Kristina Voegele - Success Coach for Female Writers and Coaches
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Grit Talk

When YOU should write (and take a "nappucino") ️

8/28/2018

 
Do you struggle with finding a time to write that actually feels sustainable? Or maybe you have trouble following through on your personal goals when you don't have a "real" deadline? 

Check out my latest LIVE training in the Writerpreneurs Facebook Group.
 
In this video I give you...
  • ️Science-based permission to drink caffeine and take a nap in the afternoon
  • ✍🏼What latest research says about WHEN you should write (and edit)
  • My favorite resource for figuring out what will actually get you to follow through on your personal goals

Not already a member? Click here to join! I'd love to connect with you more 1:1! 

With so much gratitude,
Kristina

Write Yourself Happy (in 5 mins or less)

8/9/2018

 
I was 10 and it was a white Lisa Frank journal with a red bubble gum dispenser on the front. It also came with a heart-shaped lock and key which was a must considering I had an older brother living under the same roof who was always looking for new and inventive ways to humiliate me. 

That one little journal (okay…I called it a diary back then) unlocked a world of potential to me which quite literally became my saving grace, my happy place, for the rest of my life.  

Over the years the aesthetics of my journal evolved, as did my writing subjects and style thankfully, but the one thing that’s been constant is that no matter how sad I am or how bad things have seemed before I started writing, somehow the world and my place in it always becomes clearer and less noisy after just 5 minutes of “writing it out.” 

But the other day was talking to another writer friend of mine about journaling and asked her if she thought it made her happier. In general, she said, yes, journaling does seem to help her get things off her chest but she doesn’t always feel better afterward.  

And, in fact, she said sometimes if she’s already in a negative place, she can spiral even worse while journaling and go to an even darker place. (Eeek!) 

She suggested that for people like her, some positive prompts would help her from going too far into a negative abyss.  

So, inspired by my friend, I created 5 FIVE-MINUTE JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR A HAPPIER YOU and you can find all of them in my recent article up on Lifehack.org now.  

Read it and learn…
-My 6 favorite writing prompts for breaking through burn out (and feeling un-freaking-stoppable again)
-How to stop self-sabotage dead in its tracks so you can go on being your TRUE happy, fabulous self
-How to talk to your fear and learn from it (rather than letting it hold you back)
-Why “gratitude glasses” can change the way you see everything
The exact steps I use to tap into creative flow every morning

Giving yourself a safe space to not expect anything other than to just show up and be honest is incredibly liberating.  

Start with giving yourself the gift of reflection in your journal every day and see how your life starts to change. I guarantee you’ll feel more connected with yourself in the process and over time everything in your life will start to be a better reflection of you and what you value. 

Because that, my friend, is the key to lasting happiness. 

Love always,
​Kristina

Burnt Out? Read this.

7/10/2018

 
I was weeping in bed for the third time that week and I’ve never been a crier. But eight months after having my daughter, and four months after going back to work, the motivation and energy I’d originally felt returning to my job had completely subsided and I’d hit a wall of fatigue and exhaustion of epic proportions.

As I sat there red faced and sobbing in my pajamas (a great look for me), my poor husband laid there staring at the wall, not sure what to say at this point. He’d already told me I should leave my job multiple times during previous crying sessions. But instead of feeling relieved by his blessing, it only made me feel guiltier and cry even more.

I could never quit, I thought to myself. What if he’d resent me for not bringing in income eventually? I was afraid of being perceived as lazy. Plus we live in an area of the country that pretty much requires dual incomes to live comfortably. How could I leave a steady paycheck and put that kind of pressure on him? Plus I had some people’s dream job! Why couldn’t I just be more grateful!

So I cried. Because I felt trapped. Because I felt so tired but couldn’t not be a mom, or work, or keep showing up in my life. But I felt like I was failing at all of it and in that moment I just wanted to disappear.

If you can relate and want to know how I overcame my burn out, check out my latest article on Lifehack.org.

You’ll learn…
-4 surprising strategies for finding motivation (don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to exercise, get more sleep, or eat better!)
-How I get motivated with “The Princess Bride” Strategy and how you can use it to put the pep back in your step too
-How to find the root cause of your burn out so you can focus your limited amount of energy there

Burn out is REAL, and it’s awful. I’ve been there and I promise you can overcome it and be so much happier and healthier on the other side.

Here’s to you writing your success story,
​Kristina

3 ways to check your stories (before they check you)

5/23/2018

 
I kept refreshing my email every 5 minutes. Why wasn’t I hearing back from her? She’s probably mad at me...I totally overwhelmed her. I suck...

This was my inner dialogue a couple of days ago when one of my clients hadn’t responded to one of my messages. Eventually I’d tortured myself enough and decided to reach out to her again and ask if she was overwhelmed and if she needed any help.

She quickly replied back and told me she’d been out of town and hadn’t seen my messages but that she was looking forward to doing the work we’d discussed.

So as it turns out she was not overwhelmed. Not mad at me. In fact, the reason I hadn’t heard from her had nothing to do with me at all! Why did I do this to myself?

Can you relate? Odds are your answer is yes because:
A) You’re human. And
B) You’re a creative.

Without information or answers we tend to assume the absolute worst, usually about ourselves. And as writers, all too often our beautiful, though overactive, imaginations can lead us to some serious self-sabotage.

I had ZERO reason to believe my client suddenly thought I sucked. In fact, the same client had just told me she thought we’d be best friends if we lived near each other. And yet my brain chose to run away with a negative story instead of giving both me and her the benefit of the doubt.

So you’re probably thinking, great Kristina, so how do I check myself so I don't spiral out of control?

Here are 3 ways to check yourself, before you wreck yourself:

1) Recognize when you’re spiraling.
The self-sabotage spiral makes you feel like garbage. So if you’re feeling negative energy around a situation, let that be your signal you may be in a spiral. Then ask yourself what story you may be making up around that situation.

    
    Using my example, since I hadn’t heard from my client since our last call, I decided she was feeling overwhelmed and disappointed with me which made me feel awful and paranoid. Once I recognized I was feeling bad I knew I was most likely in a self-sabotage spiral of my own creation.

2) Search for TRUTH.
Self-sabotage spirals are rarely rooted in anything other than our subconscious insecurities. So once you realize you’re spiraling, the most powerful thing you can do is ask yourself “What do I know to be true about this situation?”
In the case of my feelings about not hearing back from my client, I actually stopped and asked myself:

Do I know how this client is feeling at this moment? No.

Do I have any reason to believe she thinks I suck?
No. She just told me she thinks I’m awesome.

Then I had information to counter the crazy and bring me back to a healthy dose of reality.

If the truth is I don’t know how my client is feeling but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t think I suck, then I was able to decide if I needed more information to feel better or if my search for truth alone was enough to help me move on.

In the case of my client. I felt like I owed it to her to make sure she wasn’t overwhelmed. And, of course, her reply instantly made me feel better for having checked in and asked directly rather than wondering.

Imagine how this could have gone if I’d let this story have it’s way and never chose to get clarity. I’d believe I was a disappointment to my client and imagine what that would do to our relationship! I’d wind up resenting all of the help I gave, believing nothing would ever be enough, and she’d feel the weirdness and likely start being disappointed! It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy! Which is why it’s so critical to do step 3...

3) Know your “gut” from your imagination.
​Sometimes as storytellers who are deeply intuitive and empathetic, we think “our gut” is the one driving the ship when we’re actually in a self-sabotage spiral.


You’re probably thinking, “Duh! So tell me how the heck to tell the difference!”

Honestly, this is the hardest thing to figure out, but once you do it’s game-changing. The best way to do this is to go back to steps one and two. After you’ve acknowledged you’re spiraling with a negative assumption about yourself or someone else, and searched for the truth, ask yourself what you’d believe if you were giving yourself and the other person the benefit of the doubt. In other words, what would this look like through some “grace lenses”?

If you put on your grace lenses, what do you see? Maybe the person isn’t avoiding you, maybe they’re just busy. Maybe they haven’t seen your message at all. Maybe you’re being way too hard on yourself...

Once you explore all of these options, if your gut still tells you something is off, you have two choices:
  1. Let it go or
  2. Address it directly
    
Letting it go means you actually decide to make peace with the situation and choose a story that serves you. For example, if I said, “This client loves me. I’m sure she just missed the messages and will get back to me soon.” and was able to stop worrying about it, that’s letting it go.
    
Addressing it directly means you decide to go straight to the source to get the real story. No room left for your imagination gremlins there!

Is this risky? Sure! What if your imagination gremlins were right and she does think you suck!? It’s possible, but 90% of the time, the reality is much brighter than the story you’ve made up about it.

So the next time you feel yourself caught in a negative story, put on your grace lenses, search for the truth and remember you and only you are the hero of your stories--so choose the ones that serve you and let the others go.

Do you have a TMI Problem?

3/15/2018

 
​I see it so clearly now that I’m on the other side of it. It’s the easiest, most alluring trap an aspiring writer, coach or online business owner can fall into. The traps are everywhere. And they suck you in until you become overtaken by...(cue ominous music) Serial Course Taking Syndrome. 

Once lured in, you may experience different symptoms from Serial Course Taking Syndrome (SCTS). 

You may be drawn to “Freebie Addiction” and take every single free webinar you can get your hands on until your head wants to implode with the overwhelm of information and Should’s on your to-do list.  

Those with more serious SCTS will throw dollar after dollar on the next thing that’s going to give them their breakthrough. They absorb all the information they can take in and more. Yet the more they learn, the more confused they seem to be. 

You might be suffering from this form of SCTS if you think things like:
-But which should I do first, my website or my book?
-How the heck do I make sense of all of this information? 
I- must need another course to help me figure out how to make the most of all my courses! 


And on and on it goes, this never-ending carousel of never knowing enough to actually start.

Have you been there? I know I definitely have! I’ve been the freebie addict and the serial course taker at one point, and I can tell you this: there is such a thing as TMI. 

Too much information (TMI) can lead to a world of hurt when you’re just starting your business. It can make you doubt yourself. It can make you feel 1,000 steps behind. It can paralyze you. 

The truth is, information is useless without action. If you’re not taking action because you know too much, it’s time to stop learning and start doing. 

Do something, anything. Just choose one thing and don’t stop until you finish it. There is no better teacher than experience. It’s impossible to know everything you’ll need to know to succeed in business before you even start! Trust me, if there was, I’d be selling that as a course!

Educate yourself—of course! I believe in investing in your craft as much if not more than the next gal, but there comes a point when it’s time to lean into what you DO know and what you’re good at and believe that you’ll learn what you need to know as you go. 

There are an absurd amount of shiny things out there on the interwebs that can distract you forever if you let them. If you’re in some serious overwhelm from Too Much Information, commit to yourself that you’re going to take action and implement the stuff you’ve already learned and already know before you go down a new path. 

And if you’ve tried and failed at this, consider hiring a 1:1 coach to help you find some direction and give you the accountability that you might desperately need to take your ideas and make them a reality. 

TMI can make us all feel a little crazy. Don’t let everything you don’t know get in the way of what you’re totally capable of doing today. 

Love always,
Kristina

P.S. If you’ve always wanted to make a living through your writing but have no clue how or where to start, I’d love to help you. Click here to learn more about The Writerpreneur Way, my unique 3 step coaching process.

What? Who? WHY?

2/27/2018

 
​Remember in school how we were taught to always answer the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How? It’s writing 101, right? If you’re telling a story, and communicating it with an audience, you need to know the facts. The strange thing is, as soon as it’s personal, those facts all the sudden can become super fuzzy. 

When I first started writing my novel, and when I first started my own business, it was hard to clearly answer the simplest questions:
What was I even writing? 
Who was I writing it for? 
Why was I even doing this? 

-OR-
Who did I want to work with in my business? 
What was I actually selling anyway? 


Why was it so hard to answer these super basic questions? For the longest time the most I could articulate was a desire to do good, to help people. So much was still unclear and that felt terrifying. 

What I eventually realized is: you don’t, and can’t, know what you don’t know yet. 

In writing and in business, you have to experience and feel your way through things before the story begins to come together. All you can do is take the next best step in the direction you want to go, and keep asking the questions every step of the way. 

Clarity doesn’t come to those who wait. It comes to those who SEEK and go out there and FIND it. 

As Maria says in my favorite movie, the Sound of Music, “You have to look for your life.” 

If you’re feeling stuck or lacking clarity, go back to the basics. Ask the questions you’ve been afraid to ask. Answer them as clearly as you can in this moment and just take that next best step trusting that every time you let your heart lead you you’re actively living the life you were born to live. 

With so much love,
Kristina

P.S. Ready to finally start your home-based writing business? Check out my exclusive 5-month mentorship: The Writerpreneur Workshop.   ​

Author Like a Pro: How to make $$ writing books

1/31/2018

 
Author Like a Pro: How to make $$ writing books

It’s the $100,000 question. Literally, I’ve spent a decade and thousands upon thousands of dollars in search of the answer.

Grad school didn’t teach it.

A summer working for free in publishing didn’t reveal it.

The truth was only made clear to me by asking those who went out and actually did it. As Tony Robbins famously said “Success leaves clues.”

So I asked the writer who got the big advance for her first book; the Blogger who turned nothing into a multi-six figure business; the author who self-published before it was in style and has made a comfortable living at this whole writing thing:


“How do you get paid to write books?”

They all had one answer in common: They learned how to be marketing ninjas.

They got so good at marketing they didn’t even have to think about marketing anymore. They realized that marketing really is, at its core, communicating. And, #truthbomb...so is writing!

Books are, by nature, passive income products (meaning you do the work once and can keep making money on it for the rest of your life. How cool is that!?). The caveat is you have to actually sell them!  So, back to the $100,ooo question, how do you actually do it? How does one become what you call a “marketing ninja”?

In today’s world, even if you’re one of the few and far between that gets a huge book deal and advance, you’re still responsible for marketing your work. That’s why writers who don’t lean into marketing and learn all they can about the tools that get them and their words in front of people will never make the living or impact they desire.

This is actually good news though because it means that the only thing standing between you and the success you want is just...information. All of it can be learned. The trick is you don’t just have to know it, you have to actually DO it for it to work for you!

And so, without any more ado whatsoever, here are are 3 things you need to know to make $ as an author:

1) Who is your audience?

If the answer isn’t super clear to you ask yourself these questions: Who will benefit the most from reading your books? What motivates them to read your books? What’s your motivation for writing them?

For example, let’s say you write Christian Romance. Your readers are mostly single Christian women hoping to find the right mate and they look to your books for hope and inspiration that he’s out there. You write this genre because you were once in that position and a similar book helped you stay encouraged to wait for the right person.

2) What are you selling?

You’re probably thinking, “Books! Duh!” Okay, if you have a book that’s already published and for sale, awesome! But, if your first book isn’t available (or written) yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t start selling yourself to future customers!

So let’s take the example above. What is this writer really selling? She’s not selling books. She’s selling hope. She’s selling patience. She’s selling the promise of love. She can do that without a book in print, especially in today’s super connected world.

So do a gut check and get super clear on what you’re really selling in your writing. How is what you do valuable to people and in what other ways can you monetize it beyond books? Another way to think of this is, what are you an EXPERT at?

If you’re the Christian Romance writer who found true love yourself, could you offer an online seminar about how to find “the one”? Or maybe you love teaching other women how to write romance novels and decide to take on clients or create a course about the genre and getting started.

Think outside of the box of ONLY selling books and consider other ways to get paid and build a platform doing what you love.

3) How are you getting what you’re selling in front of your audience?

First and foremost, in order to build an audience you have to first get their attention and nothing gets people’s attention more than a free offer.

Using the example above, our Christian Romance writer could offer a free ebook to her ideal customers.

If she’s not in a hurry to build her list she may start marketing for free by engaging in Facebook groups where her ideal clients are hanging out or by joining a book club or church groups where her readers might be.

She might volunteer to speak at a church event and give her ebook away in exchange for email addresses.

Or if she’s willing to make a financial investment in growing her list, maybe she’ll place an ad on Facebook to promote her free ebook to her ideal readers in exchange for them opting into her email list. Again, it’s all about building your list!

So you’re probably thinking, “Kristina, you’ve just been talking about giving things away, not selling anything! I want/I NEED to make money!”

I’m with you. Here’s the thing: The money is in your list! If you’ve already written a couple of books, know that by being generous and making an irresistible offer (giving something of value away) it will bring customers to you.

They may buy another one of your books, or your course, or your services from you right away or they may buy something a year down the road. The point is, you’re building the relationship over time knowing that the sale will eventually come.

So how do you build the relationship? By giving them valuable content they’re looking for consistently over time.

Our Christian Romance author might communicate with her list about patience, healthy communication and dating advice. She establishes herself as an expert and gives value to her readers so that when she releases her next book, people can’t wait to buy it!

Bottom line, you have to make offers and you have to have people to make offers to. You have to get visible. You have to put yourself out there. You have to speak up and let people know you’re there and that you have something to say.

You have to first start the conversation, become the expert, and build an audience.

Make it your #1 priority this year to become a marketing expert in your writing niche/genre and you’ll 10X your chances at making writing your full-time gig sooner than you ever thought possible.

Here's to you writing your own success story,
KV

P.S. If you're ready to learn everything you can about how to market your writing and want someone to coach you through it every step of the way, I'd love to have you check out my Writerpreneur Workshop. It's a 5-month exclusive mentorship where we'll strategize your perfect business and marketing plan and work together to execute it so you can finally make the impact you were born to make. 

3 upsides for working 9 to 5

1/9/2018

 
As an online business owner, it seems like every day I see a Facebook ad promoting the appeal of ditching the 9 to 5. It usually goes something like: 

Screw having to be at work every day at the same time! 
Screw someone else controlling my life and schedule! 
Be your own boss and own your time! 


This sentiment is obviously super appealing to a lot creatives, myself included. I’ve generally completely agreed with all of the previous statements so much so that I did it! I ditched the 9 to 5 to pursue my definition of success (being able to make a comfortable living in my pajamas).

Here’s the honest-to-God truth though: instead of working 9 to 5, far too many entrepreneurs work 24/7. They do nothing but think about work, talk about work, stress about work. Their work is their life, it’s their identity. As the Guns N’ Roses song so perfectly puts it: Every rose has its thorn. 

This is the downside of doing what you love: sometimes you just don’t know when to quit!

​When I ditched the 9 to 5 and became my own boss, the once shiny appeal of so much freedom quickly felt like a burden. When I worked a corporate job I had super clear boundaries. I never worked on weekends. I never checked my email outside of work. I never even connected my work email account to my cell. But once I was my own boss, the lines were so much more blurry. 

When could I turn my “work brain” off? I work from home so being home soon meant always being on my computer all hours of the day or feeling guilty for not being on my computer. I could never enjoy a moment of downtime because there was always something I “should” be doing. 

Luckily I soon realized that I needed to be a much nicer boss to myself. I decided to set the same healthy boundaries that had served me well in my employee life and finally found the freedom I’d been craving by approaching my own business with a 9 to 5 mindset. 

If you’re just starting your entrepreneurial journey or are already knee deep in it and struggling to find your balance, here are 3 reasons why you should try a 9 to 5 schedule in your business (and for my friends still working a 9 to 5 job, read on, this applies to you too and I’ve got a bonus message for you at the bottom):

1) You work when everyone is working. 

Let’s face it, most of the world is at the office when you’re cozy in your pajamas (#winning) so get your work done while everyone else is working so you can play when everyone else is playing! 

For me the incentive is easy, I want to be able to spend quality time with my husband and daughter when we’re all home together. I want to be fully present and not worrying about work. That’s all the incentive I need to get sh*t done during the day.

2) You’re more productive when your time is limited

By giving yourself defined working hours you’re giving yourself less time to get things done which makes you more productive (ever notice if you give yourself a week to do something it takes you a week, but if you give yourself an hour for the same task it will take an hour?)

Seriously, if you’re dragging your feet on doing something, try challenging yourself to do it in a short amount of time. Make a game out of it! I bet you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can knock it out and then kick yourself for all the time you wasted avoiding it. 

3) You ditch the guilt

One of the main reasons we become entrepreneurs in the first place is because we value freedom above pretty much everything. But feeling trapped by your business or like you have to work 24/7 is the opposite of freedom. 

Establishing set work hours provides the structure you need to really feel free from work. By deciding when you will work and when you won’t, you can actually allow yourself to enjoy and plan your time off. But it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the flexibility you have as your own boss.

I never work weekends. But I do grocery shop or take appointments, yoga classes, or bike rides during normal “working hours.”  Because I can! That’s the beauty of having my own business. 

Some days I get on a roll and get 2 days of work done in 4 hours and some days I can barely string a sentence together and I let myself have an off day. I’m a nice boss to me these days. I work much better and harder for that boss. 

Whatever you do, whatever hours you work, don’t forget why you chose this path in the first place. Be sure to let yourself bask in the glorious benefits of the life of freedom you’ve created, otherwise, what’s the point!?

Here’s to you writing your own success story,

Xo,
Kristina



Psst...if you’re still working a 9 to 5 job but want to be your own boss more than anything, don’t wait! 

I started my business when I still had my corporate job and in some ways it was easier than working my business full time. Sounds crazy, but when you’re feeling really stuck in the corporate grind you’re super motivated to do something about it. 

Use that motivation and work on your business any chance you get. Do it on your lunch break or on a slow work day. Use your commute to read books or listen to podcasts about your industry. 

The awesome (surprising) bonus is doing this somehow makes you enjoy your day job more because you won’t feel so stuck. You’ll realize you’re actually choosing your day job because of the benefits you get from it (like, I don’t know, a steady paycheck, work friends, learning experiences, an excuse to put on makeup, etc.). Remember to enjoy where you’re at while you’re working toward your dream business and schedule. 

If you’ve always wanted to make a living through your writing but have no clue how or where to start, I’d love to help you. Click to learn more about my exclusive 5-month mentorship program The Writerpreneur Workshop.

Your future self will thank you

12/21/2017

 
As we wrap up 2017 I can’t help but reflect and realize that this has been the first year of my life that I stopped praying to find my purpose and finally started living it. 

Everyone deserves to feel this feeling. 

Since my early twenties I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to write and help women. Sounds simple enough. At least I knew what I wanted, right? That’s a lot more than most people know. But it wasn’t simple. 

As clear as I was on what I wanted, what wasn’t remotely clear was how I could actually make a living doing either of those things. Not to mention the paralyzing self doubt of not feeling worthy or good enough to get paid for my writing. 

Since I was a girl I’d written in a silo. Aside from academic work, I wrote for me. No one read what I wrote and I liked it that way. It was mine and couldn’t be tainted by the opinions of the outside world. Still I knew that if this dream of being paid to write was ever going to come true I’d have to show it to someone eventually. I’d have to show myself to the world...eventually. 

In my late 20’s I started to realize that I wasn’t getting any closer to making this dream come true and if I was ever going to take that leap I needed skin in the game. So I applied to MFA programs in writing. I quit my day job and moved cross-country by myself for grad school. I only knew two people in the San Francisco Bay Area at the time. 

Looking back it’s kind of crazy to think of everything I didn’t know. I didn’t know how I was going to make money. Or where I was going to live. I didn’t even know what I was going to write. I didn’t know much of anything. But I knew what I wanted and somehow the “how” figured itself out. 

The truth is any time we put ourselves, or our writing, out into the world it requires our willingness to be vulnerable (otherwise known as feeling insanely insecure and uncomfortable). 

So how the heck do you find the guts to do it? Here’s what I’ve learned along the way:

You keep your eyes on the vision, put in the work and trust the process. You fake your confidence until you finally feel it because you earned it by doing.

You can’t wait to feel ready. Confidence comes after action. 

One way to get into action and put yourself out there (even when you don’t feel ready) is to find a role model or two and follow their lead.

Figure out what they had to do and how they had to act to get where they are and just take the first step. 

Ask yourself how you would act or feel if you were the expert, if you HAD that bestselling book, and ACT THE PART. 

Keep it up long enough and you’ll wake up one day and realize you’re not acting at all anymore. You’re actually living your dream. 

Here’s to you writing your own success story,
-Kristina

P.S. If you’ve always wanted to make a living through your writing but have no clue how or where to start, I’d love to help you. Click to learn more about my exclusive 5-month mentorship program The Writerpreneur Workshop.​​​​​​​

Your Writing & The Great Holiday Cop Out

11/16/2017

 
Picture
Do you find yourself super unmotivated to do anything but eat, drink and be merrily lazy this time of year? If so, I’m 100% with you. As the weather outside is gets colder, all I want to do is curl up with a cozy blanket by the fire and binge watch Gilmore Girls for like the 15th time.
(And watching those Gilmore’s eat whatever garbage they can get their paws on while still fitting into their boot cut jeans somehow makes me delusional that a GF veggie pizza is a health food, because, you know, vegetables!)

The struggle to get sh*t done during the holidays is real. After all, haven’t we worked hard all year? And weren’t we kind of trained growing up to feel entitled to a long winter’s nap, I mean, break?

Maybe you’re lucky enough to get some decent time off during the holidays but it hardly feels that way because time off means the kids are out of school and family is in town and...cue a montage of the first 15 minutes of Home Alone.

Worst of all, amidst all of the chaos of cookie baking, turkey basting and your deep, deep desire to sleep in and mindlessly binge watch whatever, you’ve got that writing goal you’d set for yourself hanging over you like the freaking ghost of Ambitious-You Past.
(Cue ghostly voice) "But yooou said yooou would finish your booooook thiiiis yeeeeeaaar."

If you relate to this and have been struggling to find motivation, here are 3 likely reasons behind your Great Holiday Cop Out and some practical tips to take you from ho-hum to ho-ho-HOT for writing this season:

Reason 1: You don’t know your why.In order to stay motivated you need to know why you’re doing it or what your end goal is. Without a solid purpose for doing the do, you’re going to prioritize everything else first (and this time of year that list is a LONG one).
    
    So how do you get clarity around your why? Answer these questions:
  • Why does this matter to you
  • What is your reason for writing this? What message do you want to get across?
  • How is this helping you? How is this helping other people?
  • Why does finishing this project matter?
 
​Reason 2: You have no urgency (or deadline)
I love deadlines. When I’m given a real deadline with consequences for not meeting it, I always deliver. BUT, this has landed me in a world of hurt when it comes to my own personal writing projects. I might want to do something but without a clear deadline or sense of urgency, I’ll push it off forever. I hate when things feel arbitrary. There’s no logical reason I can’t push it off for another day. But I realized I had to get smart and figure out a way to stay motivated even when no one was really waiting on my writing.

So how do you create urgency and deadlines for yourself? Try these 4 strategies:
  1. Decide when you need to finish it by (set your deadline) 
    1. Ex: “I’ll have a finished novel by Dec 1st!”
  2. Define WHY you need to finish it by that date (give yourself logical reasons and consequences for not following through)
    • Ex: I need to finish it by December 1st because I want to take the month of December off from working on a book and it will feel so amazing starting the new year off having a fresh project to work on!
  3. Dangle your reward for meeting your goal
    • Ex: I’m going to print and gift my family members and friends with my novel. It’s going to feel great taking a break in December and giving myself space to concept new ideas for 2018. 
  4. Dedicate! Carve out the time every week on your calendar that you’re going to work on this singular goal in order to meet your deadline. This is non-negotiable time. If you need to move it for some super pressing reason, the only rule is you can’t delete it, you only are allowed to move it to another day that same week.

Reason 3: You have no boundaries or accountability
For some of you, just doing the above exercises will be enough. But for the wonderful, lovable, people-pleasers out there, you’re likely so busy doing so many things for other people, finding the time for yourself feels near impossible.

For you, dear one, you need boundaries and accountability if you’re going to follow through. Let’s talk about boundaries first:

You can’t allow anything to get in the way of you accomplishing your goal so you have to say no to anything that may get in the way and make it clear to the people in your life that you need that time.

And that’s where accountability comes into play. Because you’re naturally inclined to please others, use it to fuel your momentum by getting an accountability buddy! Whether it’s a writing bestie, a mentor, or a coach, find someone who will hold you accountable for following through.      
So there you have it, 3 real reasons behind the holiday cop out how to work around them.

Now just in case you think I’m kind of a Grinch for forcing you to work when you should be fa-la la-ing, think about it this way instead:
It’s mid-November. What kind of push do you need to do so you can give yourself the gift of a couple of weeks off at the end of the year (100% ghost free)?


I know you’ve got this and I’m here to support you in any way I can!

Cheers to you gifting yourself with your #1 writing goal checked off your list!

Love always,
KV

P.S. Want 2018 to finally be the year you start your home-based writing business? Check out my exclusive 5-month mentorship: The Writerpreneur Workshop.         

​
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    Writer & Co-active Coach

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