31,536,000 Opportunities to Get Started

[The Writer’ s Life]( August 12, 2019 Hi {NAME}, If you're ready to start or kick-start your writing business, and summer doldrums are making it a tough time to find powerful motivation, I've got two suggestions for you today. AWAI Success Michele Peterson covers one of them in her article below … And I explain the second one [here in my big announcement](. It's HUGE news you won't want to miss, so be sure to check it out today. To your success, Rebecca Matter President, AWAI Take AWAI's Five Word Writing Challenge! In life, it's important to know yourself. While we feel that we're fairly self-aware here at AWAI, we want you to tell us what YOU think of AWAI. You're invited to accept the challenge of putting your writing skills to the test by taking our short, four-question survey … while keeping your answers to five words or less. Your reward? Our report on the 75 most In-Demand Copywriting Projects, which will help you decide which services you'd enjoy offering the most while also building an awesome income for your writer's life. [Ready to take on AWAI's Five Word Writing Challenge? Click here to get started.]( 31,536,000 Opportunities to Get Started By Michele Peterson [Just Get Started written on Clock; Time to Act Now] Do you dream of living the writer's life? Or of living a better version of the writer's life than you currently have? Maybe you have a decent job and want to write on the side for a second income stream. Maybe you've been downsized out of a job, need to make money fast, and see writing as the way to do so. Or maybe you've been writing as a side gig and now you're ready to build a writing business that replaces your full-time income (and then some!). Whatever your situation, if you WANT something, you're likely going to set goals to get that thing. Ideally, you'll set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Specific) goals. But this isn't a discussion of SMART goals. We have [other excellent articles]( covering that topic. Setting goals is one thing. Actually starting the process to achieve them is another. Getting Started It feels natural to begin working on new goals at the beginning of the year. But what happens when you need to get started now? Does it feel harder to set new goals with the same intensity in August? Or October? Or are you going to wait until January 1 to get started? I'm going to be honest with you … There's nothing magical or special about January 1. Nada. Consider these dates: November 11. July 4. February 14. December 25. The first two — Veterans Day and Independence Day — only matter to United States citizens. People around the world celebrate Valentine's Day and Christmas. But these, too, were just random dates until someone gave them meaning. There's absolutely nothing magical or special about any of these days in and of themselves. What makes them special is what they represent. Someone decided to attach meaning to those dates. Then they convinced others to agree. Then, over time, the holidays became widely accepted and celebrated. For example, did you know that Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day at the end of the 5th century? In the Middle Ages, Valentine's Day became associated with romantic love. Written valentines were exchanged in the 1400s. And, of course, we continue still today to celebrate Valentine's Day with cards and gifts. It all started when Pope Gelasius made a decision. A decision made in a split second, as most decisions are. There are 365 days in a year. 24 hours in a day. 60 minutes in each of those hours. 60 seconds in each of those minutes. If my math is correct, that gives us 31,536,000 seconds each year. 31,536,000 seconds to make a decision to start working toward achieving a goal. And that decision can be made during any one of those 31,536,000 seconds. January 1 does not hold a monopoly on days to get started on a goal. So why do we think it does? Why do we think of January 1 as THE day to start new goals? January 1 is the first day of the New Year … at least for those of us following the Gregorian calendar. It represents a new beginning. A fresh start. The Fresh Start Effect Research published on Science Alert backs up the theory of January 1 being a psychological fresh start. However, this "fresh start effect" also applies to Mondays, the first of any month, the first day of a season (like March 20 being the first day of spring), etc. So why not declare the day you decided to start working toward your writing life goal as your personal Fresh Start Day? You're a writer … give your day a name that has meaning for you. Let it inspire you and keep you going. Julie Powell decided in August 2002 to prepare all 524 dishes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook in just one year. And then she decided to write a blog about doing it. Powell's "The Julie/Julia Project" blog eventually became a best-selling book and movie. But would she have been motivated to start and then see it through if she had waited until January 1? If she had done nothing except sit and think about making a fresh start for four months? Or would she have lost her momentum? Julie Powell didn't know that deciding to work her way through a cookbook would launch her writer's life and change the direction of her life. And you may not know where your decision will take you in the end. You may not know what your Fresh Start Day will turn into … or what it will turn you into. And that's okay. You don't have to know … You just have to know that you want something more … You just have to decide to get started and take the first step. For Julie Powell, her big goal of working all the way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking started first with the decision to do it. Then with writing her very first blog post announcing her intention (her goal). Then with making the first recipes in the meat and vegetable chapters of the book: Bifteck Sauté au Beurre and Artichauts au Naturel. The important thing is that she decided, and then she started. Decide … What are your first steps? Here are some resources to help you get started … 1. Decide to make a fresh start. [Inside AWAI: How to Get Started as a Well-Paid Writer (With Answers on Finding Copywriter Jobs)]( [5 Steps to FOCUS (Follow One Commitment Until Successful)]( [Declare Your Personal Independence Day]( 2. Decide what you want and set a goal. [Goal-Setting Alternatives that Can Yield Big Success This Year]( 3. Decide what you'll do to achieve the goal. [Inside AWAI: Creating Your Own Personal Roadmap to a Well-Paid Writing Career]( [What Wealthy Writers Do to Achieve Goals (Video)]( [7 Steps to Quickly Get Your Goals on Track]( 4. Decide to start doing that which you need to do to achieve your goal. [Inside AWAI: Overcome Writer Procrastination with this 5-Step Plan]( It all starts with a decision … one you can make in just one of the 31,536,000 seconds we have in a year. It can start right now. You can decide to make today your Fresh Start Day. [Tell me in the comments]( what you're declaring today to be as it relates to your writer's life. And then get started! Editorial Note: Get started with a program that offers you a chance to learn and master new skills, get feedback on your writing, and prove to clients you've got what it takes. Plus, get built-in accountability to help you keep moving forward. Our Skills Certification Program will teach you 8 of the most in-demand digital copy projects marketers need done today. And give you a Badge for each one that you can use to prove you've mastered the new skills. We even give you personal feedback on your writing, so you know you're doing everything "right," and walk away with professional samples to show clients. This is your LAST CHANCE to earn all 8 verification Badges at the "bundled" price, before this program closes for good. [>> Go here to check out the details.]( LAST CHANCE: Get AWAI VerifiedTM Become a verified expert in 8 of the most "in-demand" easy-to-learn copywriting projects — and start earning real money from real clients sooner! This is your LAST CHANCE to earn all 8 verification Badges (including on-demand training and personalized feedback) at the old "bundled" package price. Wait too long and you'll pay thousands more! [Start Earning "Badges" Now — and SAVE!]( Can You Write AND Get Paid Well? If you look in from the outside, you'd think I was a typical middle-class mom … I drive a messy minivan, holler at my kids to hurry up, come alive with my morning cup of Starbucks, and wave at my neighbors as they rush to work. But my reality is a 20-hour work week … a six-figure income … And the freedom to do what I want, where I want, when I want. I'm a writer. [Click here to see if this writing life is for you.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2019 American Writers & Artists Inc. Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? 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