Mindset

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Has Your Idea Fountain Run Dry?

121316-ideafaucetIt happens to the best of us… You go to get a drink at the Idea Fountain only to find somebody didn’t pay the water bill!

Craptastic!

Or the fountain is running, but instead of clean, crisp water brimming with wonderful ideas, it’s a stagnant trickle filled with bug legs and slime… and only provides mediocre ideas.

Double Craptastic!

So what do you do?

(And it’s especially painful when you’re looking at a looming deadline, dying of thirst, and that fountain is so dry even the DUST has blown away!)

Try sipping from the idea fountain from a different direction!
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Stop Talking and Write Already!

112216-moveonIn the last two weeks, I’ve met with not one, not two, but THREE different people who have been talking and talking about their books.

In fact, they’ve each been talking about their book since 2006.

2006.

That’s a DECADE, people.

A decade of thinking about a book… but not writing it.
A decade of researching a book… but not writing it.
A decade of talking about a book… but not writing it.

These three people have one thing in common:

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Video – What do you do when it’s not working?

Do you ever have one of those days where EVERYTHING falls apart? The computer crashes, your emails get lost, you break your favorite cup, the dog gets mud on your clean sheets…

It happens to the best of us! And that wide-spread “falling apart” can impact your writing. Here’s how you can calm down and let it flow – for your writing, tech, and maybe, just maybe, life!



And be sure to leave me a comment to let me know what YOU do when it just isn’t working!

When the Pain of NOT is Greater than the Pain of DO

092716-painI woke up to a migraine today. And a huge to-do list. And a summit to run.

Could I have called it all off, crawled back into bed, and called it a day. Try again tomorrow. In all honesty, yes. I could have. You can always not do it. In fact, a lot of times not doing it is easier than doing it.

But that’s not me.

Before I go any further, this is NOT a commentary on working when you’re sick, powering through, or a discourse on a man-cold vs a woman-cold.

It’s about recognizing that I have been given a gift, and it’s up to me to honor it to the absolute best of my ability. Even when I’d rather do something else.

Because that’s what an idea really is. It’s a gift from God, the Universe, your higher self – whatever you chose to label it.

This isn’t about the to do list (in all honesty, I’m pushing MOST things on that “to do” list to tomorrow when I don’t feel like I wish there was a guillotine in my closet. It’s not about powering through.

It’s recognizing that taking the easy way of not isn’t in my best interest.

Tony Robbins said (and I’m paraphrasing here) that when the pain of doing something overcomes the pain of not doing it… you do it.

When the pain of doing something overcomes the pain of not doing it… you do it. #amwriting Click To Tweet
  • 092716-laundryExercise.
  • The dishes.
  • Studying for an exam.
  • Putting gas in the car.
  • Folding the laundry.
  • Quitting your job.
  • Writing the book.

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3 Tips for Writing in the Face of Chaos

Put DOWN that panic button and step away from the meltdown!

080916-MeltDown

It’s 9:17 on a Monday morning and you already know it’s going to be one of those weeks. The type marked by too many meetings and deadlines, too many moments of rushing, stress, and worry. It’s a week marked by a huge schedule that’s out of your control – and you’re praying that there’s enough stuff in the fridge to create dinners because there’s no way in hell you’ve got the time, energy, or patience to deal with the grocery store.

And in it all, there’s that little voice that whispers…

What about your writing?

Take a deep breath, here are three tips to help you still move forward on your writing project even in the face of an overly-busy week.

080916-Relax1. Relax

This period of craziness is temporary – so just relax into it. If you’re anything like me, crazy breeds crazy. Suddenly, on an overly busy week, I can’t stand [fill in the blank] one more second and it MUST go on this week’s to do list. For me, that’s often some non-urgent task like pulling weeds in my driveway or needing to organize the pantry.

So relax. Take a deep breath (you do have time for that!) and remember that it’ll be okay.
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Are You Following Your Dream?

When I was a junior in high school my dad bought a HUGE book that listed all the colleges in the USA and had endless listings about what you could declare as a major. (Actually, I think he bought a couple of these books!) There was a lot of talk around the dinner table about where I was going to go to college and what I’d study.

ONE time flipping through that book and I knew exactly what I wanted:

061416-UofATo study Creative Writing and to do it at the University of Arizona.

(The fact that U of A is in Tucson where I had a family was a plus. The fact that Dad graduated from there and I’d been raised a Wildcat was a huge bonus!)

I went through the last two years of high school knowing exactly where I was going to college and what I was going to study. When my friends were deciding if college was even something on their radar, I knew what I was going to do.

I knew.

I was moving in the direction of my dreams, taking a powerful action to someday become an Author.

Are you moving in the direction of your dreams? Click To Tweet

But here’s the weirdest thing…

All those friends who were undecided majors (or even undecided about college at all) got lots of approval and feedback from adults. Teachers and other adults alike would look at my peers and offer endless encouragement to pursue their dreams; go to college and find out what you want.

You want to know what they told me when they found out I was majoring in Creative Writing?

“What’s your backup plan?”

I kid you not! That’s what they said to me, over and over. Not “Great job to follow your dreams, Kim!” but “What’s your backup plan?”

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How Long Does it Take to Write a Book?

It’s a question I get asked regularly, especially when I’m speaking from stage…

“How long does it take to write a book?”

I get it! You want to know how to plan your work load, your life, your biz, and your book’s launch.

Unfortunately this is one of those “it depends” answers.

A book is a project with a clear starting and ending point. (Idea to completed first draft). But the path between those two points can get… murky.

Think of it this way:
051716-VacuumI want to vacuum my house. I have to get the vacuum and plug it in – regardless of how large my house is, I must do that step. (Call this the idea step!)

Then, I have to vacuum. But do I dust first? Is that really part of vacuuming? (This can be thinking about companion products to your book – like an opt-in gift.)

Why writing a book is like vacuuming the house! Click To Tweet

Is this the week where I do a quickie vacuum or when I really move furniture and get in all the cracks? (This can be the difference between a shorter book (20,000-30,000 words) or a longer book.)

How big is my house? Am I vacuuming every room or just the main areas? (Think about your book – are you trying to be the definitive guide or an introduction?)

The end goal is to have the house vacuumed – clean floors. But the time to get from getting the vacuum out and plugging it in until I’m done and wrapping up the cord and putting it away… That varies!

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