Ditch the resolutions

You can make great money writing this year without any resolutions [The Writer’ s Life]( January 15, 2021 Hi {NAME}, People put a lot of pressure on themselves this time of year … Setting Resolutions … naming big goals … promising to "do better" in the months ahead. And while I believe we should always strive to improve … the reality is that kind of pressure usually isn't productive. It makes things harder! But it could be FUN instead … AWAI's Staff Writer Tim Matassa has a suggestion for how you can make real progress on your goals, in a different and fun way. It's simple to implement and you'll be surprised what a great jump-start it will give you. Check out his alternative in today's issue — along with four things you can look for to increase your odds of success. Business-Building Expert Ilise Benun has been teaching this strategy to AWAI members for the past year and the success stories have been amazing. Now, she's ready to personally take you through it day-by-day, giving you the best start to the New Year. As a mentor and coach, Ilise loves helping creative professionals build their businesses. And she's so good at it!! With her step-by-step guidance, bite-sized modules, and daily tasks, you'll master the exact steps to land paying writing assignments. But today is your LAST CHANCE to be part of her next Challenge group. [>> Go here now for the details and to register …]( And get ready for a steady stream of paid writing assignments in 2021. To your success, [Rebecca Matter's Signature] Rebecca Matter President, AWAI "Challenge" Yourself to Ditch the Resolutions This Year By Tim Matassa [checklist with goal, plan, and action on desk with laptop and smartphone] With New Year's every year comes millions of New Year's Resolutions from people around the globe who are looking to be healthier, happier, smarter, stronger, wealthier, or simply BETTER. But despite their popularity, U.S. News & World Report says only about 20% of New Year's Resolutions are achieved. Most are forgotten or given up on every year by mid-February. That doesn't have to stop you, though. You can still have BIG plans for this year. You just need a smarter approach. Rather than setting a vague Resolution, like "lose weight" or "make more money" … Or even having a specific goal — like "lose 15 pounds in three months" or "earn six-figures" — without a plan to achieve it … You can join millions of others by participating in an official Challenge. And to be clear, I'm not talking about those Challenges designed to go viral on social media, like the Ice Bucket Challenge. You'll find all kinds of Challenges online related to career, wealth, fitness, family, spirituality, and more, that can help you improve your life. The important thing is that a well-constructed Challenge has many advantages over trying to stick with a New Year's Resolution on your own. But not all Challenges are created equal. Here are four things you should look for in a Challenge that will put you in the best position to succeed … 1. Who's got your back? Too often, our goals and Resolutions are solo ventures. We decide we want to accomplish something and then set out to do it without help or support. But the best Challenges lean on community. In many cases, you'll be able to join a Facebook group or online forum that lets you check in with the other members who are participating. This is where you'll share your struggles and triumphs — and get a healthy dose of accountability. A study from the American Society of Training and Development shows you have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you commit to someone. And that skyrockets to 95% if you have a specific accountability appointment with someone you've committed your goal to. That's a far cry from all those abandoned New Year's Resolutions! The community aspect of a Challenge can also be fun — and a way to learn more. If you're doing a fitness Challenge, maybe everyone shares the healthy recipes they've enjoyed. If it's a writing Challenge, you might share your writing. Or tips on productivity and finding the time to write. There are endless possibilities for how to tap into this support group. 2. Follow the leader While peer support is critical, it's also really important to have someone leading the charge. Especially if your Challenge involves different activities every day. If you're doing tasks that build on one another, it shouldn't be up to you or the group to determine how to make them work. That's where having an expert matters. That person will give you clear instructions … they'll keep the Challenge on track … and they'll be available for advice, feedback, and support. In short, they can be teacher, motivator, and cheerleader rolled into one! 3. No shades of grey When you participate in a Challenge, you know exactly what you're shooting for and how long you have to get there. Maybe it's to run 100 miles in 20 days … Or write one poem every day of the year … Or write for at least 15 minutes every day for a month. Whatever it is, your success or failure is objective. You either accomplished it or you didn't. There's no grey area. But in order to reach your goal, you need a plan or action step every single day. And a good Challenge will give you that. This will make it easier to stay on track. Think about it … Let's say your resolution is to lose 15 pounds in three months. You know you'll achieve this by eating healthy and exercising. But day-by-day, do you really know if you moved closer to your goal? HOW healthy is healthy enough? Were you allowed to have that cheat meal? Did you burn enough calories during your workout? It's incredibly hard to stay motivated without daily reinforcement. But if you were trying to lose 15 pounds in three months by participating in a Challenge, chances are you'd have daily meal plans and workouts laid out for you. You'd go to bed every night knowing whether you did what you were supposed to do. That's far more rewarding. And the daily wins will make it easier to stay motivated through the end. 4. Take it easy No matter what type of Challenge you sign up for, your participation should feel easy and fun. Not the work, mind you. It's called a Challenge for a reason. The work should push you to get better. But if there's a Facebook group … or videos to watch … or an app to check-in with … Whatever lets you track your progress or get your instructions should make you want to be there. You should feel motivated by the technology to keep going because of how easy and user-friendly it is. Because even if you're succeeding with the work, a bad user experience is enough to derail some people's progress. But every aspect of a good Challenge will support you so you can put all your energy toward the work. Do it for YOU! There's one last thing about the best Challenges … They're relevant … meaning they'll help you make tangible progress in an area that's most important to you. But it's not up to the Challenge to make sure this is the case. It's up to you. Don't choose what someone else wants you to do or thinks you need to improve at. Choose a Challenge you believe will have the greatest impact on your life. Since you're a writer, there are all kinds of writing Challenges you could sign up for. Some are simply meant to get you writing every day … Others will teach you a specific type of writing … While some will help you gain the confidence to put your writing out there for constructive feedback. Now, if you're a freelance writer running your own business or trying to get started, there's a proven-to-work Challenge starting soon that contains ALL the characteristics I just talked about. Marketing expert Ilise Benun, who has three decades of experience working with freelancers, is running the next round of her 21-Day Challenge for getting clients. [You'll find your invitation to join here.]( And if you've ever participated in Challenges before or want to share what you'd like to improve on in 2021, [we'd love to hear from you in the comments!]( Editorial Note: Ilise Benun has a plan to help you set up your LinkedIn profile and get started as a copywriter … even if you're brand-new. Join her for 21 days and she'll show you the simple daily, baby steps you can take to erase fear, build confidence, and find your first (or next) client. You'll learn a proven process to land clients — a system you can use again and again. All you have to do is register before enrollment closes tonight. [Check out the details here.]( It's your last chance to join this Challenge. LAST CHANCE: Land Your First Client in Just 21 Days (Or Less!) Let us help you land your first paid writing client in just 21 days or less … And give you a proven system for attracting all the clients you'll ever need to sustain your writing business … The easy way! NO cold-calling … NO building a website … NO sending out resumes … And NO reaching out and never hearing back. Instead, you'll learn how to make the kinds of clients you want to work with … come to you. Enrollment closes tonight! [Get In Now.]( LAST CHANCE: Test-Drive AWAI's Copywriting Program for $29 If you've ever been curious about copywriting, TODAY is your chance to test-drive our flagship program The Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting for just $29. When you master persuasive writing with our industry-leading training, you'll be in big demand in this 2.3 trillion-dollar industry. You can make a good living, choose your own hours, and work from anywhere in the world. But hurry, this "test-drive" ends tonight at midnight! [Get All The Details Here.]( Full Access for Just $1 This free blueprint shows you how to make $2,500 to $8,000 a month as a writer. And for just a buck, you'll gain access to every resource you'll need to execute that blueprint. All the roadmaps … All the articles … All the how-to videos … All 320+ training webinars … The member forum, the job board, the tutorials, the tools … All of it! [Check it Out Now.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2021 American Writers & Artists Institute Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? 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