(Editor’s Note: In this, our first article of the new year, we welcome Jason and Craig Womack, co-authors of The Promise Doctrine to help us kick off 2010 with advice on setting goals and keeping promises!)
When you set new goals, you take ownership of making positive changes in your life and you begin a journey to another level. To make the journey, you’ll need 1) a set of clear objectives and 2) a clear path to achieve measurable results.
We suggest that you start with a high-level, four-pronged “roadmapping” process. Your roadmap defines what you should be measuring and your vision for success in each area.
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One of the many things I love about the holidays is the opportunity to stop and reflect on the things that matter. This is a great time to ask myself a number of important questions such as:
What happened? What did I accomplish? What did I do right? What could I have done better? What did I learn? What do I want to accomplish this year? Why?
During the holidays, I like to spend a few hours thinking about while sitting at my desk, relaxing with some music, taking long walks with my dogs or riding my bike.
This year, however, I’ve added something else to the mix. Inspired by a recent post from Jonathan Fields (author of Career Renegade), I’ve made some time to watch a series of inspirational and insightful videos.
These videos (some of which Jonathan shared in his post and others which I’ve come across throughout the year) have not only helped set the mood for this time of reflection. They’ve also inspired me to strive for more.
To be more. To try harder. And to make a bigger difference in my freelance business, my family and my community.
In other words, to lead a wealthy life in every respect.
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Don’t let the title of this post fool you. It has nothing to do with bullying. And everything to do with supporting you in achieving your goals.
Let me explain.
Several years ago, I was about 35 pounds overweight. I had a serious addiction to muffins (which have more calories than you might expect) and the only real exercise I got was playing in the park with my daughter. And even that got me winded!
“I need to get into better shape,” I told myself one New Year’s Eve. So I made a resolution to start jogging.
Not right away, of course. Tomorrow. Or maybe the next day.
My first run, which I finally did sometime in the middle of January, was around the block. I got about halfway, then walked. Click to continue reading »
After months of putting it off, I finally went 100% Mac in late August. I’m happy to report that I did, indeed, survive the “great migration,” and I’m loving the all-Mac experience.
In fact, I can honestly say that I’m now a Mac believer. And I’ll NEVER go back to PC again!
Here’s why I decided to make the switch, why I put it off for so long, and the lesson I learned about wealthy freelancing…
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You may know I’m a proponent of direct mail as a great business-building strategy for us solo professionals. I’ve had great success with it, but earlier in my freelance career I had two direct mail flops. Today I’ll tell you about the most elaborate, expensive and disappointing one.
They say hindsight is 20/20 but unfortunately that’s not true in marketing. So while I may never know with absolutely certainty why this particular self-promotion effort flopped like a carp in the hull of a fishing boat, I can make some educated guesses, as I’ve done here, for your amusement, at my expense. Quite literally…
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From the picture alone, I could tell that Josh is a great kid.
I don’t know for sure, but I bet he comes from a loving family who couldn’t be more proud of him. He looks enthusiastic. Happy to be alive.
Of course, I don’t know if any of this is true. But I hope it is. Because Josh is a U.S. Marine who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan last month.
Just last week, he received two prosthetic legs. And as I write this, he’s undergoing rehabilitation in a military hospital.
He’s 19 years old.
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On Monday I had a phone conversation with Ed Gandia and I asked him for a favour.
There’s something I’ve been meaning to do for the past couple weeks and, as of last Monday, I still hadn’t done it.
It’s a daily habit – a good one – which, for a number of reasons (laziness being one of them) I’ve let slide.
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Hi folks,
Ed here. We’ve been invited back for a live interview on Sandra Lee Schubert’s talk show, Wild Woman Network: Conversations with Creative Vagabonds, Thinkers and Innovators. You might have heard Pete’s interview a few weeks back, now it’s my turn. Hope you join me there — here are the details:
- Topic: Tips and advice on life as a freelancer, with MORE great stuff from our forthcoming book, The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets for a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle.
- When: Tuesday, Nov 17 2009, 2pm EST
- Where: Click here to listen live online OR Dial in (347) 202-0660
For more information on the show, click here. (At that page, you can even set a reminder so you don’t miss the interview.)
See you there!
Ed
Back when I was slaving away in a corporate job, I promised myself that when I became a full-time freelancer, I’d do things much differently.
I promised I’d take a day off every month to reflect on the events of the previous four weeks. I would use this day to think about what went right, what went wrong and how I handled the challenges that came my way. I would reexamine my list of goals and make adjustments as needed.
I’d then spend a few hours strategizing for the next month. And I’d cap off the day with a hike in the woods and a one-hour massage, after which I’d pick up my son from school and we’d go fishing or play some baseball.
When I first went solo, I made good on my promise. But then I got busy — very busy. And I stopped making time for my “Day of Reflection,” as I like to call it.
During a recent weekend backpacking trip, as I enjoyed the beauty of the Appalachian foothills, I realized how much I miss that Day of Reflection. For me, there’s great value in taking time to assess and make changes. And I love capping off the day with a relaxing massage and one-on-one time with my son.
No, it’s not the only reason I decided to become a freelancer. It’s just a nice perk I instituted way back then. A perk I’m proud to have added to my list of “company benefits” here at Gandia Communications Inc. And a perk that actually means something to me (as opposed to things like “pet insurance” or other ridiculous benefits my last employer offered).
That’s why I’ve recently gotten back into that habit…and why I’m going to stick to it this time.
Because it’s important to me. And because I can.
What about you? Have you made a similar mistake? What little perks did you promise you’d give yourself…but have since gotten away from?
What’s stopping you from getting back into those habits? How could you restructure your week or your business to make it happen again?
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Ed Gandia is a co-founder of TheWealthyFreelancer.com and a co-creator of The “Launch Email” Technique: The Fastest Way to Attract Good-Paying Clients as a New Freelancer.
Photo courtesty of Michael Haring via Flickr
If you’ve been a freelancer for any length of time, you may have noticed there are a lot of job boards out there. From Craigslist to boards hosted by trade journals to bidding-style sites, there are clearly a lot of places for companies to post their need for freelancers.
Of course, if you’ve ever actually tried to find work on a job board, you’ve likely discovered:
1. Posters seem to only care about finding the lowest price.
2. Posts are disorganized, poorly written, and not thought through.
3. Posters demand experience that’s unnecessary for the job (like an MBA to write an article on the textile industry).
What if there was a way to skirt past all of these hassles and make the time you spend applying to jobs from job boards genuinely lucrative?
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