A secret “mom” trick that works for writers

Seriously – you should try this! [The Writer’ s Life]( June 23, 2022 "It's kind of fun to do the impossible." – Walt Disney Hi {NAME}, A new study on the effect of mindset is showing promise among middle school kids in California … According to ScienceDaily, the study found that " … training students that intelligence is malleable and learning achievable caused struggling students to flourish and improve their grades." Having worked with new writers for 25 years now, I whole-heartedly believe this works for adults, too. What you believe dictates what you do. Circle of Success Member Michele Peterson used a special "trick" along these lines to help her son believe in himself. Since it worked for him, she decided to try it on herself. And it worked … she's been a successful freelance writer for 13 years and counting! I challenge you to try her secret "mom trick" this week too. Having the right mindset is essential to your success as a writer. It's why every single writing, marketing, and business-building expert on our faculty starts from a place of believing that success is just possible for YOU as it is for them. And tomorrow at 1pm ET, we're bringing eight of our top experts together to help you get your start as a paid writer, at the encore presentation of Freelance Writer Fest! Join in tomorrow to speed up the beginning of your writing career — for FREE! [Reserve your seat right now, here.]( Here's to your writing success, Katie Yeakle Executive Director, AWAI The Wins — Both Big and Small — are What Keep You Going By Freelance Copywriter, Michele Peterson When I quit my J-O-B and went all in on my freelance writing business, I was a little nervous. It was exciting and I knew that the opportunity was real, but I was also realistic. I knew that nobody goes into business planning to fail, and yet small businesses fail every day. As a freelance writer, I was a small business of just one. And it was all up to me. I don't remember the percentages back in 2009 when I started my business, but current statistics reported by Fundera show that "20% of small businesses fail in their first year, 30% of small businesses fail in their second year, and 50% of small businesses fail after five years in business." I was determined not to be one of those statistics. I wanted to make my dream … my vision … of my writer's life a reality. I also knew that I was likely going to be the thing that got in the way of my success if I didn't maintain my motivation to keep going. So I came up with a plan. And it was inspired by my son playing baseball. My son loved playing baseball as much as I loved being a freelance copywriter. But his team didn't always win the game. His at-bats didn't always result in getting on base. He was grumpy in the car ride home after games that they didn't win. And each time this happened, I encouraged him to find something about the game that was a positive. Something that could count as a win. At first, he resisted — as kids will — but eventually it became easier to find even a small personal win in the midst of the larger team loss. I figured I could do the same thing. Recording and Celebrating the Wins I got into the habit of writing down my wins — both big and small — at the end of each week. Some weeks, I had big wins … a new client, new and bigger projects for existing clients, etc. Some weeks, I had small wins … a new LinkedIn connection, publishing a blog post, etc. But I kept score and recorded them all. See, I wanted to maintain a winning streak. When a baseball team is on a winning streak, it changes how the players show up to play. They have more confidence. They have more fun. And that's what I wanted for my writer's life, too. So I adapted the mantra, "I win or I learn." There was no losing. And with this mindset of a "winner," I am still in business for myself after 13 years. Present Day Wins I still celebrate my weekly wins. This habit has been especially helpful during the recent uncertainty out in the world. I realized early on in the pandemic … and it's even more true now … that my winning streak wasn't in danger. Not. At. All. My writer's life is more successful than it's ever been. In fact, my biggest win of the last three months was that I raised my rates … and had clients increase the amount of work I'm doing with them! At the higher rates! Other recent wins have included: - Sent Invoice #1,000 (I've used QuickBooks since the beginning, so all of my client invoices have been sequentially numbered) - Made 16 new LinkedIn connections in a week - Took Friday off and had zero screen time - Landed a new client - Added new subscribers to my weekly newsletter - Paid off my car loan - Maxed out my annual IRA contribution As you can see, some are big wins. Some are smaller. They all matter. Your wins matter, too. In fact, like mine, they can make all the difference. Start Tracking YOUR Winning Streak I encourage you to start tracking your own winning streak. If you train your brain to look for wins, you'll find them. And the more you do it, the easier it becomes. In fact, the more you get used to seeing yourself as a winner, the more you will win. Rosabeth Moss Kanter wrote in the Harvard Business Review that "winning brings advantages that make it easier to keep winning." I have certainly found this to be true. And I think you will, too. So track and celebrate your weekly wins. Make it a habit like I did. I write my wins in my planner, but you can write yours anywhere. For example, instead of (or in addition to) a gratitude journal, you could maintain a win journal. Or you could write your wins on slips of paper and put them in a jar where you can see them adding up. The act of doing it is more important than how you do it. So just pick something you think will work for you and start. As I used to tell my son, you can't win if you don't put on your uniform and show up. And that's as true for us writers as it is for any baseball player. Let your first win be showing up for yourself and for your writer's life. Then keep adding new wins every day, every week, etc. Your wins will add up. They will sustain you and keep you going, no matter what may be happening in the world. Now's a great time to be living the writer's life. So go ahead and join me in the winner's circle. Got Your Free Ticket to the Freelance Writer Fest Encore Event?!? Tomorrow, at 1:00 PM Eastern … Our all-star lineup of successful freelance writers, business coaches, and mentors will show you why the world has never needed freelance writers more than right now … And walk you through everything you need to know to help meet the demand! -- Complete Beginners Welcome! -- [Claim Your FREE Access Here]( What's Hot at AWAI … More from Circle of Success member, Michele Peterson: 😄 [Sometimes Quitters DO Win … Especially During The Great Resignation]( 🙌 [Setting Up Your Writing Workspace for Success]( 🤓 [Quarterly Checkups Keep the Fire Lit Under Your Goals]( 🤔 Wait, what's Circle of Success, again? [Check it out here!]( You Never Know … [Social media post about making writing job connections through other opportunities] This sounds really exciting, Cynthia — and a great way to use what you already know! Good luck with the leads that came out of it! Have your own story to share? Email us at mysuccess@awai.com, or [post it over in the Facebook group](, so we can celebrate your win too! $297 In Writing Training — for $11!!! When you grab a subscription to Barefoot Writer magazine today, for only $11 … You'll get FREE access to our Making the Leap program, which takes you wherever you are today … And shows you exactly how to make a smooth transition to paid writing, so you'll have success right out of the gate. It usually costs $297, but you'll get it completely free today! [Grab It All For $11]( TODAY! Get all this for $1 … [PWA Product Spread] The Professional Writers' Alliance (PWA) takes the stress out of running your writing business. With ready-to-use business forms, templates, and checklists … VIP job board access … networking opportunities … and a mountain of tips, tactics, and "been there, done that" advice from working freelance writers … You'll minimize the "unbillable" hours you spend working on your business and maximize your time writing — and getting paid. [Claim Your $1 Access Here]( Featured Writing Jobs Senior Copywriter – Evoke Full time, Remote The Senior Copywriter (Sr. CW) is responsible for developing ideas and copy that creatively deliver on our clients' strategies and support their creative tones. --------------------------------------------------------------- Content Writer – WebstaurantStore Full time, Remote WebstaurantStore, a division of Clark Associates, is looking for entry-level candidates who possess strong writing and research skills to join our growing company as Content Writers. --------------------------------------------------------------- Content Writer – CGI Group, Inc. Full time, Baltimore, MD The Health and Compliance group at CGI Federal is seeking a Content Writer with proven experience who can be part of a team in a dynamic and changing environment. --------------------------------------------------------------- You can find all of these jobs and thousands more on [WritersWanted.com](. Access is currently available with [The AWAI Method™]( and will be opened up to additional AWAI members in the near future. Stay tuned! --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2022 American Writers & Artists Institute Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? Simply direct them [here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- American Writers & Artists Institute 220 George Bush Blvd, Suite D Delray Beach, FL 33444 (561) 278-5557 or (866) 879-2924 Ensure your subscription delivery. AWAI Whitelisting info available [here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to this newsletter as {EMAIL}. To unsubscribe from any future issues of The Writer's Life, please click here: [Unsubscribe from The Writer's Life](. To unsubscribe from all AWAI broadcasts click here. [I want to permanently unsubscribe from all AWAI emails](.