This is a guest post by Lorraine Reguly
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“I want to be an author/freelancer/writer, but I’m not sure my writing is good enough.”
“I’m trying to improve my writing, but I don’t think it is working.”
“I’m an author, but no one is buying my books.”
Recognize any of these?
Perhaps this is more you:
“I’m a writer, but I’m unknown. How is anyone ever going to discover my talents?”
Regardless of which scenario you most identify with, I’m here to help you gain some confidence and move your writing career forward.
Breathe a sigh of relief. You’re about to be saved. Image may be NSFW.
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Today’s Writer
Being a writer in today’s world involves so much more than writing; it is an entrepreneurial venture that entails knowing how to market your work to the right audience, establishing an online presence (which includes blogging and guest-posting), being active on social media and engaging with others, selling your services/books/ebooks, participating in promotional giveaways, being interviewed and reviewed, and a gazillion other things that are too numerous to mention here.
Many writers and freelancers struggle with these aspects and, with so much to do, we often become overwhelmed and begin to doubt our abilities.
So what are we to do?
The short answer: gain confidence in ourselves. The long answer: combine changing our beliefs with having some type of a plan, and put in the time and work needed to be successful.
Change Your Attitudes With Positive Affirmations: The First Solution
We need to believe in our abilities. We need to trust that we can do it all. We must raise our negative levels of self-esteem. We need to find our footing.
How can we do this?
One solution is to use specific, positive affirmations to kick-start your writing success.
Maybe you have heard of this concept before; maybe you haven’t. If so, how do you use your affirmations? How have they helped you? (Drop me a line in the comment section and let me know.)
If you haven’t heard of this concept, you’re not alone. In fact, I was not made aware of it until mid-June 2013. (Yes, I’ve been living under a rock, too.) Since then, I’ve been using a specialized set of affirmations on a weekly basis. (Ideally, you’re supposed to use them daily, but sometimes I forget. I admit it.)
Affirmations: Definition + a Theory
Affirmations are positive statements that are repeated on a daily basis that alter your current (usually negative) beliefs by sinking into your subconscious. While they initially may not be true, the constant repetition of them eventually makes them a reality – or so the theory goes.
What’s surprising is that this theory holds true. Don’t believe me? Not a problem. I didn’t expect you to. Image may be NSFW.
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Like you, I was initially skeptical when this theory was introduced to me, but I figured I’d give it a shot, since I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. So I tested out this theory by following the recommended steps to creating affirmations of my own, which are:
- Identify the areas of your life you want to change
- Write out specific statements that are opposite of your negative beliefs and negative self-talk
- Begin and end each day by reading these affirmations, saying them aloud for added impact
Some sample affirmations to get you started
*Today I am going to take one step towards kick-starting my success.
*I am a talented writer and I’m constantly improving my craft.
*I expect success.
*I love blogging and am getting better at it.
*I love writing fictional stories because it unleashes my creativity.
Some of the affirmations I use (which you can use, too) were given to me by Ralph Quintero, founder of Happy Someone, and are as follows:
- Today I am concentrating on moving my writing forward.
- A successful business person lives within me, and today that person is running my business!
- I am competent, confident, and calm.
- Doors of opportunity and abundance open to me NOW!
- New opportunities come easily to me!
- There are NO LIMITS to what I can achieve!
- Today, I am optimistic. I remember that my thoughts create my reality. I think positively and surround myself with positive energy!
- I feel strong, excited, passionate, and powerful!
- I expect GREAT things from myself!
- My financial abundance overflows today!
- Amazing opportunities constantly come my way!
- I ask for it, visualize it, claim it, expect it, and receive it!
- Success and achievement are natural outcomes for me!
- There are no limits to what I can and will achieve today!
- I can have what I want!
- I am a published author!
- I’m enjoying my writing success!
- I am driving my new car! (NOTE: I’m not, but this is something I want to do in the future.)
- I am shopping for my own house and pool! (Side note: I’m not doing this yet, either. But one day I hope to be!)
- I can do whatever I set my mind to!
- I am confident that I have great writing and creative abilities!
- I am awesome!
Affirmations Will Change Your Life and Kick-start Your Writing Success
As time passes, your thought processes will change in positive ways. When you write you affirmations, then read them, say them, and hear them, you will begin to believe them. They will plant themselves deep in your subconscious. You will see and feel their effects. You will know that choosing to use affirmations is one of the best choices you have ever made. Your life will change.
Still don’t believe me? That’s okay. You don’t have to.
But let me tell you this: Before using affirmations, my blog had no real direction, I had only guest-posted twice, I lacked confidence in myself, and I wasn’t sure I could make it as a writer, despite the fact that I’m an English teacher.
Since I started using these affirmations, I devised a theme for my old blog (Lorraine Reguly’s Life) of True Tales Tuesdays and Featured Fridays, I moved this blog to my own self-hosted site (Wording Well), I have had over a dozen guest posts published on various niche blogs (two were on blogs that had not previously allowed guest posts!), I wrote an ebook, I’ve earned money from both writing and editing, I’ve had a short story published in an anthology, I won a short story writing contest (which will also be published in an anthology), and I have many more positive projects on the go. I also interviewed a blind man and obtained answers to questions most of us are too afraid to ask but have always contemplated.
Using positive affirmations has definitely given me confidence to pursue my dreams and has kick-started my writing success! The best part? It didn’t cost me a thing.
Of course, I put in the work required, too, which brings me to the second part of the solution I mentioned earlier and the other component involved in kick-starting your success.
Have a Plan and Put it to Work: The Second Solution
I used to dislike planning, but then I started blogging. I learned how important it was to publish posts regularly, and I discovered that scheduling my blog posts helped me plan my personal life, which, at the time, seriously needed a change.
In my never-ending quest for improving my life and attaining my goals, I realized that planning, coupled with hard work, was the key to success.
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Having a plan or roadmap for reaching your goals is better than simply “winging it” and provides you with a concrete outline to achieving success. I think we all know this. But do we always use one?
If you’re in need of a planner to help keep you on track, I’ve created a free one that you can use and modify to suit your own specific needs. You have my permission to copy and paste it, then adapt it or use “as is.” The choice is yours.
I’ve been using this planner to help me in 2014. I hope you find it useful to kick-starting your writing success. You’ll then have no problem getting your elevator pitch ready, finding a gig on Craigslist, writing awesome content, breaking out of the peanuts-per-word market on bidding sites, starting a novel or finishing that ebook you’ve begun! Heck, you might even be able to land that guest post you wanted.
Now that you know what affirmations are, do you think you are going to use them to kick-start your writing success? Or do you use them already? Share your thoughts and/or experiences in the comment section!
Image #1 Credit: Original Image courtesy of stockphotos / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image #2 Credit: Image courtesy of watiporn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Lorraine Reguly is a Canadian-based English teacher who offers both writing and editing services. She blogs on various websites and, if you subscribe to her newsletter, she will send you a copy of her ebook, 20 Blog Post Must-Haves.