Writing goals that make you fail

Here’s how to sidestep them… [The Writer’ s Life]( July 28, 2020 Hi {NAME}, Everything's been changed by this pandemic — birthday parties, shopping habits, summer vacations, work situations … So, you're not alone if your writing goals have changed. And that might be a good thing … Since some goals can actually set you up for failure. So today, Mindy McHorse, Executive Editor of Barefoot Writer, explores various goal options to help you avoid that … and instead ensure you reach the writer's life you hope to achieve. I can't predict what's going to happen over the next few weeks and months … But I will say we're hearing more success stories from our members than ever before. And if you're part of our social media communities, you're likely hearing them too. Companies NEED trained writers. And they need them now.  If you want to get paid to write, today is the day to start. 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[Check out the details here.]( To your success, Rebecca Matter President, AWAI Sidestep the Goals that Make You Fail By Mindy McHorse [Quote on letterboard Do something today that your future self will thank you for] There's an ongoing debate in our writing community … And the topic is heated, with passionate writers planted firmly on either side of the fence. The issue? Well, on the surface you'd call it goals. And the argument is whether you should make any. But what's really at stake here, more than any other single thing, is ensuring you REACH the life you're looking to live. The truth is … there's only one way to approach it, and I'm about to tell you how. This information isn't based solely on my opinion, though. I've interviewed and sat with dozens of high-power, millionaire writers. And I've gotten to know hundreds of promising, eager writers with gallons of potential who've made their writing dreams happen fast. They've all had varied approaches toward goal setting. But there is one single, noticeable trend in all their success stories … This Will Leave You Spinning The whole point behind setting goals is to get yourself on a trajectory of success. Just think about all the things you've probably heard in the past … If you don't have any goals, how will you know where you're going? Without a goal, how can you keep yourself accountable? What's the point of life without an end goal? This is the side of the coin that advocates toward big goals with timelines — i.e., your 10-year goal, your five-year goal, your yearly, monthly, and weekly goals, and your money timeline. And then there's the flipside … Do your best each day and the rest will take care of itself. Too many goals set you up for guaranteed failure. Achieving a goal is temporary, leaving you to start all over again once achieved. This other approach focuses more on your satisfaction arc, and on capturing enough consistent and steady success to fuel yourself for the long haul, both in terms of skill and the will to continue. So what's a writer with the best intentions and the grandest hopes to do? Get Out of the Doomed Gray Area Here's how you lay the groundwork for guaranteed wins in the world of paid writing. First, consider the problems each goal approach has: If you set too many goals, or near-impossible goals, or even simple goals that just don't work out … then you risk setting yourself up for failure. Or suspecting you're a failure. Or feeling like a failure. But if you set no goals at all, then you may never make it to that next level. You may never know what you could have done if you'd set your sights just a little higher and committed. And instead you stay stagnant. The solution? It's the middle road. It's a total embrace of both approaches, but wholly dependent on timing. By timing, I mean both where you are in your writing career (just starting out? Been doing it a decade?), and where you are in life. Think of it like the bull-versus-bear market analogy. There are times to press forward determinedly, and times to just hold on and stay in the game. Setting goals can help you with lift-off, like landing that first paid writing project, or leaving a full-time job to write for a living. But they must be paired with a life awareness. By that, I mean where you stand financially, or health-wise, or family-wise. Because the risk in setting big goals is that you plant yourself solidly in one direction, and then life factors swoop in to change your route. Which could leave you feeling more like a failure than you'd think, even as you're fully aware your change in circumstances wasn't your fault. Take our global pandemic, for example. It's changed a lot of things for a lot of people — sometimes in good ways, sometimes not. Plenty of new writers are landing projects left and right since businesses that never bothered before suddenly have to go digital and they need a lot of help. Other writers find they suddenly can't work on their writing projects at their usual pace, either because of kids who are now home full-time or changes to their normal workday routines. The Hidden Middle Plane Here's a goal approach that has worked for some of the most successful, richest writers I know, and can work for you too — especially during these weird times in our world. - Set "range goals." This is where you still set one big goal, but you make it flexible. Maybe you were hoping to earn a certain amount through writing this year … instead of a single figure, give yourself some padding on either side: I will earn between $60,000 and $80,000 with my writing this year. - No day but today. Instead of looking toward the future, think about your daily process. Come up with a few wins you know you can achieve in the course of a day, like writing 500 words in a single session. Consistent daily progress will add up. - Power of One reworked. AWAI Co-Founder Mark Ford's Power of One approach, where you focus on one major takeaway point, will definitely strengthen your writing. But it will also strengthen the reach of each day if you revamp the idea to improve your writing process by finding one way to better your work habits. That could mean waking up an hour earlier each day or not looking at social media or the news until you've put in a couple of hours of writing. AWAI in-house writer Tim Matassa took a unique approach to setting goals and went a year without any. He wrote about it in our latest issue of Barefoot Writer magazine, which is also packed with tips on how you can help yourself carve out small wins every day and month. If you're already a Barefoot Writer Club Member, [go here to read our July issue](. If you'd like to join us and learn about Tim's approach (which I'm adopting this year), [please join us here](. Are you ready to make progress as a copywriter? [Let us know in the comments]( so we can guide you to more resources. Editorial Note: Today, email marketing is undergoing a massive resurgence. And now, more than ever, companies need YOUR help writing the hundreds (even thousands!) of emails they send out on a regular basis. All you need is some training, and you can learn from one of the best in the industry, Guillermo Rubio. In just a few short weeks, he'll teach you about writing email messages … guide you … give you feedback on your work … and help accelerate your success so you can start getting paid, fast. Join Guillermo for his new LIVE Ultimate Email Copywriting Mentorship, and you'll have the opportunity to be among the first in the entire world to become certified as an AWAI Verified™ Email Copywriting Specialist. [Spots are limited, so check out the details today.]( Please Answer These 8 Questions — A Quick Survey That Can Lead You to Financial Freedom as a Freelancer As a copywriter, you have a superpower. You're in possession of a valuable skill that can reward you financially and otherwise — year after year after year. But as is the case with any form of newfound wealth, it's what you do with the money you earn from day one that will have the greatest impact on your life. Truth is, I've spoken to countless copywriters who started earning large incomes very quickly … Only to express regret that they didn't have wealth-building strategies in place that allowed them to leverage their newfound wealth into a level of financial security that would allow them to enjoy life to the fullest. At the same time, we know other copywriters who followed proven wealth strategies that allowed them to achieve complete financial independence much, much faster than those who didn't. Naturally, we'd like you to be in the latter group, rather than the former … Which is why we'd like to begin this important conversation with you today. To get the ball rolling, [your answers to these 8 questions]( will help us formulate a plan for sharing powerful money strategies used by the wealthiest freelancers we know. This should only take about two minutes of your time. In exchange for your help, we'll make sure you're among the first to see these strategies — insights from money experts we're confident will be just as transformative as the writing skill you're now mastering. The Implications Of This Are Staggering! Mark your calendar … Because on Thursday, August 6, 2020, your writing life will never be the same. That's because a "hush-hush" project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has created a remarkable writing opportunity — especially for new writers. I know, it sounds like it's straight out of a spy novel. But it's real. [Go here for the full scoop.]( You've never been invited to a club like this one … Thanks to this $2.3 trillion "underground" economy, members can work in their bedrooms, in coffee shops, by the pool, or even while traveling the world. They seldom work for more than a few hours at a time. And they get paid up to hundreds of dollars an hour to write about subjects they love. In many ways, it's as if they've retired early. [Click here for your personal invitation …]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2020 American Writers & Artists Institute Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? 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