Hi Everyone!
What does the earth making one revolution around the sun have anything to do with our goals? I understand the sentiment, but I fear there is some level of feigned positivity going on around the world every New Year that is doomed to failure.
Personally, I believe the collective sentiment is naive and marred by consumerist principles.
So instead, I'm going to present my progress over the last 6 months, with no regard for the new year. I'd like to encourage everyone who reads this post to share their results, too!
For those of you who are in a rush, the main point of my post continues at [SKIP TO HERE] as you scroll down below.
I'll begin with my longstanding goal, and then I'll reveal the steps I have taken and am continuing to take to get there.
My Goal: to become a published author of fiction and non-fiction writing. The idea is to make significant amounts of money doing that, so that way I can continue doing that! Yes, it's not about the money. The money is merely a tool for me to use to continue practicing my craft. And through my craft, I want to inspire and encourage others. Here is a video that describes what I mean.
What Makes Great Art?
My Progress:
1.) I've written the first 17 chapters of my first fiction novel. I'm writing every day. I'm also very well-read, reading all sorts of fiction and nonfiction books each day whenever I have the time available. I'm a part of a writing critique group that meets up every month.
This may be my first book, but I believe it has a lot of promise to it. Even though it's a passion project of mine, I DO realize, however, that I have much to learn. Regardless of how well it's received once it's published, I'll move on to the next novel and continue learning how to become a better writer. As @MJ DeMarco said, the road to success is not a road, but a road trip. Writing the book is the reward itself. If others love it too, then, of course, I'll be overjoyed to be able to impact others with my writing.
2.) The next step, which is actually the first tangible step forward, is getting out of my 9 to 5 job and reclaiming my time. But I'm killing two birds with one stone here. First of all, if I want to be able to market my books and my services better, I might want to learn a thing or two about marketing and persuasion, right? Well, I took a HubSpot course a little while back on Content Marketing and I'm now certified in that field until 2022 when I will have to take the course again.
3.) Since my last posting on this forum, I've applied to quite a few freelance content writing positions, and I landed one TODAY for an SEO and Marketing company called TheHoth (a content mill based in Florida).
4.) The pay isn't much ($16 per 500-word article) ($28 for 1000 word articles), but let me be honest! As a writer, that's easy for me! I could write 10 (500 words) articles a day at least if I wanted to, and I could vary how much I work each day, too. In other words, I'm not only learning about SEO and Marketing so that I can better understand how to run a website for my authorship endeavors, but with this job alone, I can decide when to work, and how to work, on MY own terms. I'll get better at writing to an audience, I'll build a portfolio, and make money! Until eventually, I'll make clients who can pay me more and perhaps even come across publishers who can help spread the word about my book.
I'm building a brand, folks!
5.) But for now, I'm going to remain working chugging away at my 9 to 5 for a little while until this freelance gig transforms from a side piece to a full-blown committed relationship. but what she doesn't know is that I'm already committed. She already has my heart. And by she, I mean, life, freedom, and the pursuit of entrepreneurship.
[SKIP TO HERE] Please understand, the fact that I landed a freelance position on New Year's day is quite serendipitous, but if it weren't for all of the changes I had already made prior to the beginning of this year, January 1, 2021 wouldn't have been so sweet.
If we are looking at things from an event perspective, I haven't done much. But if we are looking at things in terms of process, my goodness, I feel incredible and I'm not going to stop, because I can finally see the light at the end of this tunnel. I see the light because I've given myself a compass to guide me through it. I'm loving the adventure now because I've given myself the gift of a new and greater sense of direction.
I'm not lost anymore. I have a goal!
If you haven't found your compass yet, please let me know and I'll be happy to help you find it in any way I can.
I personally think we're all in this together.
I'm excited for the days to come and the inevitable challenges that will come with them, and the new year has nothing to do with it.
Best,
-Victor
What does the earth making one revolution around the sun have anything to do with our goals? I understand the sentiment, but I fear there is some level of feigned positivity going on around the world every New Year that is doomed to failure.
Personally, I believe the collective sentiment is naive and marred by consumerist principles.
So instead, I'm going to present my progress over the last 6 months, with no regard for the new year. I'd like to encourage everyone who reads this post to share their results, too!
For those of you who are in a rush, the main point of my post continues at [SKIP TO HERE] as you scroll down below.
I'll begin with my longstanding goal, and then I'll reveal the steps I have taken and am continuing to take to get there.
My Goal: to become a published author of fiction and non-fiction writing. The idea is to make significant amounts of money doing that, so that way I can continue doing that! Yes, it's not about the money. The money is merely a tool for me to use to continue practicing my craft. And through my craft, I want to inspire and encourage others. Here is a video that describes what I mean.
What Makes Great Art?
My Progress:
1.) I've written the first 17 chapters of my first fiction novel. I'm writing every day. I'm also very well-read, reading all sorts of fiction and nonfiction books each day whenever I have the time available. I'm a part of a writing critique group that meets up every month.
This may be my first book, but I believe it has a lot of promise to it. Even though it's a passion project of mine, I DO realize, however, that I have much to learn. Regardless of how well it's received once it's published, I'll move on to the next novel and continue learning how to become a better writer. As @MJ DeMarco said, the road to success is not a road, but a road trip. Writing the book is the reward itself. If others love it too, then, of course, I'll be overjoyed to be able to impact others with my writing.
2.) The next step, which is actually the first tangible step forward, is getting out of my 9 to 5 job and reclaiming my time. But I'm killing two birds with one stone here. First of all, if I want to be able to market my books and my services better, I might want to learn a thing or two about marketing and persuasion, right? Well, I took a HubSpot course a little while back on Content Marketing and I'm now certified in that field until 2022 when I will have to take the course again.
3.) Since my last posting on this forum, I've applied to quite a few freelance content writing positions, and I landed one TODAY for an SEO and Marketing company called TheHoth (a content mill based in Florida).
4.) The pay isn't much ($16 per 500-word article) ($28 for 1000 word articles), but let me be honest! As a writer, that's easy for me! I could write 10 (500 words) articles a day at least if I wanted to, and I could vary how much I work each day, too. In other words, I'm not only learning about SEO and Marketing so that I can better understand how to run a website for my authorship endeavors, but with this job alone, I can decide when to work, and how to work, on MY own terms. I'll get better at writing to an audience, I'll build a portfolio, and make money! Until eventually, I'll make clients who can pay me more and perhaps even come across publishers who can help spread the word about my book.
I'm building a brand, folks!
5.) But for now, I'm going to remain working chugging away at my 9 to 5 for a little while until this freelance gig transforms from a side piece to a full-blown committed relationship. but what she doesn't know is that I'm already committed. She already has my heart. And by she, I mean, life, freedom, and the pursuit of entrepreneurship.
[SKIP TO HERE] Please understand, the fact that I landed a freelance position on New Year's day is quite serendipitous, but if it weren't for all of the changes I had already made prior to the beginning of this year, January 1, 2021 wouldn't have been so sweet.
If we are looking at things from an event perspective, I haven't done much. But if we are looking at things in terms of process, my goodness, I feel incredible and I'm not going to stop, because I can finally see the light at the end of this tunnel. I see the light because I've given myself a compass to guide me through it. I'm loving the adventure now because I've given myself the gift of a new and greater sense of direction.
I'm not lost anymore. I have a goal!
If you haven't found your compass yet, please let me know and I'll be happy to help you find it in any way I can.
I personally think we're all in this together.
I'm excited for the days to come and the inevitable challenges that will come with them, and the new year has nothing to do with it.
Best,
-Victor
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