10 pieces of gratitude

Although it’s hard to stop at just 10 … [The Writer’ s Life]( November 23, 2023 "Create the biggest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe." – Oprah Winfrey Hi {NAME}, Happy Thanksgiving to our AWAI members celebrating today! Even though gratitude is part of my everyday routine, this day always amplifies things … Both the number of things I'm grateful for, and the emotions that surround them. My good friend, Heather Robson, who is the Managing Editor of Wealthy Web Writer (and someone I'm grateful to know), believes in regularly practicing gratitude as well. And today, she shares a list of 10 small things she's grateful for as a writer. I feel like I could list 10 more … or 100 … But you may have somewhere to be, so I'll just focus on a few. 😉 I'm grateful I get to spend every day helping you go after your dreams and achieve what you want. My "job" is one of my greatest blessings. I'm grateful I FINALLY got to connect in person with so many AWAI members at Bootcamp — it had been WAY too long. (Four years!!) I'm grateful this industry continues to grow and deliver more and more opportunities for you to make great money doing what you love. 2023 did not disappoint! I'm grateful for the team here at AWAI who show up wholeheartedly every day to help change people's lives. We have a unique culture here at AWAI, and I love, love, LOVE it so very much. Finally, I'm grateful for YOU. Thank you for the trust you put in us … We do not take it for granted and promise to keep you and your success front and center in all that we do here at AWAI. With heartfelt thanks, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Rebecca Matter President AWAI P.S. Looking for our Black Friday Deal? 👉 [It's right here!]( Fair warning: It's a big one! 😉 BLACK FRIDAY DEAL: 80% Off Writer's Starter Kit The biggest hurdle to becoming a professional, paid writer is simply getting started. This is the answer: It's a vast arsenal of our very best writing and business-building resources … to help you set up your writing business FAST … Like over the course of a weekend fast! It includes all the tools, templates, resource lists, guides, and fee schedules you'll need to launch and run a successful writing business. [Grab it for just $49!]( Your ALL-ACCESS Key — Just $1! Get instant access to this exclusive B2B writing community and ALL their private resources, including … All the success roadmaps … All the writing templates … All the articles … All the how-to videos … All 150+ training webinars … The Forum, the Job Board, the tutorials, the tools … And much more! [Go Here for More Details]( 10 Little Things to Be Grateful for About The Writer's Life By Heather Robson [Gratitude written with letter tiles] Being a freelance writer gives you plenty of big things to be grateful for. There's the scheduling freedom. You get to set the hours of your day. And that means you can carve out time for the most important things. For me, it meant being able to homeschool my children during their elementary years. There's the financial possibility and security. When you're starting out, financial security can seem pretty far-fetched for a freelancer. You might be scrambling for jobs. One month you might be flush, and the next month you might be counting every penny. But as you get the hang of your craft and of the business side of things, you'll learn how to line up clients, negotiate, and manage your time. When those pieces come together (and they do), then financial security becomes par for the course. There's the mobility. Want to take a trip to Hawaii and work while you're there? Easy. Want to travel to Europe and maintain a part-time schedule? Totally doable. Heck, you can even work from your RV while exploring some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Being a freelance writer lets you go places in a way you just can't when you're tied to a job. But I don't want to focus on the big things today. I want to look at the little things — the overlooked things — that also bring so much gratitude to me, and for many other writers I know. 10 Small Perks That Come from Living The Writer's Life - Sleeping in when you want to. When I first became a freelance writer, I vowed to never get up to an alarm again. Years later, I broke that vow when I realized I feel better and more productive when I get up at six … and I need an alarm to do that. But there are times I want to sleep in. And I'm grateful that I can. - Staying up late when you want to. When you're in charge of your own schedule, you can choose to be flexible in the moment. That means, if you decide that you want to stay up to watch a meteor shower or a total eclipse of the moon, you can do that. I've done both, and still managed to show up to work the next day (very late in the morning) and get things done. I'm grateful for that flexibility. - Learning new things, all the time. In so many jobs, you learn the tasks and the topics that you need to do your work and do it well. When you're a writer, you're constantly challenged to keep up with the changing landscape that is digital marketing. That means you get to learn things like social media and how to write a video script. And if you work for a variety of clients, you'll constantly learn about new topics as well. That's an aspect of my business that keeps me smiling and full of gratitude. - Catching a midday movie. Most days, I have a plan for my work, and I stick to it. But some days, I spontaneously drop everything and go do something just for fun, like catch a midday movie or grab some sushi with a friend or go play Scrabble with my mom. I like to plan ahead, but I'm grateful that I don't have to be married to those plans all the time. - Writing in all sorts of wonderful places. One day, it's a coffee shop. Another day, a lovely little spot at a local park. Some days, it's the local library. Or the art museum. Even the zoo. When you're a freelance writer, you can have a change of scene whenever you choose … and that's definitely something to feel grateful for. - Skills you can harness in so many ways. Whether you write to persuade or inform, when you write for clients, you learn how to write in a way that earns attention and prompts action from your readers. And when you can do that, you can open a lot of doors. You can use those skills to build a side business and start earning a passive income. You can use them to launch a passion project … to help a friend or family member get their business off the ground … to lend a hand to an important cause. This one can leave you overflowing with gratitude. - Getting a "great job" email. Getting a message from a client letting you know that your work got a good response, that they appreciate you, and that you've made a difference for them … that's something that happens a lot when you're a writer. And it will leave you with a grateful glow every, single time. - Time for hobbies. Now, I'm not saying that a traditional job doesn't leave time for hobbies. Plenty of people work a 9-to-5 and still manage to pursue things they enjoy. But when you're living the writer's life, it's just so much more convenient. For example, I'm learning to boulder right now. Because of my job, I can go to the rock-climbing gym in the morning, start my workday an hour later, and plan to finish up an hour later … or just plan to work an hour less that day. It's up to me, and I don't have to ask anyone permission or let them know my plans. I love that about freelancing. - Getting into the flow. Did you know that getting into a "flow state" on a regular basis improves both health and happiness? That's that place where you become unaware of the passage of time as you focus deeply on the work you're doing. It's almost an out-of-body experience. When you're in the flow state, you don't notice hunger or thirst or anything, other than what you're working on. And writing is one of the activities that can put you into a flow state. So, your chosen profession comes with a path to health and happiness built-in. How cool is that? - As many walks as you want. I love being outside. I like to see the seasons changing. I enjoy the sun, the wind, or the rain on my face. And so, I love going for walks. The truth is I don't walk as much as I'd like to. But the truth also is that I can take as many walks as I want. And that's something else to be grateful for. As I write this list of "little" things to be grateful for, I realize that most of these are pretty big things. They're all about building the life you want, tailor-made to your interests and needs. When you can do that — and the writer's life will help you get there — gratitude becomes a normal state of being. And, in terms of mindset, that is a great place to be. Editorial Note: We're running a Black Friday special just for you … Right now, you get our best-selling resource for new writers — [The Writer's Starter Kit]( — for $200 off the normal price and pay just $49! It shows you how to set up the actual "business" of writing for yourself (over the course of a weekend!) … It walks you through the resources you'll want to have on hand before you land your first client … It shows you how to set clear and achievable business goals, simple ways to keep track of your writing income, and even the best ways to approach prospective clients and where to find them … It's all in there for you. So you can start generating an income as a writer as quickly as possible. Plus, during this Black Friday early access, you'll also get $513 in FREE Bonuses! [>> Go here to grab early access to this Black Friday deal.]( What's Hot at AWAI … 👀 BLACK FRIDAY DEAL: [Grab The Writer's Starter Kit for just $249 $49 today!]( 😊 Need some inspiration to take the first step? [Check out our Monday Morning Jumpstart archives!]( 🤩 [Living The Writer's Life: Jason Gaspero on writing while monkeys are taking over the island!]( Opportunities galore … [Social media post about new opportunities] Chery, it looks like the opportunities are linging up! Being able to write about what you love is also a big plus, Congrats! 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! 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