pleasing nature, my need to be liked and accepted — some accomodation for never being the popular kid in middle school, I guess.

This is why, admittedly, I started a blog. I wanted attention. Sure, I wanted to help people, too, but my motives were far from pure. Which was why when people started asking for my time, I couldn’t say no.

And for the first couple years of pursuing my dream, and even now sometimes, I say yes to too many things. But I’m starting to believe there has to be a better way.

Yes can become an addiction

I have to tell you: I believe in “yes.” I am a fan of the word. Far too often, we say no to things because we are afraid or unsure. We don’t know what might happen, so we decide to play it safe. As a result, we miss what could have been an amazing opportunity.

So for the longest time, this was all I said. Yes.

Want to go the movies at midnight? You bet.
Want to start a business with me? Sure.
Want to play guitar in our band, even though we don’t have a drummer. Why not?

Yes. It was my world. And it was a lot of fun. Yes got me into a college I never visited, a place that changed my life. It led to helping a couple of girls move one Sunday afternoon when I would’ve rather been napping, which led to meeting my future wife.

I believe in yes. Sometimes.

After deciding to be a writer, I took it upon myself to meet up with just about every writer in the greater Nashville area. Saturday mornings and Monday nights and Wednesday lunches were all reserved for chats about the craft.

It was fun to meet so many people who were in the trenches with me. There was just one problem, though. I wasn’t writing. I was talking about writing, even dreaming about it. But I wasn’t doing a whole lot of it.

One day after two and a half hours and eleven cups of coffee between the two of us, a friend said to me, “You know, Jeff. We just spent over two hours talking about writing, time that we could have spent actually writing.”

After that day, I started saying no.

Why “no” can set you free

There is an indescribable emotion that accompanies saying no to something you don’t want to do. It feels liberating.

When I stopped saying yes out of obligation to requests to “pick my brain” or connect for no real reason, I unlocked a hidden treasure. Suddenly, I had more time to write, the thing that I secretly wanted to do, anyway.

It was a beautiful thing.

Here’s the way my friend Lysa Terkeurst describes a similar situation:

I remember the first time I had to decline a friend’s invitation to meet at the restaurant with the indoor playground because I’d scheduled writing time. I felt so foolish. I wasn’t a writer to her. Shoot, I wasn’t a writer to myself either. I’d never written anything of any kind of significance — unless you count that little book of poems I’d made for my mom when I was ten, the one with the poems written on parchment paper with burned edges. I was totally into burned edges back then.

I think we can all relate to these moments of hesitation when we want to commit to something we must do but feel conflicted about something we should do.

So let me ease your conscience. If you are a writer or an artist or someone called to do important work in this world, you have to say no. At some point, somewhere, you will not be able to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. It’s impossible.

So what will you do then? Will you give up, having a mental breakdown due to your stress and inability to fulfill all the demands on your time. Or will you embrace the powerful of a beautiful no?

We don’t say no for the sake of saying no. We say no to something good so we can say yes to something better. [Tweet that]

Every day, we have an opportunity to choose our craft, to grab hold of this thing that we were put on the earth to do. For me, that’s writing. For you, maybe it’s telling jokes or raising three little kiddos in the suburbs. I don’t know.

The point is this: are you saying no to the urgent so that you can say yes to the important? Or are you doing what most of us do? Are you saying yes to too many things and slowly falling apart inside?

Here’s a closing thought, again from my friend Lysa whose book The Best Yes comes out this week:

The decisions you make determine the schedule you keep. The schedule you keep determines the life you live. And how you live your life determines how you spend your soul.

If you’re ready to start taking writing more seriously, join me for a free, no-pitch webinar on “Mastering the Habits of Prolific Writers” where we’ll talk about what it takes to start writing on a daily basis. Click here to register.

Have you ever said no to something urgent so that you could say yes to something important? Share in the comments.

018: Gretchen Rubin: The Habits That Lead to Happiness [Podcast]

When asked what we want out of life, many of us respond with a simple answer: “I want to be happy.” But what we often don’t realize is what we need to actually transform our lives.

Photo Credit: Lara Cores via Compfight cc

Have you ever taken a moment to clarify what being “happy” means to you? What if there were actionable steps that you could take to day to reach it? That’s the very question that sent Gretchen Rubin on her journey.

In this episode of The Portfolio Life, Gretchen and I talk about how she made the transition to full-time writing, the habits that kept her on track, and the projects that define her life.

Click to listen

To listen to the show, click the player below.

You can also download it at iTunes or on Stitcher.

From happiness to habits

While clerking for Justice O’Conner at the Supreme Court, inspiration struck Gretchen Rubin. She became obsessed with an idea and spent nights and weekends researching and writing. Then, one day she realized something.

She wanted what she did for fun to be what she did for a living. The idea that she could be a writer without being a novelist or journalist had never occurred to her until that moment.

So she started taking steps in the direction of a new and exciting career. Years later, she is now a New York Times best-selling author and sought-after speaker. But it didn’t begin there.

It all began with just a few simple steps. One of the most interesting things about my interview with Gretchen was how she linked happiness to habits — daily actions we all can take to help us live a more meaningful life now.

At the end of our conversation, we talked about writing. And I asked her about something every writer has to deal with today: marketing. She pointed out something I completely agree with and that will speak volumes to anyone who’s struggling to share their art with the world:

Instead of thinking about brand, think about voice. –Gretchen Rubin [Tweet that]

For Gretchen, everything from writing to leading a happier life comes down to daily habits. As you listen to her story, I encourage you to consider what small steps you can take today that will lead to the kind of life you want to live.

Find out more

If this interview speaks to you, be sure to check out Gretchen’s work on her website, on Twitter, and Pinterest. You can also find her books including The Happiness Project and Happier at Home online or in your local bookstore.

Also, if you’re enjoying this podcast, please don’t be afraid to leave a review. That helps other people find the show. You can do that in iTunes or Stitcher.

I’ve also been out visiting:

Bryan Allain’s Schnozcast to talk about calling, cheese, dictionaries, wearing jeans, world domination, phone plans, making the leap, and other silliness.
The Riverstone Group podcast to discuss leading a virtual community, the role of writing in leadership, and the importance of managing tension rather than striving for balance.
Joe Saul-Sehy at FinCon to talk about reducing mental clutter to become a more powerful writer. And Pez dispensers, of course.

What’s one small step you can take today, one habit you can start, that will make you a happier person tomorrow? Share in the comments.

017: Why You Should Solve Your Own Problems: The Story of Designing My Own Blog Theme [Podcast]

The most important life lesson I’ve learned from the Internet is this: solve your own problems and share the solution.

Photo Credit: kmakice via Compfight cc

Listen to the audio version of this post

I’m trying something new today, including an audio version of today’s post. Let me know what you think in the comments. If you like it, I might do more of this sort of thing. You can click the player below to listen.

Or you can also download it at iTunes or on Stitcher.

Now, back to the story…

If you want to get the kind of attention your work deserves and build an audience around your words, the best strategy is to share your struggles and talk about what you did to overcome them.

I first learned this lesson with my blog when I began writing about my own writing process and what I was routinely teaching other writers as a marketing director at a nonprofit.

For seven years, I helped creatives get unstuck and clarify their messages, all the while feeling confused about my own message. But the secret was hiding in my past, which I think is often the case.

The thing that you’re supposed to do with your life, your calling, isn’t some brand new thing waiting “out there” for you to discover it. It’s something you’ve already done, something old and neglected that you’re probably taking for granted.

Simply put, our greatest assets are the things we tend to overlook and ignore. So in the mundane, lies the extraordinary.

It starts with a problem

Recently, I faced a problem.

I wanted to redesign my website but couldn’t find any blog themes that I liked. There were some great resources out there that contained components of what I needed, but none had it all.

Regardless of whatever solution I chose, I was going to have to hire someone to customize it. Why not, I wondered, just hire someone to build me something completely customized?

And that’s just what I did.

You will need help

I wanted to solve this problem but knew I couldn’t do it on my own. I know virtually nothing about web development and can’t code my way out of a cardboard box.

My friend Martyn Chamberlin, however, is one of the most creative web developers I know. He’s smart both on the technical side, in terms of making the code work, as well as artistically savvy. He can make beautiful things that are functional, which is a rare skill.

Together, we worked on a custom WordPress theme that is just that: beautiful and functional. Leveraging Martyn’s experience as a fine artist and my experience in marketing, we focused on a  minimalistic design that drove conversions.

Perhaps most importantly, we created the kind of product we wanted to use ourselves. And then we took it one step further…

Share it with the world

It wasn’t enough for us to simply create something cool. We wanted others to experience what we made.

I believe firmly in this principle of sharing what you know and what you’ve learned with others. If you’ve solved your own problem, you have a responsibility to share the solution.

The idea is this: for those who struggled to find a web design that worked for them, as I did, maybe this is the answer. It’s not for everyone, of course, and that’s the point.

We built something that worked for us, which is what I’ve tried to do with everything I do online: offer solutions to my own problems and struggles, trusting there must be others out there like me.

Now, it’s your turn

The point in sharing all of this is to encourage you to go do likewise. If you know something that seems obvious to you, don’t assume it’s obvious to others. As Derek Sivers says in his book Anything You Want, maybe what’s obvious to you is amazing to others.

If you’ve been through a tragedy, be the comfort you wished someone would have given you.
If you failed in business before making it big, share the secrets that would’ve kept you from struggling.
If all you see around you is ugliness, create the art you wish someone else would make.

Be the change you want to see in the world. Pay it forward. Give so others may receive. It’s not only the right thing to do – it’s a great way to make a living. I know, because this is what I’ve done.

And in the process, I’ve learned something: if you help enough people get what they want, you will never have to worry about what you want. You won’t need much because you’ve made it your mission to solve other people’s needs. The world has a way of rewarding such generosity.

Here’s how it works

The process looks something like this:

Begin with a problem. Take a look at your normal, everyday struggles for clues of problems others may be facing. How could you turn that into something generous?
Get help. See who resonates with your vision, who has the ability to help you realize the solution, and ask them to join your cause.
Share it. Once you have your solution — whether it’s a book or a business or a piece of technology — then let people have it. You may need to charge for it or not; the model depends on what it is. The point is to not hoard your solution, to share it.

When you take your problems and turn them into something that gives back, something other people need, you create value. Which is attractive. It’s interesting and remarkable, the kind of thing that people talk about. When you do this, you just might be surprised by what happens next.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. This all starts with identifying a problem, something that’s obvious to you that might be amazing to others. So start there, iterating as you go, until you find something that connects with people’s deep needs and your own passion.

That is the intersection we’re looking for — the place, as Frederick Buechner writes, “where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” It’s where you find your vocation, your unique contribution to the world.

Good luck finding it, and don’t forget to share what you learned.

Resources you should check out

Here are some books and resources worth checking out:

Anything You Want by Derek Sivers (a great book on starting things)
Now and Then by Frederick Buechner (a great book on finding your calling)
The Complete Guide to Launching a Blog in 8 Minutes or Less (a video tutorial on how get started with WordPress)

And if you’re shopping for a new blog theme, check out Tribe. It’s currently available to limited number of early bird users at an all-time low price. Be sure you walk through that video tutorial above first, though. Find out more here.

What’s a problem you’ve solved that others would benefit from hearing about? Share in the comments.

Why You Should Solve Your Own Problems: The Story of Designing My Own Blog Theme

The most important life lesson I’ve learned from the Internet is this: solve your own problems and share the solution.

Photo Credit: kmakice via Compfight cc

Listen to the audio version of this post

I’m trying something new today, including an audio version of today’s post. Let me know what you think in the comments. If you like it, I might do more of this sort of thing. You can click the player below to listen.

Or you can also download it at iTunes or on Stitcher.

Now, back to the story…

If you want to get the kind of attention your work deserves and build an audience around your words, the best strategy is to share your struggles and talk about what you did to overcome them.

I first learned this lesson with my blog when I began writing about my own writing process and what I was routinely teaching other writers as a marketing director at a nonprofit.

For seven years, I helped creatives get unstuck and clarify their messages, all the while feeling confused about my own message. But the secret was hiding in my past, which I think is often the case.

The thing that you’re supposed to do with your life, your calling, isn’t some brand new thing waiting “out there” for you to discover it. It’s something you’ve already done, something old and neglected that you’re probably taking for granted.

Simply put, our greatest assets are the things we tend to overlook and ignore. So in the mundane, lies the extraordinary.

It starts with a problem

Recently, I faced a problem.

I wanted to redesign my website but couldn’t find any blog themes that I liked. There were some great resources out there that contained components of what I needed, but none had it all.

Regardless of whatever solution I chose, I was going to have to hire someone to customize it. Why not, I wondered, just hire someone to build me something completely customized?

And that’s just what I did.

You will need help

I wanted to solve this problem but knew I couldn’t do it on my own. I know virtually nothing about web development and can’t code my way out of a cardboard box.

My friend Martyn Chamberlin, however, is one of the most creative web developers I know. He’s smart both on the technical side, in terms of making the code work, as well as artistically savvy. He can make beautiful things that are functional, which is a rare skill.

Together, we worked on a custom WordPress theme that is just that: beautiful and functional. Leveraging Martyn’s experience as a fine artist and my experience in marketing, we focused on a  minimalistic design that drove conversions.

Perhaps most importantly, we created the kind of product we wanted to use ourselves. And then we took it one step further…

Share it with the world

It wasn’t enough for us to simply create something cool. We wanted others to experience what we made.

I believe firmly in this principle of sharing what you know and what you’ve learned with others. If you’ve solved your own problem, you have a responsibility to share the solution.

The idea is this: for those who struggled to find a web design that worked for them, as I did, maybe this is the answer. It’s not for everyone, of course, and that’s the point.

We built something that worked for us, which is what I’ve tried to do with everything I do online: offer solutions to my own problems and struggles, trusting there must be others out there like me.

Now, it’s your turn

The point in sharing all of this is to encourage you to go do likewise. If you know something that seems obvious to you, don’t assume it’s obvious to others. As Derek Sivers says in his book Anything You Want, maybe what’s obvious to you is amazing to others.

If you’ve been through a tragedy, be the comfort you wished someone would have given you.
If you failed in business before making it big, share the secrets that would’ve kept you from struggling.
If all you see around you is ugliness, create the art you wish someone else would make.

Be the change you want to see in the world. Pay it forward. Give so others may receive. It’s not only the right thing to do – it’s a great way to make a living. I know, because this is what I’ve done.

And in the process, I’ve learned something: if you help enough people get what they want, you will never have to worry about what you want. You won’t need much because you’ve made it your mission to solve other people’s needs. The world has a way of rewarding such generosity.

Here’s how it works

The process looks something like this:

Begin with a problem. Take a look at your normal, everyday struggles for clues of problems others may be facing. How could you turn that into something generous?
Get help. See who resonates with your vision, who has the ability to help you realize the solution, and ask them to join your cause.
Share it. Once you have your solution — whether it’s a book or a business or a piece of technology — then let people have it. You may need to charge for it or not; the model depends on what it is. The point is to not hoard your solution, to share it.

When you take your problems and turn them into something that gives back, something other people need, you create value. Which is attractive. It’s interesting and remarkable, the kind of thing that people talk about. When you do this, you just might be surprised by what happens next.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. This all starts with identifying a problem, something that’s obvious to you that might be amazing to others. So start there, iterating as you go, until you find something that connects with people’s deep needs and your own passion.

That is the intersection we’re looking for — the place, as Frederick Buechner writes, “where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” It’s where you find your vocation, your unique contribution to the world.

Good luck finding it, and don’t forget to share what you learned.

Resources you should check out

Here are some books and resources worth checking out:

Anything You Want by Derek Sivers (a great book on starting things)
Now and Then by Frederick Buechner (a great book on finding your calling)
The Complete Guide to Launching a Blog in 8 Minutes or Less (a video tutorial on how get started with WordPress)

And if you’re shopping for a new blog theme, check out Tribe. It’s currently available to limited number of early bird users at an all-time low price. Be sure you walk through that video tutorial above first, though. Find out more here.

What’s a problem you’ve solved that others would benefit from hearing about? Share in the comments.

016: Lewis Schiff’s Road to Success: Monetization, Innovation, & Failure [Podcast]

Think back to when you were a kid. Did your mom tell you to chase your dreams and the money would follow? Maybe your dad encouraged you to choose a safe, secure career?

They were wrong.

Photo credit: Mark Sebastian via cc

When I read a great book, I’m often challenged to think differently about certain long-held beliefs I’ve carried around with me. The process can be scary, but I grow every time I face the discomfort and embrace change.

Business Brilliant by Lewis Schiff (affiliate link) was, perhaps, the book that challenged me more than anything else I’ve read recently. It made me think deeply about the details and data in the study the author conducted, but there were just as many moments when I felt a shift in my own perspective.

In this episode of The Portfolio Life, we explore the secrets of success in any career and why these are the very things we most often resist.

Click to listen

To listen to the show, click the player below (if viewing this in email click here).

You can also download it at iTunes or on Stitcher.

What does success really look like?

Lewis Shiff wanted to understand success better, so he started asking important questions. When he surveyed both middle-class workers and self-made millionaires, he was surprised by what he found.

In fact, when I saw the results of the survey, it blew my mind, too. And just might do the same for you. As my guest put it:

Success doesn’t always look like what we think it looks like.

–Lewis Schiff (tweet that)

For those wanting to do something extraordinary with your work, Schiff says we have to be willing to break the mold most of us were raised in. We have to be willing to question our own assumptions about what it takes to succeed.

If you’ve ever thought of “going pro” as a writer, artist, or entrepreneur, then this next part is for you.

Don’t be afraid to monetize

Cirque du Soleil got its start when a group of artists banded together to found a non-profit, but they had a money problem.

They performed for the love of their art, but one of the founders, a clown by the name of Guy Laliberté, wanted to think bigger. They needed to move beyond being mere starving artists and get serious about turning their passion into profit.

The story of Cirque can seem a little too traditional. They chased a dream and found success, because that, we think, is what always happens when you pursue a passion. But that’s just not true.

Sometimes, we have to get practical. We can’t always hope the market will value what we do. Sometimes, we have to pursue the market. And that’s just what Laliberté and his band of clowns did.

This one shift in focus helped take a regional circus event and turn it into an international, billion-dollar enterprise, influencing the lives of millions of people.

Monetization isn’t just about chasing money; sometimes, it’s about thinking bigger.

Innovation isn’t what you think

When you think of some of the most innovative companies in the world, one company that probably doesn’t come to mind immediately is Kinko’s. But innovation, like success, can sometimes surprise us.

Schiff explains that great innovation is rarely the result of new ideas. It’s not about creativity, necessarily, as much as it’s about better execution.

In the case of Kinko’s, they took the traditional copy shop model and tweaked it into a 24-hour workspace that allowed customers to be productive on their own schedules. It was a small but significant adjustment that took the business to a whole new level.

The idea wasn’t unique, but the way they executed it was.

Sometimes, you come up with a great ideas only to feel deflated when you learn someone else has already done it. Of course, you don’t want to copy someone else’s work. You don’t want to be another Bill Gates.

Or do you?

The truth is everything is derivative. Microsoft Windows was built on Apple’s ideas, and Apple built their ideas by stealing from Xerox. Some of the greatest innovations the world has seen were imitations of someone else’s work.

The secret to innovation, then, isn’t coming up with new ideas. It’s executing on the ones you already have.

Nothing succeeds like failure

After Steve Jobs left Apple in the 1990s, he helped start a software company that quickly started to fail.

His solution? Instead of scrambling to promote the software, he became his own customer. The result was a little company you might have heard of.

It was called Pixar.

Look closely at the successful people in your field, paying special attention to their failures. Everyone has them. The key to that success often lies in how they turned those failures into a foundation instead of treating them as roadblocks.

You can do the same. Every obstacle is an opportunity, if you see it that way.

Don’t miss the rest

By choosing to embrace the idea of a portfolio life, I’ve taken the first step in breaking my own conventional thinking about how to build a career. Now, it’s your turn.

Be sure to listen to the whole podcast for more surprises about finding success for your passion. If you find this show helpful, I’d love an honest review on iTunes. I know it sounds silly, but your feedback helps us reach more people and learn what we’re doing right (as well as what we can improve).

You can also learn more about Lewis Schiff at his website, get his book here, or follow him on Twitter. Please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of his book. It’s one of the best I’ve read in the past year.

What traditional idea can you challenge today? Share in the comments.

Some of you have heard about a custom WordPress theme I’ve been developing for the past six months (with a friend who is way smarter than me). For the next week, the Tribe Theme will be available at a special low price. To ensure great support, we’re only offering 150 licenses. Based on past response, they’ll likely sell out soon, so check it out here.